A detailed list of the best 5 AI tools for sales seams looking to level up their performance.
Source: Photo by Yan Krukau
Did you know the three most popular use cases for AI/automation in sales are automating manual tasks (35%), offering data-driven insights (34%), and helping write sales content or prospect outreach messages (31%) and that 85% of salespeople using AI/automation agree it makes their prospecting efforts more effective?
That’s why in this fast-paced realm of sales, staying ahead of the game is essential to meet your targets and progress in your career.
One effective method to gain a competitive advantage is harnessing the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Leading AI sales tools are revolutionizing the field by automating tasks, offering valuable insights, and elevating customer interactions.
So whether you’re an experienced Account Executive or a new sales representative, these tools can greatly enhance your sales efficiency and overall effectiveness.
I mean you don’t want to build websites without an effective way to enhance your sales performance.
What are AI Sales Tools?
AI sales assistant tools are a game-changer for both sales and marketing teams, offering a personal touch to boost productivity. I like to divide them into two primary categories:
1. Internal sales-focused AI: These tools provide a conversational interface, allowing sales teams to interact naturally to gather insights about leads and sales analytics.
2. Sales bots: These chatbots automate customer outreach and lead qualification, taking the load off sales teams.
In essence, AI sales assistants empower sales and marketing professionals, giving them more time for strategic tasks and enhancing their overall effectiveness. So the question is: What are the 5 AI tools every sales team needs?
What are the 5 AI Tools Every Sales Team Needs?
Source: Photo by Yan Krukau
Sometimes, segmenting some tools into internal sales-focused AI and sales bots may be tricky because some of these tools can be mixtures of both. So wi th that said, let’s begin!
- Seamless AI
Source: Seamless.AI
Seamless.AI is a game-changer for B2B professionals like you and me. It’s become the go-to AI sales tool in our community. It hands you verified cell phone numbers, email addresses, and direct dials for all those crucial contacts you’re targeting.
With Seamless.AI at your side, you can effortlessly compile a hefty list of decision-makers, slash your sales cycle, and boost your deal-closing rate with the insights you gather.
Plus, it throws in an AI writer tool that’s tailor-made for crafting effective cold outreach messages, making it an absolute must-have for those of us in outbound sales.
For me, this AI tends to lean towards the internal sales-focused AI category.
What I like about Seamless AI
- AI-driven real-time B2B sales lead search engine
- Enables direct connections with prospects
- Convenient Chrome extension for on-the-go prospecting
- Data enrichment feature to enhance contact lists
- Seamlessly bridges browsing and prospecting
- One-click access to potential opportunities
Best For
Seamless.AI caters perfectly to sales experts looking to expand their list of high-quality leads and identify the precise individuals to reach out to.
It’s also a valuable asset for those seeking to seamlessly integrate their sales tools with their preferred platforms, putting an end to tedious manual data entry tasks.
Pricing
It’s free for up to 50 credits, and paid plans begin at $65 per month.
- Oliv AI
Source: Oliv.ai
Oliv AI is an AI sales assistant that streamlines the sales process for managers, helping build an agile revenue team that analyzes sales conversations for insights, provides updated winning practices, ensures consistent use of best sales practices, and offers clear visibility into sales processes.
Oliv AI reviews sales recordings to identify top-performing calls and common customer objections, providing tailored insights.
It encourages comprehensive pre-call research and offers real-time conversational guidance for sellers.
Plus, Oliv AI maintains CRM data accuracy, updates Salesforce effortlessly, and unifies various sales tools, ensuring a seamless experience for sellers.
For me, this AI also leans towards the internal sales-focused AI category.
What I like about Oliv AI
- In-depth analysis of customer interactions
- Identification of top-performing discovery calls
- Real-time conversational insights for sellers
- Seamless CRM updates
- Integration of various sales tools into a unified platform
- Resembles valuable debriefing sessions with data-backed insights for actionable sales strategies
Best For
Oliv AI is ideal for sales teams aiming to improve their efficiency by analyzing sales conversations, accessing winning practices, and ensuring CRM hygiene. It offers live conversational insights and streamlines various sales tools for a seamless experience.
Pricing
It starts at $25 per seller.
- Hubspot AI
Source: Hubspot AI
Hubspot AI Content Assistant offers seamless integration with HubSpot features, simplifying content creation.
In contrast, other AI tools like ChatGPT involve cumbersome copy/paste steps.
