5 tips for AI-powered sales support
Revenue enablement has changed: Previously, the role was largely about delivering content and training to your sales team, but the mainstream adoption of AI has turned that model on its head.
Large Language Models (LLMs) have made it easier for sales reps to receive activation content. This means sales resources, training, support and messaging are generated faster than ever before. More importantly, these materials are now delivered to sales teams as soon as they are needed – something that was considered impossible just a few years ago.
Let’s break down the impact of this automation on sales enablement, including some practical sales enablement tips along the way.
How automation has impacted sales enablement
The renewed emphasis on automation has influenced many key elements of enablement programs. Here’s how.
1. Faster generation of sales resources
Sales reps no longer have to search for content. You just ask for it.
For example, “Give me a talk title that highlights the strengths of our cloud product” is a request that could take days for an enablement manager to respond to.
These days, an LLM with a mix of content can generate a response in seconds, which is why having good sales guides, training guides and marketing materials can really pay off.
2. On-demand sales coaching
“How do I invoice this customer?” is a perfect question for one AI tool for sales support. Sales reps no longer have to wait for answers to questions about products and processes. What once required team training can now be done immediately.
To take it a step further, LLMs can also conduct real-time sales coaching by listening to customer conversations.
3. Automating repetitive tasks
From updating Salesforce notes to filling out RFPs, a sales rep’s day-to-day tasks can be distracting.
Answering compliance questionnaires is a good example of a task that remains a terrible experience for humans, but represents an excellent opportunity for AI. Sales teams already use LLMs to generate responses to RFPs, security questionnaires, and compliance reviews. Building outbound lists is another big opportunity for automation.
The list of tasks goes on and on.
Five tips for sales promotion
From a sales rep’s perspective, the enablement experience has changed significantly. What does this mean for enablement managers and how can they get the most out of AI adoption?
The trick is to create content that is easy for LLMs to use when creating sales enablement content. Here are five tips on how to do just that.
1. Create an activation knowledge base
It doesn’t matter if you use Seismic, SharePoint, Highspot, Box or Google Drive to store your sales assets. Your job is to make it easy for the AI to find, understand, and deliver that content to your team.
Enablement leaders using AI must remember the golden rule: “Garbage in = garbage out.” Knowledge sources are an important part of your sales program, and your knowledge base is the foundation for all AI-generated content that goes to the sales team .
So keep your content in one place and make sure it is up to date: content freshness checks are very important, as is feedback from the sales team.
2. Focus on text-based content
Focus on creating sales assets that are easy for an AI to read. Visually appealing content is great for humans, but it’s not always easy for a robot to read.
Prioritizing high-quality copy has a significant impact on how an AI “sees” your content and actually makes it more effective. To optimize text content, use well-written text saved in universal formats such as PDFs and Word documents.
This all sounds pretty simple, but you’d be surprised at how many teams prioritize style over substance, resulting in high-end graphics that are difficult for an AI to analyze.
3. Encourage user feedback
User feedback is a critical component of an effective activation program. When you integrate AI into your environment, feedback data becomes invaluable. Representatives should be encouraged to share the following types of feedback:
- The quality and accuracy of AI-generated content: This is the most important metric.
- Relevance and freshness of content: Is the AI using old or outdated information?
- Speed of response and total time to value: How much time did the sales representative save?
LLM’s performance relies heavily on a constant user feedback loop, and a simple “thumbs up” goes a long way.
Revenue teams should make it easy for both customers and sellers to evaluate AI-generated content.
4. Monitor usage and user requests
Integrate usage reports into your feedback loop. This is key to understanding how your team interacts with AI.
For example, your employees may not leave negative feedback on their AI-generated content, but you may see them argue with the AI if they are unhappy with its output.
Track the number of requests and the types of questions asked. For example, sales reps keep asking for the same case study? They may be looking for missing data that wasn’t created.
Such small indicators can help shape and improve your enablement strategy.
5. Remember that chatbots lie
They may be powerful, but chatbots aren’t always accurate. In fact, you might catch them lying every now and then.
The best tip we can give you is to encourage your team to be careful when using AI-generated content. At least in the early stages, be sure to check the sources used by your models to ensure they are accurate and up-to-date.
Finally, remind your team that simple questions get better answers.
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The use of AI has never been more important to increase your efficiency and effectiveness.
By building knowledge bases, creating helpful content, monitoring AI usage, and maintaining vigilance, you can fully harness the power of AI for sales enablement.
In the end, you will not only streamline processes, but also make your enablement program more effective than ever before.
More resources on sales enablement, automation, and AI
How introducing AI in sales enablement is changing RevOps
How Salestech can implement customization at scale
10 Guiding Principles for Sales Enablement Inspired by “Nicolas Cage: Good or Bad?”
10 Ways to Use AI for Sales Success (Infographic)