Attention, all sales executives. The Digital Transformation (DX) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are here. It took a long time for the collection of technologies and applications referred to as DX (laptops, emails, texting, smartphones, social media technologies, etc.) to move from a conversation to a coordinated business reality. Take note — the adoption of AI and its benefits are moving much faster. The good news is that the application is affordable, even to smaller companies.
OUTSIDE SALES IS HARD WORK
Outside sales is daunting work. Reps must be focused and able to close business fast to outperform the competition. To accomplish this, I train sales associates to be emotionally strong and have a high level of confidence.
A rep’s job is a juggling act. He needs to chase leads, satisfy existing clients, follow up on backorders, correct pricing errors, handle objections, and keep competitors at bay. Inefficiencies within current systems can cause reps to spend too much time with the wrong prospects. The correct information on existing customers’ objectives may also be lacking or hard to come by. This causes stress for reps and leads to a lack of confidence in their ability to recognize next steps and beat the competition.
AI TO THE RESCUE
Today, AI applications can transform the way sales reps perform. AI doesn’t replace sales reps, it assists them. AI enables reps to be results-driven and directs them to the best opportunities.
Machine learning is constantly analyzing the data behind sales transactions. It enables reps to see priorities faster. AI automates repetitive and tedious tasks like sorting through endless data, and allows reps to focus on what they do best — selling.
IMPROVING ON TRADITION
Let’s look a little more closely at how traditional sales techniques can be improved with AI assistance.
According to a recent article in Forbes (“Why Sales Reps Spend So Little Time Selling” by Ken Krogue, Forbes: forbes.com), conventional reps spend 35% of their time selling and 65% on everything else. As a past VP of Sales for a distributor, I remember my frustration with seeing outside sales reps in their offices until mid-morning. Why were they not out engaging with customers? What I heard from the reps was that they were trying to make the best plan of attack. They were working on whom to call, what to suggest to existing customers, and which accounts needed the most attention. The actual time to sell was being lost. Monthly prospecting target results were weak. I received call reports listing a day of six to eight prospective calls with, at best, two qualified leads. The success with productive calls to existing accounts was not much better.
To improve this situation, I spent significant effort training reps on how to prepare for a customer visit. I instructed them to read old call reports. They were directed to pull data from business intelligence and other departments, and from the internet. I told them to look at sales history and credit spreadsheets.
All this, while important, was incredibly time-consuming, and the results were often incomplete. AI can change this scenario by automating tasks and streamlining the traditional sales process.
AI-POWERED TOOLS
A recent report by the Distribution Strategy Group (“The State of Distributor Sales in 2024: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in a Digital-First World”: (distributionstrategy.com) explained how AI is improving the sales process. “Distributors are catching on. Recent research shows that 78% of surveyed distributors plan to use data and analytics to guide their decision-making and sales strategies. Many are leaning into cutting-edge CRMs and AI-powered tools to help their reps work smarter, not harder. In seconds, AI can surface a long-time customer whose orders are slipping, signaling a churn risk. It can reveal a high-potential prospect that’s gone quiet and needs a follow-up or a growing account with untapped opportunities in new product categories.”
UPSELLING AND CROSS-SELLING STRATEGIES
AI isn’t replacing real conversations, it’s helping to initiate and enhance them. It helps sales reps make better recommendations. Before visiting an existing client or prospect, AI software can check your enhanced CRM to ensure reps know their client’s history. This enables a rep to enter into a conversation already knowing their client’s buying patterns. It can suggest the right products and take advantage of any upsell and cross-sell opportunities.
Here is an example of how AI can improve sales. A salesperson was visiting her top account to address a major pricing error. On her way through the customer’s plant, she noticed a major safety violation. In the course of resolving the pricing complaint, the rep mentioned a safety product that would remedy the violation she identified. She turned a bad situation into a selling opportunity and introduced her company’s added expertise to the customer.
Today, artificial intelligence prevents pricing errors and can identify new opportunities in advance of onsite visits. With thousands of different products in your catalog, machine learning can analyze customer data, identify patterns, and automate product suggestions to drive sales. With this information, sales reps can make data-driven decisions to proactively recommend complementary products or send restock reminders before the customers even realize they need them.
FOCUS ON YOUR CORE BUSINESS
According to a McKinsey report, 80% of the value creation achieved by successful growth companies comes from their core business—namely, generating new revenue from existing customers (“Focusing on existing customers to unlock growth,” Herald Fanderl, Aug. 16, 2023: www.mckinsey.com ).
Todd Daubenberger, CRO for White Cup, a leading CRM and business intelligence platform, reports that, “Industry leaders widely agree that selling to existing customers is far more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. A platform that integrates AI can further accelerate your efforts by providing your team with timely, relevant recommendations based on customers’ individual order history. With those tools and strategies in place, that 10%-30% revenue bump is within your reach.” (“Eight Upselling and Cross-Selling Strategies That Drive Sales Growth,” Todd Daubenberger: distributionstrategy.com).
AUTOMATE YOUR FOLLOW-UP
Most sales reps make follow-up calls at the end of the day. The content in these call reports is often based on the rep’s memory and can lack pertinent information. Emails, quotations, and next appointment dates often don’t get sent out, at best, until the next day. Attention to detail in those follow-up missives often gets lost in the confusion of the new day’s important and urgent activities. The more manual your follow-up process, the more likely it is that key details slip through the cracks.
With the assistance of AI, follow-up can be automated. Between sales calls, a rep can use an AI assistant to make a quick summary of recent account activity. He can record a call report, research the objective of his next visit, prepare a quote with optimal pricing as an attachment, and send a follow-up email to the client that includes a confirmation of the next appointment.
The AI-generated follow-up email could read something like this: “Thanks for meeting today! As we discussed, attached is the quote I promised. I think you’ll be impressed with our pricing. I’ve sent you the next week’s appointment. I’ll be ready to demonstrate efficiencies in our conversation then!”
With AI handling the busy work, you save time and ensure that every opportunity gets the attention it deserves.
IT’S A NEW DAY IN SALES
It’s clear. Adopting AI is necessary to compete in today’s market. If you are not engaged in AI, where should you get started?
Brook Hamilton of Hamilton AI Strategy Advisors (“AI News and Gurus: The Show for Intelligent Distributors,” Distribution Strategy Group website, April 15, 2025: (distributionstrategy.com/ai-news-and-gurus), suggests distributors should focus on these three areas:
- Customer conversion closing rates
- Optimized customer pricing
- Inventory management
It is an exciting time to be in outside sales. New tools are available for making sales more strategically efficient. According to McKinsey & Company, AI has “opened up 20% more sales team capacity” (“How top performers outpace peers in sales productivity,” July 6, 2023: mckinsey.com).
With AI’s help, you can avoid the frustration of the traditional sales rep’s morning of sifting through data and trying to make a plan. AI can alleviate the stress of chasing administrative tasks and wondering about customers’ expectations. When you get to the office, your AI assistant will be waiting with a plan for a focused day. Get started now!
