It's About Time
Time is one of the most valuable resources for any salesperson.
How you spend your time can make or break your sales performance... And your sanity.
Like jazz sales success comes from an alchemy of innovation and structure.
In this post, we will explore some of the common challenges that b2b salespeople face when it comes to time management, and how artificial intelligence (AI) can help you overcome them and achieve your sales goals.
The challenges of time management in b2b sales
B2b sales is a complex and competitive field that requires a lot of research, preparation, and follow-up. Some of the typical tasks that b2b salespeople have to do include:
- Finding and qualifying leads
- Researching prospects and their needs
- Crafting personalized and relevant messages
- Scheduling and conducting meetings and demos
- Creating and delivering proposals and quotes
- Negotiating and closing deals
- Nurturing and retaining customers
All these tasks take time and effort, and often involve multiple stakeholders and decision-makers. Moreover, b2b sales cycles tend to be longer and more unpredictable than b2c sales, which means that salespeople have to deal with more uncertainty and risk.
According to a study by [HubSpot](^1^), the average b2b sales cycle is 102 days, and only 19% of buyers want to connect with a salesperson during the awareness stage of their journey. This means that salespeople have to be patient and persistent, and also find ways to stand out from the competition and add value to their prospects.
However, not all tasks are equally important or effective for achieving sales success. Some tasks are more strategic and impactful, while others are more administrative and repetitive. For example, according to a report by [Salesforce](^2^), sales reps spend only 34% of their time selling, while the rest of their time is spent on data entry, email, meetings, and other non-selling activities.
This is where AI can make a difference.
## The benefits of AI for b2b sales
AI is a technology that can learn from data and perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing patterns, generating content, and making decisions. AI can help b2b salespeople in various ways, such as:
- Optimizing the sales process with data. AI can provide salespeople with data-driven insights, such as sales forecasting, lead scoring, pipeline analysis, and opportunity identification. These insights can help salespeople prioritize their activities, focus on the most promising prospects, and optimize their sales strategy.
- Automating manual tasks. AI can automate tasks that are tedious, time-consuming, or prone to error, such as data entry, note-taking, scheduling, and follow-up. This can save salespeople time and energy, and allow them to spend more time on selling and building relationships.
- Writing content and outreach messages. AI can generate sales content or prospect outreach messages, such as emails, social media posts, proposals, and quotes. These messages can be personalized, relevant, and engaging, and can help salespeople capture the attention and interest of their prospects.
- Enhancing customer engagement. AI can enhance the customer experience and satisfaction, by providing faster and more accurate responses, offering personalized recommendations, and delivering proactive support. This can help salespeople build trust and loyalty, and increase customer retention and referrals.
## Some examples and anecdotes of AI in b2b sales
To illustrate how AI can help b2b salespeople, here are some examples and anecdotes from real companies and salespeople who have used AI to improve their sales performance.
- [GenAI](^3^) is a generative AI platform that helps b2b sales teams create and deliver fresh and relevant ideas to their prospects. GenAI uses natural language processing and deep learning to generate content, such as blog posts, white papers, case studies, and webinars, that showcase the value proposition and differentiation of the sales offering. GenAI also helps salespeople craft personalized and persuasive messages, such as emails, social media posts, and video scripts, that engage and influence their prospects. One of the customers of GenAI is a software company that sells a cloud-based solution for data analytics. By using GenAI, the company was able to increase its sales pipeline by 25%, reduce its sales cycle by 15%, and improve its conversion rate by 10%.
- [Klenty](^5^) is a sales automation platform that helps b2b sales teams automate their outreach and follow-up. Klenty integrates with CRM systems, such as Salesforce and HubSpot, and allows salespeople to create and execute personalized and multi-channel campaigns, such as email, phone, and social media. Klenty also tracks and analyzes the performance of the campaigns, and provides insights and suggestions on how to optimize them. One of the customers of Klenty is a SaaS company that sells a project management tool. By using Klenty, the company was able to increase its email open rate by 40%, its reply rate by 30%, and its meeting rate by 20%.
- [Close](^4^) is a CRM system that uses AI to help b2b sales teams close more deals. Close uses natural language processing and speech recognition to transcribe and analyze sales calls, and provide feedback and coaching to salespeople. Close also uses machine learning and predictive analytics to prioritize leads, suggest next actions, and forecast sales outcomes. One of the customers of Close is a marketing agency that sells digital marketing services. By using Close, the agency was able to increase its call volume by 50%, its call quality by 30%, and its deal size by 20%.
Here are some quotes on time and sales that can inspire you and your prospects and clients.
- \"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.\" - William Penn
- \"Time is money.\" - Benjamin Franklin
- \"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot.\" - Michael Altshuler
- \"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.\" - Earl Nightingale
- \"Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman – not the attitude of the prospect.\" - W. Clement Stone
- \"You don't close a sale; you open a relationship if you want to build a long-term, successful enterprise.\" - Patricia Fripp
- \"The secret of getting ahead is getting started.\" - Mark Twain
It's About Time.
David
Growth Strategy & Actions
www.TruthRefinery.com
617-331-7852
david@davidcutler.net
www.DavidCutler.net
