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Redesign, Don’t Automate: The Future of B2B Sales with AI

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Redesign, Don’t Automate: The Future of B2B Sales with AI

Omer Gotlieb
4 min read
September 3, 2024

The Broken State of B2B Sales

I’m not the first person to share that the typical B2B sales “playbook” is broken.  Jason Bay shared stats that have been making the rounds:

  • The avg. # of attempts per contact has nearly doubled from 7.3 in 2014 to 11.3 in 2022 (Bridge Group). And avg. # of quality conversations / day is down during that same period from 8 to 3.6.
  • Avg. cold email reply rate is ~1% (Clearbit). And those ain't all positive.
  • Avg. cold call pick-up rate is ~5% depending on the industry. Apple and Android will continue making ignoring and identifying unknown callers easier

Jon Miller, Cofounder of Marketo, recently said, “the old playbook simply isn’t effective.”

I could go on, but I won’t.

And yet, everyday I hear from sales and marketing leaders about how they are using AI to automate parts of their sales process - the same one that is broken. I see companies popping up left and right that claim they will automate your SDR’s work or your cold outbound research. But I don’t hear many people asking:

If the B2B sales process is broken, why are you trying to automate it with AI?

We should be redesigning the process, not automating it.

I’m sure there will be comments about how outbound can “be done differently” - it will be more customized, more personalized. Ya, maybe, but probably not enough to return it to the stats of ten or fifteen years ago. And the reason isn’t because of SDRs per se or lack of customization of emails. It’s because customers don’t really like it. They want to buy differently. 

We are witnessing what Brent Adamson aptly coined “the preference gap.”

“Simply put, suppliers aren’t selling the way many customers prefer buying. And that preference gap leaves suppliers increasingly exposed to the risk of a competitor or disruptor finding a way to bridge that gap in new and creative ways.” - Brent Adamson, Distinguished Vice President at Gartner and a coauthor of The Challenger Customer and the best-selling The Challenger Sale.

A recent HBR article highlighted that many B2B buyers of complex solutions strongly prefer a purchase experience without any sales rep interactions.

In a survey of nearly 1,000 B2B buyers, 43% of surveyed respondents agreed that they would prefer a rep-free buying experience. They then looked at it by generation and the results were even more stark - 29% of Baby Boomers preferred to buy solutions without a rep, while over half of Millennials, 54%, expressed the same sentiment. The point here isn’t that you should have zero humans ever involved in sales, it’s that your customers aren’t enjoying the interactions they are having with your current process.

Redesign, don’t automate

Enter AI and the ability to redesign the sales process for your customer, rather than just automating the process you have. We have this unique opportunity to truly be customer centric in sales. 

So, what do customers want in B2B sales? It boils down to four things: accuracy, expertise, speed, and convenience. They want information that’s spot on, interactions from sources that know more than them, exactly when they want them, and in an easy, hassle-free way. Simple, right?

But here's where AI comes into play. Instead of just automating the broken process, AI can actually help us redesign it to be more customer-centric.

Accuracy and Expertise: AI can easily be trained on your information and data and help prospects with direct answers. In hours it can be an expert on even the most technical products and go back and forth with prospects.

Speed: AI can respond in seconds and get prospects the answers they need in moments. As Kyle Coleman said recently the need for speed goes far beyond setting an initial meeting.  “As a buyer, I want my rep to be hyper-responsive. When I have a question, need some info, or want some guidance, I want it as quickly as possible.” AI can do this - and not just on chat…

Convenience: AI enables seamless interaction across multiple channels, so buyers can engage with your business through their preferred medium—email, chat, social media, or phone. And, of course, AI enables this expert information to be available when it works for the buyer.

By focusing on what customers want - accuracy, expertise, speed, and convenience - you can create a sales process that not only drives results but also delights your customers. The key is to use AI not just to do things faster, but to do them better—making every interaction more meaningful and every step of the buying journey more enjoyable for the customer. The future of B2B sales lies in this shift towards genuine customer-centricity, and those who embrace it will be the ones who thrive. So, let’s stop automating the broken and start building the better customer-centric buying experience. 

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What is Salespeak.ai and what does it do?

