Why does AI adoption matter in your sales org? Here’s why…
Let’s say you have a team of 10 salespeople. Now imagine if each one of these salespeople somehow starts magically saving 1-2 hours each day. Imagine the time your team would save over the course of the year. OK – I’ll do the math for you. That’s 5,200 hours back in your pocket!
Now let’s say each salesperson also magically books an additional 5 meetings per month. That’s 600 additional meetings over the course of the year — which easily adds up to an additional 7-figures or even 8-figures in annual revenue.
I say “magically,” but there is no magic formula here. It’s a matter of saving time on mundane tasks and instead putting that time into improved efficiencies on the phone. Welcome to AI.
If you lead a sales team — or are a member of a sales team in any capacity — you cannot afford to ignore the advancements in AI. The potential benefits are just too good. These tools can help automate repetitive tasks, write and edit scripts, speed up sales training, help you prospect, and more.
Got it? Great. Now I want to give you actionable steps to get AI buy-in from your team. Put these in place and your team will be sold on AI and potentially even become turbo-charged salespeople before your eyes.
RELATED: How to Use AI to Build a Rockstar Sales Team
7 Effective Ways To Get AI Buy-in On Your Sales Team
1. Lead by Example
Are you excited about AI and how it can make you more efficient and impactful? If not, start here. You have to use AI — and show your work — before you can expect your team to jump in the AI waters. Show, don’t tell. Get familiarized with ChatGPT and a couple of sales-specific AI tools (Gong, Instantly, etc.). Then start showing how it’s saving you time, improving your KPIs, and even making you more money (or at least more valuable/marketable). Do this and your team will follow suit.
2. Share Case Studies
You don’t have to look far to find case studies of success after implementing AI. So collect a few of these case studies (preferably in your industry) and email them around to your sales guys. Better yet, hold a formal meeting and present one or more of them to your team. Similar to the first point above, it’s a game-changer when people actually see AI in action. We have to get away from tech-theory and get right down to brass tacks. Your team wants to know 1) How AI can help them, 2) To what degree it can help them, and 3) What’s in it for them.
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3. Hear Them Out
On a sales team of 10 people, you are bound to have at least 1-2 luddites (you know, the tech-challenged folks). You will find the new-tech-intimidation-factor is the main point of friction. So hear them out. Listen to them. Empathize with them. And then, overcome their objections! If they feel intimidated, go ahead and show them the ropes. AI is actually some of the easiest technology to use (look at ChatGPT’s interface, it couldn’t be more bare-bones and simple!). It’s meant to be user-friendly and intuitive — especially for tasks like prospecting, script creation, and cold calling. The important thing here, though, is to start the conversation and hear them out.
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4. Train Them On It
Start an AI task force in your company. I mean it. Put together a 4-week training bootcamp that walks your team through the basics and into AI competency. But wait — you might be wondering, how would I even build this program? Start with ChatGPT! Ask it this (literally just copy/paste this prompt):
“I lead a sales team in [X industry]. I want my SDRs and AEs to start using AI tools. Put together a 4-week training session on using AI. Make it super-practical. Every week I want them to read a new book on AI. Every day I want them to read one article on AI. And every other day I want to assign them homework that takes about 15 minutes to complete. Organize this 4-week training session into a table, and give it a great name that inspires my team to adopt AI.”
I did that, and here’s what it came up with. (Of course, use this as a jumping-off point — feel free to tweak/improve the prompt — and use your imagination!):
5. Communicate the Importance of It
Still getting pushback? Maybe it’s time to instill a healthy fear in your salespeople. Look, don’t be a fear-monger and threaten that they will lose their job and become destitute if they don’t adopt AI. I’m not saying that. But… the reality is that salespeople — or any professional — must adopt AI or they will eventually suffer. It’s not even a question anymore of whether or not AI will permeate the workplace. It already has. There is no AI bubble. Companies are using it everyday to get ahead. And your company needs it to compete. Communicate this respectfully, and you’re likely to get their buy-in.
RELATED: Cold Call Training – Having Real-Time Sales Conversations With AI
6: Hire For It
When you interview new recruits, ask about their experience with LLMs and other AI tools (especially AI-powered sales tools). Better yet, put it as a prerequisite in your job announcements that you want new hires to have a baseline competency with AI — and bonus points if they have a core competency in AI. You see, if you build your team from the ground-up with AI at the forefront, you’ll build a tech-forward dream team. This might take years, but it’s the way of the future.
7: Require It… Maybe.
I know this is controversial. And I’m not saying you should require it. But it’s an option. It’s totally up to you whether or not you want to be this hard-nosed with your approach. But, there is an argument to make for everyone in your company using AI… even the folks who’ve been there for a decade or more. If you do go this route, just be ready to lose some folks. As for me, I’m leaning toward being encouraging and leading my team by example. I’ll cross the “ultimatum bridge” if it ever gets to that. So far all of my team members are loving AI and seeing its immediate and direct benefits.
RELATED: Can ChatGPT Sell B2B Services? The Answer Might Surprise You.
Final Words
Don’t become a dinosaur. There are other companies out there who will eat your lunch if you give them the chance. To compete, you have to stay on the cutting-edge of technology — and that means getting proficient with AI tools for sales.
So try these steps. Lead by example, show them case studies, hear them on their reservations, train them on different AI tools, communicate the importance of using it, hire for it, and ultimately, consider requiring it.
The big takeaway, though, is that I want you to paint a picture of how far AI can take them in their career. Just like you sell prospects on an improved future reality, I want you to sell your sales guys the transformation that will take place once they adopt AI and put it to use. It absolutely is changing lives.
Until next time…
Johnny-Lee Reinoso