How to Choose the Right AI Sales Assistant Software

What are AI Sales Assistants?

AI Sales assistants are software applications that use artificial intelligence (AI) to help sales professionals with their day-to-day tasks. They can help with a variety of tasks, including:

• Automating tasks: AI can automate tedious tasks to free up salespeople's time so they can focus on more important aspects of their job.

• Streamlining workflows: AI can help streamline sales workflows.

• Making predictions: AI can use machine learning to learn your preferences and predict your behaviour.

• Providing recommendations: AI can use your history and preferences to make recommendations.

According to Clari, an AI assistant uses ML (machine learning) algorithms, natural language processing, and prediction models to automatically extract data from conversations and process it for analysis. Using AI assistants in selling is a great tactic to boost conversions, offer instant feedback, and coach sales reps in real-time.

Why Should You Use an AI Sales Assistant?

AI sales assistants are game-changers, automating routine tasks, analyzing vast amounts of data to uncover valuable insights, and scaling asynchronous coaching. They are essential for gaining critical insights, improving sales pitches, following up with precision, and ultimately closing more deals. Here are some key advantages of integrating an AI assistant into your sales process:

• Automate Tedious Sales Tasks: AI eliminates manual, error-prone data entry and streamlines operations by automating everything from call transcription and data compilation to lead qualification, meeting scheduling, and sales forecasting.

• Real-Time, 24/7 Support, and Recommendations: AI provides around-the-clock guidance and real-time advice, helping your sales team navigate complex customer interactions effectively whenever they need it.

• Enable Personalized Customer Interactions: Tailor customer interactions by analyzing behaviour and preferences, making each engagement more meaningful, which increases the probability of closing the deal.

• Struggling to Scale Sales Efforts: AI can help scale your sales operations efficiently, allowing you to reach more prospects without overwhelming your team and do more activity without increasing your headcount.

• Ensure Consistent Sales Processes: AI ensures that your sales processes are consistently followed, reducing variability and improving overall team performance.
  
  

What to Consider when Choosing an AI Sales Assistant?

When selecting AI sales assistants, several factors come into play that can significantly impact their effectiveness for your team. Here’s a breakdown of key considerations, along with platforms that excel in each area:

1. Security and Privacy

AI sales assistant’s value hinges on trust, so it’s crucial to understand how the software handles your data. Look for tools that operate within your infrastructure, avoiding exposure on the public internet. Prioritize platforms with strong security guarantees, such as no logging or training on your data. If training is involved, ensure it aligns with your company’s AI policy and compliance regulations. Salesforce Einstein and Gong.io are known for their robust security and privacy measures, ensuring your data remains protected and compliant with industry standards.

2. Budget and Return on Investment (ROI)

Don’t get swept up by flashy AI sales assistant tools that might not meet your specific needs. Define the business challenges you want to address clearly and in a lot of detail and use these as your guiding criteria. Evaluate the provider’s unique benefits and how the tool’s pricing aligns with your budget and projected usage.

Locale.ai and Growbots are praised for delivering strong ROI by aligning closely with sales team needs and offering scalable pricing models.

3. Accuracy

While no AI tool is flawless, you should know the accuracy level you can expect. Ask about false positives, bias reduction efforts, and how human oversight can be integrated to catch errors. Trial the product and consult with current users to assess its accuracy in real-world scenarios.

Chorus.ai and People.ai excel in accuracy, with continuous improvements in reducing bias and enhancing the precision of their AI-driven insights.

4. Speed

AI sales assistant’s speed is critical for productivity. Test the tool's response time, especially with complex prompts, to ensure it doesn’t slow down your team’s workflow. A sluggish AI assistant can hinder rather than help productivity.

Regie.ai and Clari are noted for their fast processing speeds, ensuring that sales teams can rely on quick and efficient AI support.

5. Integrations

The AI sales assistant should seamlessly integrate with your existing tech stack, including CRM systems, communication tools, and project management platforms.

Salesforce Einstein and HubSpot Sales Hub score highly in this area, offering robust integrations with a wide range of tools.

6. Customizability

The ability to tailor the AI sales assistant to fit your specific sales processes and requirements is crucial for maximizing its effectiveness. Customizability ensures that the tool seamlessly integrates into your workflow, adapting to the custom parameters that are important for you as a company.

Locale.ai and Outreach offer strong customization options, allowing you to adapt their agents to your unique workflows.

7. Personalization Across Various Parameters

The AI sales assistant should provide personalized insights and recommendations based on different factors like geography, product lines, customer segments, and individual SDRs and AEs. This level of personalization enhances relevance and effectiveness, ensuring that the AI supports your sales team with actionable, context-specific guidance.

Clay.io and Avoma excel in delivering personalized insights and helping teams target the right prospects with tailored approaches.

8. Learning Curve

An AI assistant with a steep learning curve can slow down adoption. Choose software that’s intuitive and easy for your team to learn.

Presentations.ai and Dialpad are known for their user-friendly interfaces, making them easy for teams to adopt and integrate into daily workflows.

