AI in the Sales Process

BOSTON – February 15, 2024 – RAIN Group, a global sales training company delivering results through in-person and virtual sales training, coaching, and reinforcement, released the results from its latest survey, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Sales Process.

Led by the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research, analysts examined responses from over 250 sales leaders, sellers, sales managers, and sales enablement professionals across a range of industries in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC to understand how sales teams are incorporating AI tools and technologies into their sales process and its impact.

“We found that AI is not only a tool for efficiency, but also for enhancing the quality of sales interactions and strategies. By handling routine tasks, personalizing customer interactions, and providing valuable insights, AI can enable sales teams to be more strategic, customer-focused, and ultimately more effective in their roles,” shared Erica Schultz, CMO of RAIN Group.

Among the many insights uncovered, five key themes were identified.

1. Sellers are Struggling to Keep Up

Sellers and sales leaders report difficulty keeping up with AI advancements (50%) and are overwhelmed by all the AI options and use cases (38%). Additionally, they’re concerned about inaccurate/misleading information (59%) and data privacy and security (45%). These challenges may be holding some sellers and sales organizations back from integrating AI into their daily workflow and realizing the benefits of AI.

AI Challenges
% Respondents

2. Chatbots Lead AI Tools Utilization

The most popular AI tools and technologies currently being used in the sales process are chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, Bing, Salesforce Einstein) (63%) and email automation and personalization (54%).

Which of the following AI tools or technologies do you/your sales team currently use in the sales process?
% Respondents

“Those reporting the greatest impact of AI on sales performance are 1.3x more likely to use chatbots. But when it comes to chatbots, effective prompting is half the battle. Sellers can leverage our AI in Sales Prospecting Checklist, AI in Sales Infographic, and AI in Sales Prospecting blog, featuring several free prompts, to get started,” shared Schultz.

3. Frequency of AI Use and Impact Correlate

Most respondents don’t use AI in the sales process: 27% have never used AI, and another 27% rarely use such tools. However, 20% of respondents use AI tools frequently or daily.

Those reporting the greatest impact from AI on their sales performance and productivity are 3x more likely to use AI tools daily or frequently.

How would you characterize your/your sales team's use of AI in the sales process?
% Respondents

4. Sales Teams Are Getting Value from AI

As sales organizations begin using AI in the sales process, a high percentage strongly agree/agree they get value from AI in ways including:

5. Benefits Gained from AI Use

Among the top benefits sales teams report include:

• Improving value messaging in client interactions (68% of respondents strongly agree/agree)
• Reducing time spent on manual tasks (68% of respondents strongly agree/agree)
• Personalizing prospect and customer interactions (63% of respondents strongly agree/agree)
• Drafting messaging for sales cadences (62% of respondents strongly agree/agree)
• Providing valuable sales insights (60% of respondents strongly agree/agree)

Schultz continued, “We also discovered that 85% of respondents haven’t received any formal training on using AI in their sales role. While that hasn't stopped some people from learning on their own, the vast majority—78%—want training on how to better use AI in the sales process. There's an opportunity for sales organizations to address this need.” 

About RAIN Group

Founded in 2002, RAIN Group is a Top Sales Training Company that delivers award-winning results through training, coaching, and reinforcement. The firm has helped hundreds of thousands of salespeople, managers, and professionals in more than 75 countries significantly increase their sales results. Headquartered in the greater Boston area, office locations include Bogotá, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Santiago, São Paulo, Seoul, Sydney, and Toronto. To learn more about the sales training programs RAIN Group offers, visit this page or follow us on LinkedIn.