All In On AI: 3 Ways to Win With an AI-Supported Team

As businesses rapidly adopt AI, sales leaders are keen to demonstrate the return on these investments. AI-driven technologies enable future-ready operations, boost productivity, and allow teams to focus on high-value work that enhances customer experiences. However, realizing AI's full potential requires effective change management and training for sales teams. The competitive edge now lies not in merely adopting AI, but in how effectively teams can leverage it.

Here are the top three takeaways for leaders to future-proof their sales operations with AI:

Cut through the AI Noise

Leveraging AI effectively means understanding how it can improve specific outcomes unique to a team or organization’s current challenges. Gartner reports that B2B sellers using AI are 3.7 times more likely to meet their quota than those who do not. To stay competitive, sales leaders must ask: Are the AI-powered tools we are using or considering capable of improving experiences for customers and sales representatives?

Sales leaders can be overwhelmed by the wide array of AI tools available. To navigate today’s extensive selection, leaders should evaluate their current sales journey and identify areas where AI can make the most impact. Analyzing customer feedback and net promoter scores is a good starting point.

A team struggling with a lengthy sales conversion process may consider an AI solution that automates key steps, like lead qualification or price quoting, streamlining the sales journey and improving efficiency. Additionally, a team finding that data is not driving sales decisions may seek an AI solution with more effective data analytics capabilities to enhance processes like forecasting.

By focusing on the most impactful elements of the sales and customer journey, teams can be more intentional about the AI solutions they adopt first.

Maximize AI Investments with Effective Change Management

Maximizing AI investments requires effective change management, especially given AI's transformative impact on workflows. To develop an effective AI change management program, prioritize three key elements: a clear vision, consistent user engagement, and comprehensive AI training and resources.

Leaders who set and consistently communicate a strategic AI vision can keep their teams focused on goals and the benefits of AI adoption, even when challenges arise. Once a vision is established, intentional and consistent interactions with users allow leaders to gain early insights into issues, quickly pivot to address feedback, and create new best practices. Ongoing and customized training helps employees adopt and understand new AI-powered tools, build new skillsets, and instill confidence in the strategic vision.

Implementing change management, with its new ways of working, technologies, and processes, can present challenges. However, partnering with technology experts and AI specialists can enhance results and drive improved outcomes. For instance, the HP Amplify AI partner program boosts capabilities in achieving positive AI outcomes by offering AI guidance, tools, resources, training, and certification. Programs like this complement overall change management efforts and support sales teams in their increasingly AI-advisory role to customers.

Leaders can invest in and deploy the best AI tools, but without comprehensive and consistent change management, their organization -- and customers -- will not fully realize the benefits of AI.

The Next Breakthrough in Data-Driven Decision Making

AI's ability to process and analyze data at scale, automate routine tasks, provide real-time information and predictive insights will drive the next breakthrough in data-driven decision making. Sales organizations that embrace AI will be better equipped to make informed, accurate, and timely decisions, leading to improved outcomes and a competitive advantage.

Automating routine or lengthy tasks allows AI to give sales representatives additional time to concentrate on higher-value activities. For instance, creating a proposal based on RFP requirements and providing pricing for a potential customer can take several days, which delays decision-making. AI-powered tools can expedite this process, enabling sales representatives to focus more on activities like building customer relationships, consultative selling, and ensuring a better overall experience.

AI is poised to revolutionize how teams leverage data to inform, validate, and streamline their decisions. The question is no longer whether a company should adopt AI, but rather how the right tools can be implemented to create a future-ready sales strategy for long-term success.