Moreover, sales teams can integrate ChatSpot, a conversational AI bot, with their HubSpot CRM for numerous benefits. This includes automatically adding contacts to the CRM, conducting thorough company research, and transcribing calls, among other capabilities.
What I like about HubSpot’s AI
- Prioritizes high-quality leads based on conversion likelihood
- Optimizes content for search engines
- Offers tailored recommendations for sales actions
- Functions like a strategic advisor, understanding and anticipating lead behavior for a smoother sales process.
- ChatSpot’s integration with HubSpot optimizes sales procedures.
- It can automate time-consuming tasks such as adding contacts to CRM, transcribing sales calls, and more.
Best For
HubSpot AI is ideal for sales teams seeking to streamline their sales processes, prioritize quality leads, optimize content for search engines, and receive tailored recommendations for sales actions.
It’s a valuable tool for teams looking to enhance their sales efficiency and effectiveness.
Pricing
Complimentary with HubSpot’s CRM, with plan options commencing at $50 per month, contingent on team size and subscription level.
- Apollo
Source: Apollo AI
Apollo AI is an all-encompassing sales intelligence platform designed to aid in prospecting, engagement, and revenue generation.
It’s primarily utilized by salespeople and marketers. The platform facilitates the identification of potential customers, connection with contacts, and the establishment of modern go-to-market strategies.
With an extensive B2B database boasting over 265 million contacts and 62 million companies, Apollo offers a vast and highly accurate data source.
Teams can effortlessly utilize the Engagement Suite to expand outbound activities and sequences.
Plus, Apollo’s Intelligence Engine offers recommendations and analytics to enhance go-to-market processes and enhance closing rates.
Apollo has also introduced an AI assistant that integrates seamlessly with their existing data.
What I like about Apollo AI
- Apollo AI enables sales reps to send hyper-personalized emails to prospects effortlessly.
- It eliminates the need to manually type emails for every prospect.
- Apollo AI provides AI-powered email analysis for crafting sentiment-matching follow-up emails.
- Sales reps can enhance their email follow-up strategies with Apollo AI’s features.
Best For
Apollo AI is ideal for sales teams seeking to identify and engage their ideal buyers. Its automated workflows and detailed data profiles make it an invaluable resource for outbound sales representatives.
Pricing
Yes! Free plans are accessible. Basic plans are priced at $49 per user per month when billed annually. Professional plans are available at $79 per user per month when billed annually. Organization plans are offered at $99 per user per month when billed annually.
- Drift
Source: Drift.com
Drift’s conversational sales approach transforms sales and marketing by initiating conversations swiftly, building a high-quality sales pipeline, and accelerating sales with real-time insights and omnichannel communication.
The impact is substantial, as confirmed by a Total Economic Impact (TEI) study, which reveals the following impressive returns for enterprises:
- A 50% average boost in sales representative efficiency and productivity.
- 670% overall Return on Investment (RoI).
- An 18% increase in Average Order Value (AOV).
- A 30% average increase in sales velocity.
- A 20% average rise in win rates.
What I like about Drift AI
- Specializes in conversational sales with real-time alerts.
- Utilizes AI engagement scores for better insights.
- Facilitates quick meeting scheduling.
- Supports video engagement and offers comprehensive chat functions.
- Offers a wide range of integrations for versatility.
- A Total Economic Impact study showcases an impressive 670% ROI.
Best For
Drift AI is suitable for various sales teams looking to enhance their conversational sales and marketing efforts.
Pricing
Monthly plans begin at $2,500 when paid annually.
How Is AI Already Helping Sales Teams?
Source: Photo by Yan Krukau
- Smart Chatbots
According to studies, 62% of consumers say they would prefer to use a customer service bot rather than wait for human agents to answer their requests.
Obviously, gone are the days of clunky, scripted chatbots. Thanks to advances in NLP, chatbots can now engage leads in conversations that resemble human interactions 24/7.
They provide invaluable support to BDR teams by addressing queries, arranging meetings, and even nurturing leads until they signal their readiness for human interaction.
- Emotional Tone or Sentiment Analysis
Recognizing a client’s sentiment towards a product, service, or communication holds immense value.
AI tools can analyze emails, chats, or even voice calls to assess sentiment, empowering marketing teams and sales representatives to fine-tune their approach accordingly.
