Sales

7 features to look for in an AI sales assistant

Von Lindsey Fine — Am 10. Mai 2024

The sales landscape has never been more competitive.

Buyers demand more and make slower decisions, while reps face ever-increasing pressure to do more with fewer resources.

In this high-stakes environment, any advantage can make a significant difference.

Could artificial intelligence (AI) be the edge you need?

Over the past year, generative AI (GenAI) has become an indispensable tool for sales and revenue enablement teams. Automating tasks like data entry makes teams more efficient and productive, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for what AI can do to improve deal cycles.

In a 2023 survey of 1,400 sales, enablement, and customer success professionals in managerial and leadership roles, 82% said they were impressed with the results they’ve seen using AI-powered solutions. This feedback aligns with Forrester’s prediction that AI software demand will skyrocket to $37 billion by 2025.

This is all because the right AI sales software does more than simplify tasks. It allows teams to focus on what they do best. With so many options, choosing an AI sales assistant might seem daunting. Let’s explore what you should look for as you evaluate tools.

The 7 features you’ll want in an AI sales assistant

79% of sales pros who leverage AI and automation say it allows them to spend more time selling.

As you explore the possibilities of AI tools for sales, start with your end goal in mind:

What are you trying to achieve?
What does success look like?

Answering these questions will guide you in finding the best sales AI assistant for your team.

Here’s what we recommend considering as you begin the process.

1. Automated content management

It’s a familiar and frustrating scenario. You’ve likely encountered questions like, “Does anyone know where the latest one-pager for XYZ product is?” floating around in a Slack channel or during a team meeting.

Establishing a central hub for sales collateral is fundamental. But, ensuring that this hub is always up-to-date and easily accessible is an entirely different challenge. Picture having the right content available and recommended based on the sales situation.

The best AI sales tools ensure easy access to the most up-to-date information. Tools like Seismic Aura combine the power of AI with your company’s data. The result? AI-driven content tagging and categorization and a more efficient sales team. As a bonus, it also decreases manual work for your enablement team.

2. Real-time sales playbook curation

Any sort of one-size-fits-all sales playbook is no longer effective.

Today, AI sales software can offer sales playbooks that adapt in real-time. Imagine a scenario where a playbook updates based on the latest market trends and individual lead behavior.

Playbooks can also be personalized for each rep based on their success, past performance, and learning style. With AI doing the heavy lifting to process past deal data and current market trends, tactical deal advice and even content recommendations are backed by data around what’s led people to sign on the dotted line in the past.

3. Tailored sales training, certifications, and onboarding

Incorporating AI into sales training brings a fresh approach to education. Each rep gets a personalized learning path that adapts to their strengths and weaknesses. For example, if AI detects that a rep consistently struggles in the final stages of closing a deal, it can integrate more closing techniques into their training plan.

AI can also manage the certification process to ensure your sales force consistently advances their skills and stays up to date on their credentials. This learning and certification cycle keeps your team sharp and effective.

4. Personalization across all sales content and collateral

In today’s competitive landscape, personalization is a must.

AI sales bots like Seismic for Meetings offer AI-driven content recommendations to make it easier for reps to prepare, present, and follow up with their prospects and customers.

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By delivering customer-specific content, this tool streamlines interactions and captures vital insights during meetings. These insights empower sales enablement and marketing teams to make smarter content decisions, leading to more effective enablement and targeted training initiatives.

5. Automation of repetitive sales tasks

Ben Franklin was right when he said, “Time is money.” This principle resonates deeply in the fast-paced world of sales. Sales reps often find themselves bogged down by repetitive tasks that eat up their time and, subsequently, their productivity.

With the right technology, this doesn’t have to be the case. The best AI tool for sales focuses on automating mundane, repetitive motions. The end goal: Reps can focus on more important aspects of their roles like building and nurturing relationships. For instance, AI might handle data entry, schedule appointments, or update customer records automatically.

According to our report, The State of AI in Enablement, 88% of respondents stated that they’ve experienced growth in customer satisfaction since implementing AI in their enablement processes. This stat highlights how time saved can be directly reinvested into customer interactions, a key driver of sales success.

6. Conversational intelligence

Many tools can record and transcribe sales calls. Today, that’s not enough to extract valuable insights. Look for an AI sales assistant that takes it a step further through conversational intelligence capabilities. You’ll want a tool that can identify and easily resurface strategic moments from every conversation like:

Competitor mentions
Recurring pain points
Pricing discussions

This particular functionality will help your team pinpoint at-risk deals and spot patterns in buyer behavior. It also helps everyone prepare for follow-up calls, address objections, and go to market with a more refined, cohesive strategy.

7. Savvier sales enablement analytics

Going through weeks, months, and quarters without a crystal clear view of your key performance indicators (KPIs) is risky business.

Luckily, certain AI sales bots provide advanced enablement intelligence thanks to powerful integrations. These metrics align teams around strategic objectives so everyone works on their piece of the puzzle to contribute to the overarching goal: accelerate revenue growth.

By automating analytics, these tools offer real-time insights and actionable recommendations for leaders and active reps. They free your team to focus on execution and empower you to course correct based on what the numbers are saying.

An AI sales assistant: Your competitive edge and partner in efficiency

We’re confident that this is only the beginning of what’s possible with AI sales assistants. To understand what else AI could do for your team, browse our recent report, The State of AI in Enablement.

If you’re ready to experience the benefits of AI in your sales processes firsthand, contact our sales team to learn how Seismic can be your ultimate AI sales assistant and competitive edge.