INSIGHTS

Well, AI, for me anyway, has become a “go to”. We have a home that has Siri, Google, and Alexa. For the record, Alexa gets yelled at the most, but I digress.

There has been a lot of fear that AI will overtake sales roles, but I just don’t believe it can replace relationships and the human touch needed in so many professions. I am doing my best to use it wisely. I feel AI is here to replace the parts of the job nobody liked anyway: the repetitive research, the forgotten follow-ups, the late nights writing proposals.

The reps who learn to use it well will close faster, spend more time building real relationships, and consistently outperform those who do not.

1. Research prospects in minutes, not hours

Before any call, use AI to pull together a prospect’s recent news, earnings signals, leadership changes, and competitor activity. You show up knowing things they did not expect you to know. That earns respect immediately.

Try it: “Summarize [Company]’s last two quarters and any strategic shifts.”

2. Personalize outreach at scale

Generic cold emails get ignored. AI lets you craft a tailored first paragraph for every prospect, referencing their specific role, challenges, or recent company news, without spending 20 minutes per contact. Send more. Convert more. But make sure your first name merge is entered correctly, or you will get flamed!

Try it: “Write a cold email opener for a CFO at a mid-size logistics company worried about margin compression.”

3. Write proposals faster without sacrificing quality

Feed your discovery notes into the AI and let it produce a first-draft proposal structure. You review, refine, and add your voice. What used to take four hours now takes 45 minutes, and the output is sharper because you have time to actually think about it.

Try it: “Draft a business case proposal for [solution] addressing [pain point] for a [role] at a [company type].”

4. Anticipate objections before they happen

Ask AI to role-play as a skeptical buyer and throw every objection your way. You will surface concerns you had not considered and rehearse crisp, confident responses. Go into every call fully prepared for the hard questions.

Try it: “Act as a skeptical VP of Finance. Challenge my proposal for [product] and push back on price.”

5. Summarize calls and generate next steps automatically

Paste your call transcript into AI and get a clean summary, key decisions, open questions, and a follow-up email draft ready in under two minutes. You stay focused on the conversation during the call instead of furiously taking notes.

Try it: “Summarize this call transcript and list the top three follow-up actions with owners.”

6. Identify whitespace in your existing accounts

Describe a customer’s current product usage and business model to AI, then ask where expansion opportunities likely exist. You will surface upsell and cross-sell angles your renewal conversations have been missing.

Try it: “Given this customer profile, where might there be unmet needs we could address with [product line]?”

7. Create compelling battle cards against competitors

Ask AI to compare your solution against a specific competitor using publicly available information. Use the output to build sharp positioning statements and know exactly where you win and where you need to pivot the conversation.

Try it: “Compare our strengths and weaknesses vs. [Competitor] for a mid-market buyer focused on ease of use.”

8. Build a better territory plan

Feed AI your account list and ask it to help segment by deal size potential, buying signals, or industry fit. Get a prioritized hit list instead of starting every quarter staring at a spreadsheet guessing where to focus first.

Try it: “Here are my 30 accounts. Suggest a tiering framework based on revenue potential and likelihood to expand.”

9. Coach yourself between manager check-ins

Paste a deal summary and ask AI what you might be missing, where the risk is, or what a more experienced rep might do differently. You get honest, on-demand coaching at any hour without waiting for your next one-on-one.

Try it: “Here is where this deal stands. What are the biggest risks and what should I do this week to advance it?”

10. Build a personal content library that converts

Use AI to draft LinkedIn posts, case study summaries, and nurture emails that position you as a trusted expert in your space. Buyers who feel they know you before the first call are dramatically easier to close. Show up consistently and let AI help you sustain it.

Try it: “Write a LinkedIn post on a common mistake buyers in [industry] make when evaluating [category].”