New Study on AI and B2B Sales

Global responses suggest a significant shift in sales leaders’ priorities for 2017-2018

Miami, FL & Barcelona, Spain, September 5th, 2017 // General Distribution //

Cien, the artificial intelligence company that helps sales teams improve their productivity, announces the publication of its Global Study on the Future of Sales, an analysis of B2B sales professionals and their attitudes towards artificial intelligence.

The study, based on an extensive survey of B2B sales professionals between June 1st 2017 and July 1st 2017, provides new insight on how AI is set to impact the sales profession.  While leaders are 31% more likely than reps to view AI as an added source of complexity, millennials and Salesforce.com® users tend to be more relaxed about how AI will impact their future.

Cien’s global study also suggests a shift in sales leaders’ priorities, from accurate reporting and CRM adoption to measuring productivity and sales effectiveness.  66% of respondents identified sales productivity improvements as their biggest concern for 2017-2018, ahead of better forecasting or greater automation.

“AI is poised to help B2B Sales Team find the low hanging fruit which can drastically improve their Sales Productivity.” says Rob Käll, Cien’s CEO.

Participants of the study also highlighted empathy and product knowledge as the two most important skills required for a successful sales career in an AI powered world.

“Our research suggests that sales leaders are actively looking at implementing AI to outsmart their competitors,” says Damien Acheson, Cien’s Head of Marketing.  “With the rise of AI based platforms like Salesforce Einstein® and IBM Watson®, an increasing number of data-driven companies are applying deep learning techniques across their customer touch points to improve their customer acquisition metrics.”

For free access to the complete results of the study, visit https://www.cien.ai/study-future-of-sales-and-ai/

About Cien

Cien gives sales leaders an edge by using the power of artificial intelligence to increase the productivity of their teams. The app takes into account human and behavioral elements to detect problems and predict outcomes. Cien’s app is currently available for preview to select Salesforce.com customers.

To request a demonstration, visit www.cien.ai