September 4, 2024

The Complete Guide to AI Sales Assistants

Poornima Mohandas on September 4, 2024

In the past, artificial intelligence was nothing more than a nebulous concept for most people. But today, it’s a must-have technology for any organization looking to stand out and grow in an increasingly competitive market.

In fact, a recent survey found that most revenue organizations already use AI sales assistants and other AI sales tools; only 24% don’t.

of orgs already use AI sales tools

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It’s no wonder why so many revenue leaders are investing in AI. AI sales assistants streamline and automate tasks and processes so sellers have more time to engage with buyers. When sellers have more time to engage with buyers, they can close more deals faster.

But what is an AI sales assistant – and how does this technology boost sales productivity and performance? You’ve come to the right place to find out.

In this post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about AI sales assistants, including:

What an AI sales assistant is and how it works
How this technology compares to conversation intelligence
Why a growing number of revenue teams are embracing AI-powered sales assistants
Some of the best AI sales assistant software options on the market today

What is an AI sales assistant?

First things first: what is an AI sales assistant?

The sales cycle consists of countless tasks and processes. Each one is necessary, but it requires a lot of time and effort.

An AI sales assistant is a tool or application that leverages artificial intelligence (including machine learning, natural language processing, and predictive analytics) to streamline and simplify the sales process and support sellers. AI sales assistants are also referred to by other names including

Virtual sales assistants
AI-powered sales assistants
AI virtual sales assistants

AI-guided selling tools can streamline simple yet time-consuming tasks like data entry and meeting scheduling. This technology can also be used for more complex tasks, including prospecting, meeting preparation, and follow-up. We’ll look closely at specific use cases for AI sales assistants later.

Why are so many revenue organizations embracing AI sales assistants?

AI virtual sales assistants streamline and automate many tasks that sellers once had to do independently. That means sellers have more time to provide personalized experiences that resonate with buyers and earn their business. Sellers can close more deals faster.

Furthermore, AI-powered sales assistants take the guesswork out of the sales process. Rather than acting on a hunch or gut feeling, sales reps can leverage data to determine what action to take next. This improves outcomes and accelerates the sales cycle.

The bottom line? AI sales assistants can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of your sales reps and streamline the sales cycle. Your sellers will be better equipped to engage buyers and close deals, and your bottom line will grow.

Conversation intelligence vs. AI sales assistants

You’ve probably heard the term “conversation intelligence” at least once or twice. But is conversation intelligence the sales thing as an AI sales assistant?

Conversation intelligence and AI sales assistants are certainly related, but they’re not the same.

What is conversation intelligence?

Conversation intelligence (or an AI sales call assistant) is a technology that leverages AI to record, transcribe, and analyze sales calls to provide more insight into customer interactions.

A conversation intelligence solution like Mindtickle’s Call AI analyzes each call and provides a score as well as feedback on things like:

Sentiment
Questions asked and answered
Monologues
Use of filler words
Competitor mentions
Objections
Pain points

With a conversation intelligence solution, sales reps can focus on the call rather than taking notes. Reps can use conversation intelligence to review calls and follow up with AI-generated action items. In addition, conversation intelligence provides sales reps with real-time feedback on each call, which they can use to improve their behaviors and chances of closing the deal.

Sales managers can also use AI sales call assistants to see how things are going in the field without sitting in on sales reps’ calls. Managers can use the insights from conversation intelligence to provide targeted coaching that improves sales reps’ skills and behaviors.

What’s the difference between conversation intelligence and AI sales assistants?

AI-powered sales assistants are a technology category that streamlines sales processes and tasks and supports sellers. Conversation intelligence is one type of AI sales assistant specifically addressing customer interactions.

However, other AI sales assistants address another element (or elements) of the sales process.

	AI sales assistant	Conversation intelligence
What it is	A tool that leverages AI to simplify and streamline the sales process and support sellers.	A tool that records and analyzes sales conversations to help revenue teams better understand customer interactions.
Goals	To improve sales processes and free up reps’ time so they can spend more time on revenue generating activities.	Enable rep to focus on calls Provide the sales rep with real-time feedback for improvement Identify coaching opportunities Simplify meeting prep
Who uses it	Revenue teams	Revenue teams
Tools	AI sales assistants may be standalone solutions or incorporated into existing sales tools and technologies	Conversation intelligence software, which may be a standalone solution or part of an integrated revenue enablement platform.

How can you use an AI sales assistant to support your sales team?

