The Prospecting Bot That Delivers

Success increasingly depends on how well we use technology. Effective use of platforms and tools provides game-changing results even in the most human of pursuits. Technology turbo-charges the process of identifying ideal profile clients, and the key people within the organisation. We can also easily research the factors that drives corporate and personal decision-making. Building sales pipeline is the foundation of predictable high performance yet, according to research, prospecting is regarded as the most difficult challenge for sellers. 

Prospecting the most important phase because it determines where we invest the rest of our time with potential clients.

It's easy to be ineffective and this is why we must clearly know our Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and the buyer personas we engage with in those accounts. There is no shortage of opportunity in the market, thee is just limited time and resources to apply in opportunity pursuit. Every seller must treasure their time and seek those who are aligned with the value they provide.

We live in the fourth industrial revolution where automation is changing the very nature of work. AI in sales is already here and the top-tier companies are reengineering their processes to take advantage of next generation automation. Software bots are making faster progress than hardware bots. The video below is real... no CGI.

Imagine what software is capable of and IBM’s Watson and Salesforce’ Einstein are two examples. The best salespeople and entrepreneurs are embracing technology for hyper-productivity and effectiveness. But how do you take control as an individual salesperson or if you are in a small business without a big sales enablement budget and the expensive technologies of your Goliath competitors?

You may not be able to afford Rachel from Soul Machines and powered by IBM Watson, but you can afford Triggr that automates the process of finding the right prospects and people. Triggr is an example of where individual sellers can have access to data and intelligence usually afforded to big enterprises.

The first step is finding affordable platforms and partners like Triggr that create leverage for you with technology, data and tools.

Although there's no replacing charisma, creativity, genuine empathy, and political and financial acumen for building trust and a business case with a new customer; technology and data can create massive reach and efficiency gains for driving success. Humans must collaborate with technology to be effective and efficient in opening, progressing and closing more deals.

We now operate in the age of the bots, and the most successful sellers have sensational EQ, IQ and TQ (technical intelligence) so they can leverage all the available technologies, tools and channels for success. Humans who embrace working with bots and leverage advanced technology unlock the secret to driving sales pipeline and profitable revenue. Choose to be one of the few people who will be master of the machines, orchestrating a multiplier effect on the modern sales process. Here are three types of salesbots you need to be successful as a modern seller.

Salesbot #1 - The Opportunity Identifier

Triggr is an Australian company innovating in data intelligence for sales, marketing and recruiting professionals. The platform enables you to find ideal customers who fit the a similar profile to that of your best current customers. They call this their Lookalike feature... companies that look like your current best prospects and customers in terms of industry, size, expertise, geography and the detectable technologies they use.

Triggr is ideal for marketers who want to automate highly effective campaigns using fresh and accurate data. Salespeople can search for hot new leads to keep their sales pipeline full and spark meaningful conversations. Recruiters can automate the hunt for qualified candidates that are more than ready to talk. Entrepreneurs can find investors, partners or fresh and reliable top of funnel prospects to fuel their growth strategies.

Everyone needs better data to automate marketing campaigns and a way to jump into more worthwhile conversations with the right people to start closing more deals. Triggr is an example of how to automagically crunch data and prioritize the leads that have the highest propensity to close?

Salesbot #1 - The Administration Assistant

Scheduling meetings, recording interactions and forecasting results. These tasks were once a burden on the efficiency and output of a salesperson but AI-powered bots have changed the game, especially as CRM’s become a system of sales process execution integrated with productivity tools.

Duplex from Google can call to schedule and confirm meetings, then schedule in calendars. Troops.ai synchronizes with Salesforce, automates pipeline, and generates sales reports. X.ai responds to contacts and schedules meetings on your behalf. Watson from IBM provides natural language dialogue to answer questions as an AI trusted adviser - going beyond pure logic to cope easily with the nuances, vagaries, and contradictions of the English language.

Put simply, if you believe your primary role is about answering questions, providing information, or scheduling meetings, then your future is in jeopardy. Automate these things and elevate your position to strategic partner and advisor.

Salesbot #3 - The Deal Coach

Want a sales coach who provides predictive lead and deal scores along with opportunity insights, including prompts for the best next steps and methods of outreach? Welcome Einstein from Salesforce - your virtual deal opportunity coach.

Einstein has the ability to monitor critical win factors, such as; the status of key information obtained, whether the right people have been covered, whether the amount of time in a particular deal stage is damaging the probability of a win, and an array of other elements that determine if a deal is on track or at risk.

Unlike a human sales manager, Einstein is always transparently monitoring and providing feedback on which deals need attention and where to prioritize precious sales time. For management, Einstein can deliver the Holy Grail of forecasting accuracy. I’ve seen it and it’s staggeringly accurate.

To avoid losing your job in the coming years, you must make insight and value the reason that customers engage with you and build trusted relationships. Embrace the very technologies you fear in order to harness their power and achieve new levels of capability, reach, efficiency, and effectiveness.

For more in-depth analysis of the impact of machine learning, big data, AI and automation on sales, read this companion article from my blog.

I discuss what it takes to succeed in sales today in my book, COMBO Prospecting, published by HarperCollins and The American Management Association (AMACOM) and you can purchase it here on Amazon. 

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