Artificial intelligence (AI) has brought tremendous change across various industries, and the sales industry is no exception. In the beginning, there were sales professionals armed with only a telephone, a Rolodex and a strong sense of determination. Fast forward to today, and we find ourselves at the cusp of another revolution: the AI-powered era. Take it from Gartner: 80% of B2B sales interactions will occur in digital channels by 2025, with a significant portion of these interactions being automated through AI-powered tools such as chatbots and virtual assistants.
While we know every person on a sales team will undoubtedly be affected by the shift, one role is already impacted more than many others: the sales development representative (SDR).
SDRs have long been under pressure to keep up with the high demand for leads and outbound sales, often resulting in the use of shortcuts and generic messaging to save time and valuable resources. However, AI tools enable SDRs to work smarter, not harder, and deliver more personalized sales experiences.
How, you ask?
By automating menial tasks such as data entry, prospect research, lead qualification and outbound emails, SDRs are freed up to focus on high-value activities such as building relationships with potential leads to get meetings booked. AI-powered tools also provide SDRs with insights into customer behavior and preferences, enabling them to personalize their messaging and improve their sales pitch.
Here are three ways that Generative AI is transforming the role of the SDR and – finally – giving it a well-deserved upgrade.
Eliminating the Need for Shortcuts
For SDRs, time is of the essence; they need to reach out to as many potential leads as possible that week. However, racing to hit activity targets often means copy-pasting messages or using generic templates to save time. This approach often leads to low response rates and high unsubscribe rates.
AI-powered tools like conversational intelligence and content creation platforms using natural language processing are helping SDRs eliminate the need for shortcuts. Conversational intelligence helps SDRs understand the tone, sentiment, and intent of a prospect’s message, enabling them to craft a personalized response that resonates with the prospect’s needs. Meanwhile, natural language processing analyzes large sets of data to identify patterns and trends that can help SDRs create better-targeted messages.
With AI eliminating the need for shortcuts, SDRs can spend more time creating authentic and personalized messaging that resonates with potential leads.
More Time to Focus on Inbound Requests
Inbound sales requests are becoming increasingly popular. Notably, the amount of sales teams that primarily sell through inbound sales grew from 42% in 2017 to 52% in 2020. With all these warmer leads, SDRs have to move fast, or miss out on deals, losing the prospect to a competitor who responded faster.
AI-powered tools like chatbots and virtual assistants can help SDRs manage inbound requests more efficiently. Chatbots can handle routine tasks such as lead routing, scheduling meetings and answering frequently asked questions, while virtual assistants can provide real-time support to SDRs during conversations with potential leads to better guide those initial introductions.
What’s more, the technology helps SDRs prioritize inbound requests based on various factors such as lead score, stage of the sales cycle, and level of engagement. By focusing on the most promising leads, SDRs can maximize their time and increase the likelihood of converting inbound leads into customers.
Increasing Personalization Throughout the Sales Cycle
Advanced personalization drives average response rates from an anemic 7% to 17%. In other words: personalization is crucial in sales, and SDRs need to be able to create messaging that resonates with the unique needs and preferences of all of their prospects.
That said, one of the easiest mistakes SDRs can make is only personalizing the first email. And it’s no wonder why – creating personalized messaging for every step with every prospect can be time-consuming and challenging. If you look at engagement rates by step, there is a lot of opportunity to personalize later in the funnel with the stacking effect of sales sequences. Much of the effort and impact of a sequence can be missed if a rep is not personalizing consistently through that touch pattern.
AI-powered platforms that personalize sales collateral using data unique to your business and buyer can help SDRs create highly personalized messaging throughout the sales cycle, instantly. The technology can synthesize trillions of data points on buyers and their business in seconds, providing infinite ways to better personalize the buyer’s journey.
The AI boom has completely altered the way many industries and functions do business, including sales. And, in all likelihood, further change is on the horizon. But like the sales professionals of yesteryear who embraced the telephone, the Rolodex, and the world of technology, it’s time for SDRs to embrace the AI-powered era and ride the wave to even greater heights of success.
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