Salespeak.ai is an AI-powered sales agent designed to help businesses engage with prospects, qualify leads, and guide them through their buying journey. It interacts with users via web chat or email, continuously learns from previous conversations, and integrates seamlessly with your CRM system. The platform is user-friendly, quick to set up, and aims to optimize the B2B buying experience by providing instant, expert-level answers to buyers. (Product Details)

How does Salespeak.ai differ from traditional chatbots?

Unlike traditional chatbots that rely on scripted flows and decision trees, Salespeak.ai uses advanced AI to provide real-time, adaptive Q&A and intelligent conversations. It is deeply trained on your product and documentation, enabling nuanced, expert-level interactions that go beyond basic form-filling or generic responses.

What are the main features of Salespeak.ai?

Key features include 24/7 customer interaction, fully-trained expert-level guidance, intelligent conversations, lead qualification, sales routing, multi-modal conversations (web chat and email), CRM integration, and actionable insights. The platform also offers specialized sales knowledge training and dynamic pages for tailored buyer experiences.

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How does Salespeak.ai improve the B2B buying experience?

Salespeak.ai redesigns the sales process to be customer-centric, focusing on accuracy, expertise, speed, and convenience. It provides buyers with instant, relevant answers, expert guidance, and seamless interactions across multiple channels, resulting in a more enjoyable and efficient buying journey. (Read more)

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The AI agent continuously learns from previous conversations, adapting its responses and improving its ability to engage and qualify leads. This ensures that the system becomes more effective and aligned with your business needs over time.

What performance metrics does Salespeak.ai deliver?

Salespeak.ai has demonstrated:

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Overage charges apply if you exceed conversation limits. For full details, visit the Salespeak Pricing Page.

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Salespeak.ai targets B2B industries, focusing on delivering the best buying experience while reducing costs for go-to-market organizations.

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Drift uses rule-based chatbots and text-based chats, while Salespeak.ai adapts dynamically with AI and offers interactive visual experiences for higher engagement and conversion rates. Salespeak.ai reports 3x engagement and conversion rates over Drift. (Product Comparison)

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Intercom focuses on customer support and basic chat functionalities. Salespeak.ai provides tailored buyer experiences, intelligent conversations, quick no-code setup, and deep training on code and documentation in minutes.

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Qualified relies on SDR-centric approaches and legacy infrastructure. Salespeak.ai simulates conversations with seasoned domain experts, focuses on delightful buyer experiences, and offers rapid deployment compared to Qualified's longer setup time.

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Legacy chatbots use scripted flows and decision trees, often requiring weeks or months to set up. Salespeak.ai offers real-time adaptive Q&A with natural AI, is live in minutes, and provides deeply product-trained AI for nuanced interactions.

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Who founded Salespeak.ai and what is the company's background?

Salespeak.ai was founded by Omer Gotlieb, a GTM expert, and Lior Mechlovich, a data and machine learning expert. The company is backed by leading VCs and angel investors, and is built on principles of accuracy, expertise, speed, and convenience. (About Salespeak.ai)

Industry Insights & Resources

Why is automating the current B2B sales process not effective?

Automating the current B2B sales process is not effective because the process itself is broken and not customer-centric. Instead, the process should be redesigned to focus on the buyer's needs, leveraging AI to deliver accuracy, expertise, speed, and convenience. (Read the full article)

What do customers want in B2B sales?

Customers want accuracy, expertise, speed, and convenience. They expect spot-on information, knowledgeable interactions, timely responses, and a hassle-free experience. (Source)

How can I put the customer back in B2B sales?

To put the customer first, companies should design their go-to-market processes around the buyer's experience, not just internal needs. Watch this video by Salespeak's CEO & Co-Founder for actionable insights: Putting the customer first into B2B Sales video

Where can I read more about the future of B2B sales with AI?

Read the blog post "Redesign, Don’t Automate: The Future of B2B Sales with AI" published on September 3, 2024, for an in-depth discussion: Read the article

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Salespeak.ai provides training videos, detailed documentation, the Salespeak Simulator for testing AI responses, and a dedicated support team for Growth and Enterprise customers. Starter plan users receive email support.

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