AI sales assistants can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your sellers. But getting started with an AI-powered sales assistant can seem overwhelming.

It doesn’t have to be. Start with one or two use cases, optimize them, and grow from there.

Here’s how AI sales assistants can empower your sellers to close more deals.

Delivering powerful insights for data-driven decision-making

Chances are, you have no shortage of data. But analyzing it and determining how to act on it can seem impossible.

AI sales assistants can analyze data from disparate sources and provide meaningful insights, fueling better decision-making.

Enabling sellers to prioritize their time properly

Sales reps only have so many hours in the day. Of course, you want them to spend their time with prospects most likely to convert. But often, this requires a lot of guesswork.

An AI sales assistant can leverage predictive analytics to determine which leads will likely convert to customers. Then, your teams can use that insight to prioritize properly.

Analyzing customer interactions

Every interaction with a customer is rich with insight. An AI sales assistant can transcribe and analyze each interaction to deliver insights that enable sales reps to improve the customer experience and sales outcomes. Sales reps can also use these insights to determine next steps and prepare for future meetings.
Accessing real-time feedback to improve skills

Sales coaching is key to improving performance, but sales reps can’t afford to sit around and wait for feedback from their managers.

An AI sales assistant can analyze client interactions and recorded role-plays and provide real-time feedback for improvement. Sales reps can use feedback delivered via AI sales coaching to sharpen their skills and increase their likelihood of closing deals.

Some innovative vendors also offer interactive, AI-powered role-plays, which allow sales reps to practice their skills in realistic scenarios with an AI bot.

Getting proven content recommendations

Content is an important part of the B2B sales process. But often, sales reps waste precious time searching for content – which may or may not work for a specific sales scenario.

An AI assistant can leverage data and buyer signals to recommend the right content for every situation. Rather than guessing what will work, sales reps can use content that’s proven to work. An AI sales assistant can even draft a contextual message for the sales rep to send alongside the content.

Answering customers’ questions – quickly

Prospects are bound to have questions. It’s important to get them accurate answers – quickly.

In the past, a sales rep would pose a question (perhaps on Slack or another communication channel) and then wait for a response from a subject matter expert. With an AI sales assistant, the rep can ask their question and get an answer—along with approved, relevant resources to share with the customer.

Automating tedious tasks

According to Salesforce research, sales reps spend less than 30% of their time selling. That’s because tedious (but necessary) tasks often bog them down.

Sales reps spend only

of their time selling

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An AI sales assistant can automate many of these mundane tasks. That means sellers can spend more time engaging buyers, delivering great experiences, and closing deals.

What is the best AI sales assistant software?

With the right AI sales assistant software, you can significantly improve the performance of your entire sales team. But what’s the best AI sales assistant software available today?

There’s no easy answer. The best AI sales assistant software is the one that addresses the needs and goals of your organization.

However, some AI sales assistant software tools are particularly popular.

Mindtickle

Some AI sales assistant software addresses a single challenge or pain point. Mindtickle addresses several.

Mindtickle is an integrated revenue enablement platform that incorporates onboarding, sales training, content, coaching, conversation intelligence, and more—all from one platform. Revenue enablement teams can build, deliver, and measure personalized programs that address the needs of each seller. Sellers can access everything they need to be ready for any deal—all from one platform.

Mindtickle Copilot, Mindtickle’s AI sales assistant tool, enables sales reps to work smarter and faster.

With Mindtickle Copilot, sales reps can automate tedious tasks, freeing up their time to delight customers. For example, sales reps can use Mindtickle Copilot to draft follow-up messages and identify insights from previous customer interactions. They can also ask questions and get real-time answers, along with supporting resources.

In addition, Mindtickle Copilot enables sellers to leverage data to make better decisions. Sales reps can determine what action to take next to move a deal forward or get suggestions for content that has resonated in similar scenarios to share with a seller.

Mindtickle also leverages AI to deliver real-time feedback to sales reps. For example, a seller receives a score and feedback from each sales conversation via conversation intelligence. They can use this feedback to improve and increase their chances of closing the deal.

Sales reps can also submit recorded role-plays or engage in interactive, AI-powered role-plays. In either case, the rep gets immediate feedback for improving their behaviors without having to wait around for a sales manager.

Drift

Increasingly, B2B buyers make decisions based on their experiences with a business. Drift is an AI sales assistant tool that listens and learns from buyers. It uses this data to provide personalized experiences to buyers throughout the purchase journey. Revenue teams use Drift to engage with prospects, book meetings, and pre-qualify leads.