9. Adaptive Learning Capabilities

The AI assistant should be able to learn and improve over time, adapting to new data and evolving sales strategies. Continuous learning ensures that the AI remains effective as your sales environment changes, providing increasingly accurate insights and recommendations. This adaptability helps the tool stay relevant and valuable, driving long-term success and growth for your sales team.

Questions to ask when evaluating AI sales assistants

1. Effectiveness and Impact
   
   

• What makes this AI sales assistant better than using general AI tools like ChatGPT?

• How does this tool specifically address my sales challenges? Can you provide real-world examples?

• What are other customers achieving with this tool?

• Can I speak directly with one of your customers to understand their experience?

2. Performance and Accuracy
   
   

• How quickly does the AI process sales data and provide insights? Can you demonstrate this in real-time?

• What is the accuracy rate of the AI in tasks like lead scoring or forecasting? Can you provide statistics?

• How often does the AI generate false positives in lead qualification or other sales tasks?

• What is your process for handling bugs or inaccuracies in the AI’s performance?

3. Security and Privacy
   
   

• Is the AI integrated via API or embedded directly within my sales tools?

• How will my sales data be handled and protected?

• Will my data be transmitted over the internet, or does it stay within a secure environment?

• How is the AI trained on my sales data, and what privacy measures are in place?

4. Customization and Flexibility
   
   

• Which language models or AI frameworks does the sales assistant support?

• Can I integrate my own AI models or customize the AI for specific sales processes?

• Are the AI models applied globally, or can I adjust them for different sales teams or tasks?

• Can I easily disable or modify AI-powered features if they’re not needed for certain tasks?

5. Scalability and Limitations
   
   

• What are the limitations of AI in handling complex sales processes?

• How has this tool been evaluated for bias, especially in lead scoring or customer interactions?

• How well does this AI scale with rapidly growing sales teams? Can you share examples?

6. Usability
   
   

• Is the AI user-friendly for all members of my sales team, regardless of technical expertise?

• What level of training will my team need to effectively use this tool?

• Does the tool allow for iteration or refinement of AI-generated suggestions before implementation?

• How intuitive is the process for users to make adjustments to AI recommendations?

• What resources, like best practices or support materials, are available to help my team use the AI effectively?

7. Trial and Evaluation
   
   

• Is a free trial, demo, or proof of concept available to test the tool?

• Can we pilot the AI with a small segment of our sales process before full deployment?

8. Pricing
   
   

• What pricing model does the AI sales assistant follow? Is it usage-based, per seat, or something else?

• How does the cost scale with increased usage or as my sales team grows?

• How can I monitor and control spending on this tool?

• How do you measure ROI for this AI tool in a sales context?

9. Policy and Compliance
   
   

• How does this tool align with our internal data security and AI usage policies?

• Is the tool compliant with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) regarding customer data?

• What steps should we take if there are significant changes to AI policy or compliance requirements in the future?

10. Future Proofing
    
    

• Is the AI sales assistant designed to improve and adapt over time?

• How does this tool fit into your long-term product roadmap?

• What future developments or features are planned for this AI tool?

These questions will help ensure that the AI sales assistant you choose is not only effective and secure but also aligns with your specific business needs and growth plans.

What’s special about Locale.ai’s AI sales assistants?

Locale's AI sales assistants stand out with their advanced deep-research neural network, designed to understand companies with the depth and nuance of a founder. This AI excels in capturing the full context of every interaction and content ever posted, ensuring it has a comprehensive grasp of each prospect. Leveraging this extensive knowledge, Locale's AI generates highly tailored outputs that significantly enhance sales efficiency and effectiveness.

The AI produces a range of personalized tools, including:

1. Detailed qualification scores for each company

The AI produced by Locale delivers a suite of highly personalized tools designed to enhance every stage of the sales process. It begins with detailed qualification scores for each company, providing sales teams with precise insights into the potential and fit of each prospect. This helps prioritize leads more effectively, ensuring that resources are allocated to the most promising opportunities.

2. Bespoke cold call scripts

The AI also crafts bespoke cold call scripts, tailored specifically to each company. These scripts are designed to resonate with the unique needs and characteristics of the prospect, increasing the likelihood of a successful engagement.

3. Customized email and LinkedIn outreach cadences.

Complementing this, the AI generates customized email and LinkedIn outreach cadences, ensuring that every message is relevant and impactful. This personalization helps to capture attention and drive meaningful conversations with potential clients.

4. MEDDIC research before calls:

Furthermore, Locale’s AI provides in-depth MEDDIC research for demo calls, equipping sales teams with comprehensive insights and strategic recommendations. This research covers key elements like metrics, economic buyers, decision criteria, decision process, identifying pain, and identifying champions—ensuring that sales representatives are well-prepared to address any challenges and maximize their effectiveness during demo interactions.

This level of personalization not only streamlines the sales process but also empowers teams to engage with prospects more meaningfully and strategically. Overall, these tools collectively empower sales teams to engage prospects with precision and confidence, ultimately driving better results and more successful outcomes. Book a demo to learn more about Locale’s AI sales assistants.