AI is Making Sales Harder

I remember not so long ago, the sales landscape was very different. I was young and selling VHS educational tapes. They were designed for parents who wanted their children to have an academic advantage. It only took a couple of contacts with a cold lead to be able to create a connection. From there a firm handshake, good eye contact, and genuine conversation solidified things and soon a deal was solidified. 

From a knock on the door or a phone call, this direct human touch created trust. It made it much easier to establish rapport, nurture the relationships and meet my sales targets. With just a few touchpoints, I could effortlessly  engage with people who were potential clients.

We move forward in time and digital communication mediums like email rose to prominence and changed all this.  Email was great for efficiency. A person could reach more people more quickly. 

Whilst on paper this sounded like a great thing, there was fine print that wasn’t initially apparent. Speaking with someone at their front step or even on the phone enabled a deeper connection, combined with elements of unconscious rapport (See our program) the relationship between me and the person I was speaking to progressed very fast. An email doesn’t provide an ability to bridge those gaps.  

What’s worse, with the multitude of people using emails and sending hundreds, if not thousands of emails everyday, people learned to be suspicious. One email had a fraction of the power of one face to face. Then as people became more dubious of emails they received the impact of an individual email became even less effective. 

What happened as the number of touch points needed to have a meaningful interaction with a potential client ballooned from 2 to 3 to between 22 and 28. Think about the number of emails you get, the ones that get through that is, and how many of them you open. For me, when I get any email that even looks salesy I just delete it without opening it. I’m just not interested. 

Now AI is here. AI is now being used to scan websites, gather specific details about you and then send hyper-personalized messages via email, LinkedIn and other platforms. Again on the face of it, it seems like a huge advantage. Back in the day I knocked on doors and through a quick conversation was able to determine if they had children. If so I continued to talk, if not I made a note to take that address of my follow up list. In contrast I can put a search parameter into AI, click a button and thousands of messages are sent to potential prospects. 

That’s on the face of it. There is a dark side. 

Over Saturation of Touch Points: Sure AI can send thousands of messages instantly. Inboxes become more crowded, spam filters get better and people become even more suspicious. If you genuinely have something of value for the person, it’s now much, much, much harder to get their attention. 

Eroding Trust: This process of using AI to curate and send messages has only started and yet already I’m now more suspicious of any email or LinkedIn message I receive. Trusted friends aside, if I receive a message from someone I don’t know my guard is already up. Very rarely will I look at the title let alone opening. Think instant delete. 

The Double-Edged Sword: Yes AI allows salespeople to instantly cast a wider net and create a message that appears more personalised. On the other side it is making it harder to overcome barriers to genuine human connection. Information travels fast today. I know and now you know (if you’re reading this and didn’t already know) that many messages you receive will not be created by a person. Real genuine personal contact has now become much harder to filter through. There is real likelihood the number of touchpoints required to break through and genuinely engage will skyrocket.

All this means AI has now made the job of the sales person undeniably becoming tougher. Welcome to the paradox of technology. Tools designed to make jobs easier end up making it more complex and hinder genuine connections.

But no, it’s not all doom and gloom. AI is a powerful tool to leverage your efforts. Particularly if you remember what you are working with. At the end of that transaction or deal you are working on is a real person. AI doesn’t make sales with people. Genuine personal relationships drive success.

Automation will continue to increasingly be part of our world. Today, tomorrow and into the future, successful sales will be found by implementing core sales fundamentals of genuine connections, trust, and understanding. 

More so than ever breaking through to people requires a deliberate and thoughtful approach. If you are looking to create long term meaningful relationships here are some strategies the top salesperson can employ:

Personalize Beyond Automation: Avoid generic, AI-generated messages. Sure use AI to give you insights and ideas. Then craft unique and pertinent messages.

Educate, Don’t Sell: Instead of focusing on what you can get from them, ask, “what value can I offer. Provide consistent value without pitching. Become a trusted advisor.

Leverage Video Communication: Send a video of you. Anyone can use AI to do a voice over, some even sound great. Your USP is you. Oh, and leave little mistakes in. It’s our flaws that make us people. 

Engage on Social Platforms Authentically: Don’t make every interaction a sales pitch. Treat your content like an editorial. Provide value in an interesting story and then if you want, at the end include how you can help them. 

Prioritize Relationship-building Over Quick Wins: Ask questions and get to know the other person. This gives you information to deepen the relationship. Think of the person as a friend. Don’t you want to know about your friends? 

Seek Feedback: When putting forward proposals, ask for feedback. You’ll get great information (for free) and you’ll be demonstrating that you listen and respect the other person. 

Be Transparent: Be up front about the reason you are contacting the person. Oh and don’t say your are offering a free gift and then ask for their email. That’s not free. Say what it is. I’m going to share something with you, only if you give me your email. 

More so than ever if you want to break through the clutter you must focus on building genuine human connections, be patient and consistently deliver value. This is the secret sauce to successful sales. It has always been that way and with the advent if AI those that do focus on building relationships will continue to be highly successful in the future. 

 

Presentation Genius

One area we can help your sales be more successful is helping you master delivering enthralling presentations. How you can move beyond informing to inspiring. 

With Presentation Genius we can help:

Master Storytelling
Design Impactful Presentations
Authentically Engage
Use Interactive Elements
Overcome Presentation Anxiety
Tailor Content to Diverse Audiences
Harness Technology & Tools
Leverage Feedback & Continuous Improvement

We have developed a unique system using Micro-Learning, Social-Learning, and Gamification so changes are rapidly implemented in your business. 

If it’s not unreasonable for you to learn more about how Presentation Genius can have a dramatic impact on growing your business revenue and profit, please feel free to reach out. We’d love to chat and understand how we can help your businesses keep up and thrive.

www.DamianAndrews.com
Sliding Elephants through Eyes of Needles
E: succcess@damianandrews.com
US +1 (917) 993 7157
UK +44 20 8089 9567
AU +61 3 9998 0450
LI: www.linkedin.com/in/damianandrews/
Pod: www.damianandrews01.podbean.com

SHAIR.care
W: www.shair.care
Pod: www.shairdotcare.podbean.com