Clari

Clari is a popular revenue platform that helps teams engage buyers, optimize the sales process, and predict revenue outcomes. It incorporates Clari Copilot, an AI sales assistant that makes it easier for teams to make revenue calls, analyze deals, forecast sales, and more.

ZoomInfo

Any sales rep knows that prospecting is important. But it can take a lot of time and effort to ensure you’re connecting with the right people at the right companies. ZoomInfo is a popular prospecting platform that helps sales reps ensure they’re connecting with people who are a good fit for their products or services. ZoomInfo Copilot is an AI sales assistant that helps sellers know which accounts to prioritize and how best to engage them.

Gong

Gong is a popular revenue intelligence platform that helps teams better understand customer interactions. It leverages AI to deliver insights based on customer interactions. When you better understand your customer interactions, you can more effectively act on them and know what step to take next to engage them.

It’s time to embrace AI sales assistants to supercharge sales performance

Already, winning revenue organizations are tapping into AI sales assistants to boost the effectiveness and efficiency of their sales teams and deliver winning experiences that delight customers.

Competition is fierce. You risk getting left behind if you’re not already leveraging AI today.

Now’s the time to identify ways your organization can leverage AI sales assistants to streamline the sales process and support sellers as they engage buyers and close deals.

AI in action with Mindtickle

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10 Sales Training Topics to Help Your Team Get (and Stay) Sales Ready

Kevin Atkinson on September 4, 2024

Sales training and coaching are often reserved for new hires and low performers. For the rest of the team, training may be limited to a brief refresher during the annual sales kickoff.

But this approach to sales training isn’t as effective as we’d like to think. In many cases, this is because revenue organizations only cover a few training topics with their sales professionals.

To improve the effectiveness of training (and your entire sales enablement program), you must continually cover a full range of sales training topics. This will help all your reps build the skills and knowledge required for any selling scenario.

Sales training topics

Pipeline management
Prospecting and outreach
Qualifying leads
Call planning
Building relationships with customers
Identifying customer needs
Presenting the value of your products
Competitor knowledge
Managing objections
Closing deals

1. Pipeline management

Your sales reps need to be able to build their pipeline, prioritize leads and prospects based on lead quality and sales urgency, and measure their results.

In fact, research suggests that effective pipeline management is closely linked to rep performance.

However, a recent survey found that generating and converting a healthy pipeline is a top challenge among revenue professionals.

Training in pipeline management can set junior team members up for success. They’ll be able to keep track of all their deals in your CRM, know what pipeline stage their deals are at, and determine whether they have enough conversations in progress to hit quota.

2. Prospecting and outreach

Sales prospecting and outreach are two competencies that go hand in hand. Business development reps (BDRs) need to find and identify good-fit potential customers and then craft compelling messages to engage them. According to a Salesforce report, sellers spend about 17% of their time each week prospecting and researching potential customers to ensure they fit your ideal customer profile (ICP).

Sellers spend about

of their time prospecting and researching

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Top performers spend even more time researching their prospects. According to a LinkedIn report, 82% of top performers say they always perform research prior to reaching out to prospects, compared to 49% of other sellers.

Cold calling and outreach emails are essential skills for BDRs to master if they want to bring new prospects into their pipeline. You can provide training and coaching via verbal and written role-plays to help reps practice these core skills. In fact, we found that learning to prepare cold email intros is the top use case for written role-plays by BDRs in the Mindtickle platform.

3. Qualifying leads

Nurturing or repeatedly contacting bad-fit leads is a waste of your reps’ time and energy. Furthermore, following up with a prospect they know isn’t interested is one of the top frustrations reps have with their jobs. And if a lead is a bad fit, they’re more likely to book time with your reps but never show up.

One way to cover this in sales training and revenue enablement is to share bite-size quizzes to test reps’ ability to qualify leads and their familiarity with your ICP. Then, if you identify knowledge gaps that may be affecting their lead qualification capabilities, you can follow up with AI-driven coaching.

4. Call planning

Your sellers need to know how best to prepare and plan for a call with a prospect at every stage of the sales cycle. For initial calls, sellers need to make a good first impression. They must build rapport with prospects and become trusted advisors for later calls.

