40% of salespeople have said prospecting is the most difficult part of the sales process. With templated approaches and saying, “It’s just a numbers game,” it may seem difficult to close deals. However, some lead-gen companies are taking things to the next level – with AI.
Today we’re talking about AI-powered prospecting – and how it can double your success. Specifically, we’re talking about what AI tools are available, how you can use them, and what you need to be aware of when using these tools.
Reading this article isn’t mandatory – instead, you can watch it below.
Why Should You Be Using AI-Powered Prospecting?
Face it; AI is the future. Who do you know that isn’t using ChatGPT? Frankly, we think it’s paramount that salespeople start enabling themselves with the power of AI as well. After all, there are really only two options: be scared of the tech or embrace it. If you’re choosing to embrace AI, here’s what it can do for you:
- Increase Your Efficiency: AI-powered tools automate repetitive tasks. That clears time in your calendar for chasing high-value leads and demoing your product.
- Personalized Outreach: The worst part of prospecting is writing a template. Odds are over half your prospects won’t respond anyway. Luckily, AI tools can generate personalized messages at scale – making each communication tailored to the recipient’s needs.
- More Accurate Lead Generation: AI algorithms are able to analyze large amounts of data way quicker than your calculator ever could. All this targeting ensures that your sales efforts are directed toward the most promising prospects.
Different Types of AI Prospecting Tools
In the past year, there’s been an explosion of AI tools in the market. We’ve already written a detailed article on some of our favorite AI prospecting tools, so we’ll keep it short. Here are some of the types of AI tools you can expect:
- AI Text Generators: Our favorite (and the most popular) type of AI tool are text generators. They can create unique outreach messages within seconds based on a prompt of your choosing. Think ChatGPT if it was optimized for prospecting.
- Lead Scoring and Prediction: AI algorithms give you a prediction on the likelihood of a lead converting into a customer. As we mentioned before, this helps prioritize the leads with the highest conversion potential.
- Chatbots: Communicating with clients can get old. AI-powered chatbots can engage with prospects, answer frequently asked questions, and qualify leads. That means clients can get the answers they need without waiting for your response.
Best Practices for AI-Powered Prospecting on LinkedIn
It’s no question that you need to be using LinkedIn to maximize your prospecting efforts. However, if you want the best results, follow these tips:
- Identifying and Targeting the Right Audience: To succeed in any sales campaign, you need a well-defined target audience. Without it, you may be marketing to people with no interest or need for your product.
- Personalize, Personalize, Personalize: If you’re using an AI text generator, make sure your messages are personalized. That means including your prospect’s name, job title, location, and even company.
- Don’t Forget A/B Testing: There’s only one way to get better, and that’s by constantly testing your outreach messages. A/B testing allows you to refine your messages until they’re engaging as possible.
- Balance AI and Human Touch: While AI tools are incredibly powerful, it’s important to strike a balance between AI and human interaction. For example, if your prospect gets an AI-generated outreach message, follow-up, and demo, you should throw in some human communication as well.
Potential Challenges and Ethical Considerations With AI
When talking about AI, it’s hard to move past the potential challenges and ethical considerations along with them. To remain an authentic sales personal (and keep the trust of your audience), you should consider the following:
- Follow LinkedIn’s Terms and Conditions: LinkedIn has connection limits and usage guidelines. If you don’t want to risk your account safety, you need to follow these limits. Luckily, if you’re using a cloud-based automation tool (like We-Connect), you’re account will be a lot safer.
- Build Genuine Connections: While AI can automate a wide outreach, it’s important to maintain genuine connections as well. Avoid generic or spammy messages and strive to establish meaningful relationships with your prospects. After all, you never know when one of these contacts will come in handy.
- Respecting User Privacy: Of course, whatever tools you’re using, make sure they respect your prospect’s privacy. The worst thing you can do in sales is lose the trust of your audience. Always obtain necessary permissions and ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
Future Trends and Developments in AI-Powered Prospecting
As AI continues to evolve, what does that mean for the sales world?
Well, for one, we think there will be a significant progression in the evolution of AI text generators. After seeing the rapid increase in using ChatGPT (and similar tools), it’s obvious that these text generators are just getting better and better. And as these AI tools learn from our prompts, the improvements keep coming.
Another trend to watch for is the integration of AI with other tools and platforms. AI-powered tools are likely to become more interconnected with customer relationship management systems, marketing automation platforms, and other sales tools. However, we’re one step ahead of the curve at We-Connect with our own built-in AI writer.
Conclusion
AI-powered prospecting on LinkedIn offers immense opportunities for businesses to enhance their conversion rates and streamline their prospecting efforts. By using AI tools, companies can automate those tasks that take too long.
And, of course, if you want to test We-Connect’s AI writer, try our 14-day free trial. You won’t regret it.