- Personalized Outreach
According to another study, the revenue gained from personalized emails is 5.7 times higher than non-personalized emails because personalized subject lines had higher open rates than generic ones.
AI-driven tools dive into previous interactions and customer behavior to meticulously create customized outreach messages.
No longer are we stuck with generic, one-size-fits-all emails. These tools empower us to craft messages that speak directly to a lead’s individual pain points and interests, making our email marketing efforts more engaging and effective.
- Forecasting & Analytics
AI-driven predictive analytics provide sales and revenue teams with a window into the future. Armed with the capability to anticipate sales trends, we can now take a proactive approach to strategy, whether it’s resource allocation or concentrating efforts on specific products or markets.
- Improved Lead Evaluation
Conventional lead scoring methods, often reliant on intuition and generalized criteria, frequently yield inconsistent results. AI introduces predictive lead scoring, where it evaluates extensive data within the sales pipeline to assess the likelihood of lead conversion.
Taking into account variables like behavioral patterns and online engagement, AI provides a more refined and precise scoring mechanism, aiding sales representatives in prioritizing their inbound and outbound sales strategies effectively.
- Onboarding and Training Enhancement
AI doesn’t solely focus on external interactions. Internally, AI-driven platforms can mentor new sales representatives, simulate sales scenarios, and provide feedback, accelerating their readiness for the field.
- Streamlined Administrative Processes
Everyday tasks, such as updating CRM entries, setting up meetings, or documenting meeting notes, can now be automated with the assistance of a user-friendly AI sales assistant.
This allows sales professionals to reclaim valuable time that can be dedicated to authentic sales activities.
Sales representatives frequently find themselves overwhelmed by administrative responsibilities, often resulting in just 41% of their day being dedicated to actual selling.
AI offers a solution by automating a range of these tasks, including scheduling meetings, managing email follow-ups, and data entry.
As a result, sales professionals can redirect their efforts towards what they excel at: selling.
In essence, the optimal application of AI in sales activities is to enhance human capabilities. It offers the support and insights required by sales reps to make informed choices, foster robust relationships, and ultimately, achieve more effective deal closures.
What are the 5 AI Tools Every Sales Team Needs? Now You Know!
This is a thrilling time for those in the sales profession! With the continuous evolution of technology, we have access to some remarkable solutions.
The tools we’ve introduced here are not just software; they serve as strategic allies, each contributing their own unique strengths to enhance the world of sales.
Embracing these innovations, you’ll find they don’t replace the personal touch in sales; instead, they elevate our efficiency, ensuring that every interaction with a prospect is more than just a transaction—it becomes a meaningful connection.
Best AI Tools For Sales Teams FAQs
- How is AI used in sales?
AI is used in sales to automate tasks, enhance lead scoring, personalize outreach, provide insights from data analysis, improve customer engagement, and streamline sales processes.
It acts as a valuable assistant, helping sales teams work more efficiently and effectively.
- How can AI be used to automate sales?
AI can automate sales by handling routine tasks like lead scoring, data entry, appointment scheduling, and follow-up communications.
It can also provide chatbots for instant customer support and help in automating repetitive sales processes, allowing sales teams to focus on higher-level tasks.
- How can AI help increase sales?
AI can increase sales by identifying high-potential leads, personalizing outreach, optimizing sales processes, providing valuable insights for decision-making, and improving customer engagement.
It enables sales teams to work smarter, close deals faster, and boost overall sales productivity.
- Will AI replace salespeople?
AI is unlikely to replace salespeople entirely. While AI can automate certain tasks and improve efficiency, the human touch and relationship-building skills are crucial in sales.
AI serves as a valuable tool to support sales professionals but cannot entirely replace their role in building trust and rapport with customers.
- What are the benefits of using AI in sales?
The benefits of using AI in sales include improved lead scoring accuracy, time savings through task automation, enhanced customer engagement, better decision-making with data insights, streamlined sales processes, and increased overall sales productivity.
It helps sales teams work more efficiently and effectively.
Author Bio
Favour Agbejule is a savvy writer with 2+ years of experience in content creation. A dedicated guest blogger and digital marketer with a wealth of knowledge in SEO, AI tools, web design, and web development. Favour tries hard to polish her writing skills and generate well-optimized, compelling content that delivers value whether on or off search engines. You can find Favour on favouragbejule.medium.com, a new window to say hi or see more of her work.