Today, we had the pleasure of attending the “Growth Mornings” event organized by the Graduate School of the University of Vic. We spoke about Artificial Intelligence in the world of sales. Here’s a brief summary of the session, where we presented three key ideas:
- Is AI already a reality in sales? The answer is a resounding yes, but it still requires human supervision.
- Does AI make us more productive? Through an analysis of the various sales-focused AI agents and their use cases, we concluded that it does. These expert tools reduce the administrative workload for sales teams (estimated to take up 70% of their working hours), allowing them to maximize client interaction time (which typically accounts for only 30%). Yes, AI makes us more competitive.
- Is AI already necessary? After a deeper reflection on the role of executives and managers in defining commercial strategy, we concluded that it is. Action must be taken at a corporate level without delay.
A recent study (*) indicates that over 70% of sales teams are already using AI tools (without explicit company approval). Of these, more than 70% are paying for these tools out of pocket, while only 25% of companies are considering budgets for AI training by 2025. Once again, are we going to let reality overwhelm us like a tsunami, or will we take control?
This brings me to the point: at the end of the event, I had the chance to speak with a sales executive from a multinational tech company, and we ended up discussing how “everything has to be about AI” today. Everything must include AI, and we receive corporate instructions to “push” these products because of heavy investments in them.
However, these companies have already spent years investing heavily in products that have taken time to develop, taken time to reach the market, and are still in the “product-market fit” phase, trying to figure out how their developments fit into the use cases of potential clients who are likely already with another provider.
If we’re not paying attention to where we really stand with our core product in the market—where we’re already “committed”—and instead jump to “pushing AI,” which, let’s be honest, has only 3-4 REAL use cases that in no way justify the investment being asked for… Do you really think your client will be “swayed” by these shiny solutions? How will they justify the investment in this technology?
If you don’t see the value yourself, how will they?
And beyond that… what happened to the strategic sales plan that determined the company’s profitability? Are we abandoning strategy entirely and leaping straight into tactics?
Artificial Intelligence is here; it is driving and will continue to drive breakthroughs in productivity and organizational transformation. BUT, let’s not throw strategy overboard. There’s time to adapt. Let’s integrate AI into our plans gradually, and as it becomes more tangible, we can truly commit to it—without rushing.
* LinkedIn Study – AI in the Workplace – June 2024