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The AI Edge

Sales Strategies for Unleashing the Power of AI to Save Time, Sell More, and Crush the Competition (Jeb Blount)

Jeb Blount and Anthony Iannarino

Wiley, 2024

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Salespeople who embrace AI will have a decisive advantage over those who don’t, say experienced sales authors Jeb Blount and Anthony Iannarino. Selling still requires interpersonal skills and a human touch that robots can’t emulate, but AI empowers sellers in many ways. It can reduce guesswork and drudgery by performing low-impact administrative tasks and customer research, or even by developing a planned sequence for contacting prospects. Blount and Iannarino assert that salespeople will be left behind if they don't learn to harness AI – and then, they tell you how.

Summary

Artificial intelligence will transform sales.

AI will transform the world of sales. Most salespeople will use it as an automation tool to ease routine tasks – like updating contact information in customer relationship management (CRM) software applications. As AI becomes more pervasive in business, salespeople who use it well will gain a competitive edge.

However, some companies will mistakenly apply AI to every aspect of sales and service. If you depend too much on its robotics, you’ll be at a disadvantage against salespeople who maintain a human touch – and who master the art of nurturing good relationships.

People have four types of intelligence: innate, acquired, emotional, and technological. Possessing a high level of innate intelligence is a competitive advantage in sales, but only when salespeople combine it with acquired technological and emotional intelligence. Technological intelligence is the ability and inclination to adopt new technologies such as AI. Emotional intelligence is a mental portfolio of interpersonal skills that are critical for developing and sustaining relationships. Unlike machines, humans can be emotionally intelligent and...

About the Authors

Jeb Blount, who runs the sales training company Sales Gravy, is the author of many sales books, including Fanatical Prospecting and Selling in a Crisis. Anthony Iannarino, who wrote The Lost Art of Closing and The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need, publishes daily at thesalesblog.com.

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F. H. 2 months ago

-TL;DR:

- AI is an essential tool for modern salespeople, giving an advantage to those who embrace it over those who don't.
- Selling still requires human skills, like emotional intelligence, empathy, and interpersonal skills to build trust and relationships.
-AI reduces drudgery by automating low-impact tasks (like admin, data entry, routine emails) so sellers can focus on high-impact activities (prospecting, pitching, closing, retention).
- Success requires combining human intelligence (innate, emotional) with technological intelligence (ability to adopt and use new tech like AI).
-Verify AI output because it can be inaccurate, biased, or fabricated; the output's quality depends on the data quality and the sophistication of your prompts.
-Focus on quality prompts—clear, concise, and productive—to get sound responses on the first try.
-Avoid robotic-sounding communication (like AI-generated voice messages or videos) as prospects will recognize and reject them as spam.
-Use AI to develop effective prospecting sequences (a preplanned series of contact messages across channels like calls, email, social media).
- AI helps prioritize leads by scoring prospects using intent data to predict the likelihood of purchase.
-AI isn't effective for writing personalized, persuasive messages (it focuses on logic, not emotion), but it can swiftly gather research for you to write them.
-Use AI for "slow prospecting" by creating captivating visual content and posting consistently on social media to build your personal brand and authority.
-AI can help define an Ideal Customer Profile and develop open-ended questions for effective discovery (exploratory conversations).
-No AI tool substitutes for discovery, which is the art of asking sincere, exploratory questions and listening to the prospect.
-AI enhances proposals by making them dynamic, multimedia storytelling experiences and helps research rivals and address objections.
-AI will increasingly act as a coach, helping prepare for closings, predict deal derailment, and even screen contract details for unacceptable terms.
- CRM systems will become more powerful with AI integration, handling tasks like creating qualified prospect lists and optimizing outreach timing.

The AI Edge

Sales Strategies for Unleashing the Power of AI to Save Time, Sell More, and Crush the Competition (Jeb Blount)

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Artificial intelligence will transform sales.

About the Authors

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