Oracle found that 11% of prospects ignore sellers because the seller wasn’t properly prepared for their conversation. Call planning is essential for all sellers.

of callers ignore sellers because the seller wasn't prepared

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You can create training materials such as pre-call checklists or run practice calls for product demos, discovery calls, or closing calls. These will allow your sellers to appear professional, knowledgeable, and trustworthy to prospects.

5. Building relationships with customers

Relationship building is another essential skill because, even in B2B sales, you’re still dealing with another person. According to research from Forrester, trust is the most important factor contributing to whether or not a company will do business with you. So it’s essential that your reps get training and coaching to help them foster relationships and earn prospects’ trust.

Trust is the most important factor contributing to whether or not a company will do business with you.

Forrester Research

Use tools like Mindtickle’s Call AI to record and analyze calls with prospects. It looks at reps’ confidence, talk time, clarity, and sentiment to understand their behavior on calls. It then identifies areas to improve. You can use these insights as a starting point for your coaching sessions or share dedicated training exercises to help them further develop the necessary skills.

6. Identifying customer needs

Research tells us nearly nine in ten B2B buyers are more likely to purchase if the seller understands their goals. Yet, nearly 60% of these buyers say most sales reps don’t take the time to understand their needs and goals.

of buyers say reps don't understand their needs or goals

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This is an immediate deal killer.

Sellers need to be able to identify customers’ pain points so they can show how your product will solve them. If they can identify customer challenges and needs, they can tailor the conversation to address those challenges and focus on the features and use cases that are most relevant to the customer.

You can listen back to call recordings or view call analyses, then score reps based on their ability to identify customer needs. If reps struggle with this, you can run training exercises such as practice calls or role-plays to give them more opportunities to develop their abilities in a low-pressure setting. Manager-led coaching helps provide personalized coaching to all your sellers, targeted to their individual needs.

7. Presenting the value of your products

Sellers not understanding their product or service is another deal killer for many buyers. Your reps need to be able to provide effective demos that illustrate how your products will save buyers time, money, or effort. They need to be able to show the value of your product and not just run through a list of features.

You can provide different training formats for this:

Short quizzes to test product knowledge
Practice demos and virtual role-plays
Dedicated training sessions from your product team when you roll out new features

Product training will help your reps learn how to use your product and ensure they can accurately present its value to potential customers.

8. Competitor knowledge

Prospects will not just speak to your sales team but also compare different product options. A recent survey found that 57% of sales leaders feel competition has increased since last year.

of sales leaders feel competition has increased in the last year

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You need to be able to show how you measure up against your competitors. Familiarity with other products in your space is essential knowledge for sales reps, as not understanding competitors’ products and services may make buyers less likely to continue with a specific seller.

Train your reps on your competitors’ products by creating battle cards or in-depth instructor-led training sessions to review the key differences and where your product excels against the competition. Then, test reps’ knowledge with quizzes that review the training session’s material. Spaced reinforcement helps improve information retention, so your reps can speak confidently about your competitors months after their training session.

9. Managing objections

Our research found that 54% of sales calls contain “more negative sentiment than positive,” with negative sentiment “including anger, uncertainty, hesitancy, competitive mentions, objections, disappointment, and tentativeness.”

of sales calls contain more negative sentiment than positive

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Managing objections is an important skill to master because no buyer will say “yes” right away. Your reps need to be able to confidently address concerns to reassure prospects that they’re making the right choice with your product.

Dedicated training will help reps improve their ability to handle the most common objections in the sales process. To practice this essential skill, you can have reps complete practice calls or virtual role-plays.

10. Closing deals

If an account executive can’t close a deal, they won’t last long in sales. Fortunately, research has identified some of the most important factors that consistently influence buyer behavior – and a rep’s ability to close deals:

Trust in the brand
Price
Return on investment
Trust in the salesperson
Salesperson’s industry knowledge

If you’ve already worked the nine previous topics into your sales training, you’ll be well on your way to addressing all of these, but you can also provide specific coaching to help your reps master conversations around pricing.

Improve rep performance by covering a wide range of sales training topics

Sellers face constant change, so the more frequent and varied training and coaching you can provide, the better equipped they are to adapt to different selling conditions, buyer needs, and market changes. Don’t limit sales training to just onboarding or a couple of topics during sales kickoffs. Instead, create a culture of continual learning and improvement to help your sellers excel.

Technology is a key component of any sales training strategy. With the right sales training software, you can deliver relevant sales training that empowers each seller to master the knowledge and skills they need for success.

Sales Training in Mindtickle

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