The use of AI in sales isn’t sci-fi. It’s the now! And the buzz around AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini is impossible to ignore. But what does it mean for hospitality and events sales?
To clarify a key concern, it doesn’t involve replacing people! On the contrary, AI in sales is a tool (not a takeover) for really uplevelling your team’s performance.
For example, it can help you build rapport through email – a brilliant asset in the era when everybody seems to be picking up the phone less! Not to mention the innovative use of AI in designing irresistible sales proposals.
Let’s delve into how AI can blow up your sales strategy, plus ways to avoid the pitfalls that can cause more harm than good.
How AI in Sales can be the Difference Between Missing or Hitting Your Targets
It’s clear AI has swiftly advanced beyond the latest toy for tech geeks. Here are some of the main areas it’s making a positive impact to hospitality and events sales globally:
- Admin automation – AI reduces administrative burdens, from making CRM updates to transcribing meeting notes. As a result, you’re freed up to concentrate on what you do best – selling.
- Personalised client insights – Like the idea of analysing exponential amounts of client data to generate invaluable insights for tailoring recommendations? Using AI in sales to deep-dive into often untapped data does just that, helping you deliver exactly what your clients need, when they need it.
- Custom communication – You can compose emails in a relevant tone of voice by training AI tools with brand guidelines. Furthermore, you might even choose to develop your own customised GPT to optimise consistent and professional daily communication.
- Sleek proposal writing – AI tools can create polished first drafts of proposals in minutes. So, you’ve got more time to focus on personalising the end product, in turn further cementing your client relationships.
But remember, AI is still in its formative stages and it’s far from the be all and end all. Besides its many brilliant benefits, there are also definite downsides to be mindful of and avoid.
Understand and Sidestep the Problems with AI
The real kicker with AI is the quality of output. This can be questionable at best when AI tools aren’t handled with care.
Go ahead, play with it, and use it. But edit its output in your own words, because it’s SO easy to spot AI-generated content – and not in a good way!
Furthermore, it can’t be relied on for factual accuracy. The reason for this is it responds to your prompts merely by scouring and combining the mountains of good, bad, and ugly information already available online.
For all these factors, using AI in sales comes with a warning. After all, your clients, contacts, and prospects are getting used to spotting generic, repetitive, spammy AI-generated content a mile off. This can make you look like an amateur and put them off rather than getting them onside!
So, how can you use AI in sales wisely?
- Personalise outputs – Never send AI-generated content without reviewing and tailoring it to fit your client’s specific needs and your brand tone of voice.
- Invest in training – Enlist outsourced professional expertise to help your team understand how to use AI tools effectively and responsibly. (But make sure you check their credentials. Like anything new, there’s a number of chancers jumping on the bandwagon!)
- Monitor quality – Regularly evaluate AI outputs for potential bias or inaccuracies to maintain credibility and avoid any unintentional offence.
Make AI Your New Sales Superpower
At Selling Savvy, we’d love to share with you what we’ve learnt about using AI in sales to its fullest potential. We think you’ll be surprised how it can help advance your sales team’s productivity and results.
Get in touch to explore training options and empower your team to integrate the power of AI into their workflow.
Like it or not, AI is revamping hospitality and events sales. So, don’t let your competitors outpace you.
