As an account executive, you know that sales can be a tough game. You're always looking for ways to close more deals, increase revenue, and stay ahead of the competition. Fortunately, with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), there are now more tools than ever that can help you achieve your sales goals. From automating tedious tasks to identifying the most promising leads, AI sales tools can give you the competitive edge you need. In this MECE list, we've compiled some of the best AI sales tools for account executives to consider in 2023.
I. Lead Generation and Prospecting
6Sense: 6Sense is a predictive intelligence platform that uses AI to identify and engage potential customers. Unlike other lead generation tools, 6Sense uses machine learning and intent data to provide account-level insights and prioritize accounts that are most likely to convert. This makes it a valuable tool for account executives who want to focus their efforts on high-priority leads and close deals faster.
ZoomInfo: ZoomInfo is a powerful database tool that provides contact information for potential customers. It leverages natural language processing and machine learning to automatically update contact information and provide additional insights into customer behavior, making it a valuable resource for sales teams looking to improve their prospecting and outreach efforts. With its comprehensive and constantly updated database, ZoomInfo stands out as a reliable source of customer information that can help account executives identify and target promising leads. It is especially useful for organizations that need to quickly build their sales pipeline and identify new business opportunities.
Clearbit: Clearbit is a lead enrichment tool that enhances potential customer data. Using AI technology, Clearbit enriches lead data with company information, job titles, and social media profiles, which improves lead scoring and targeting. Clearbit differentiates itself by providing additional data points to improve lead scoring and targeting. This tool is ideal for account executives who want to improve their lead management processes and increase their chances of closing deals.
Smartlead: Smartlead is an AI-powered tool that generates engaging and interactive cold emails in real-time using natural language processing and machine learning. Unlike other tools, Smartlead creates personalized emails that are more likely to resonate with potential customers, increasing the likelihood of conversion. Ideal for account executives who are looking to streamline their cold outreach process and stand out from the competition, Smartlead offers a unique approach to lead generation and prospecting.
II. Sales Intelligence and Analytics
Clari: Clari is an infographic-based sales forecasting and revenue analytics platform. The platform uses AI to provide real-time insights into sales performance and revenue forecasting, helping account executives make more informed decisions.
Gong: A conversation analytics platform that uses AI to identify key themes, objections, and best practices from sales conversations.
Chorus.ai: An AI-powered conversation analytics platform that uses natural language processing and machine learning to provide real-time insights into sales conversations.
III. Sales Engagement and Automation
Outreach: Outreach is a sales engagement platform that automates sales prospecting and follow-up, prioritizing accounts and personalizing messaging. The platform uses AI to automate follow-up tasks, saving account executives time and improving efficiency. Unlike other sales engagement platforms, Outreach provides real-time insights into sales performance and effectiveness, helping account executives make data-driven decisions. Outreach is ideal for account executives looking to improve their sales prospecting and follow-up processes while also gaining actionable insights into their sales performance.
SalesLoft: SalesLoft is a sales engagement platform that helps account executives automate tedious sales tasks, such as email sequencing and call logging, while providing insights into sales performance and effectiveness. Unlike Outreach, SalesLoft offers personalized, multi-channel outreach, allowing account executives to engage with potential customers across various channels. SalesLoft also provides real-time insights into sales performance, helping account executives make data-driven decisions. Overall, SalesLoft is a great tool for account executives who want to improve sales efficiency and effectiveness while also gaining insights into sales performance.
Drift: Drift is an AI-powered chatbot and messaging platform that engages potential customers in real-time conversations using natural language processing. Unlike other sales engagement platforms, Drift enables account executives to communicate with potential customers in real-time, improving engagement and conversion rates. The platform's chatbot can answer frequently asked questions and collect information from potential customers, while its natural language processing capabilities enable it to personalize messaging and provide relevant information in real-time. Drift also provides real-time notifications to account executives when potential customers are actively engaging with the platform, allowing them to join the conversation and convert the lead. Overall, Drift is a useful tool for account executives looking to engage with potential customers in real-time and improve their sales conversion rates.
IV. Content Management and Sales Training
Highspot: A sales enablement platform that leverages AI to analyze customer behavior and provide personalized content recommendations, improving messaging and timing. Unlike other sales enablement platforms, Highspot uses machine learning algorithms to recommend content based on the customer's behavior, making it a great option for sales teams looking to tailor their message to the specific needs and preferences of their customers. Additionally, Highspot offers analytics to help sales teams track content performance and effectiveness, allowing for continual improvement of their sales strategies.
Uberflip: content personalization and recommendation engine that analyzes customer behavior to provide personalized content recommendations. It uses machine learning algorithms to provide insights into content performance and customer engagement, improving engagement and conversion rates. Unlike other content management tools, Uberflip's AI-powered personalization engine can analyze customer behavior across multiple channels, including social media, email, and website, providing a comprehensive understanding of customer preferences and behavior. It's an excellent tool for account executives looking to improve content engagement and optimize their content strategy.
PathFactory: content engagement and insights platform that analyzes customer behavior and provides personalized content recommendations and insights into content performance and customer engagement. Unlike other content management tools, PathFactory goes beyond content delivery and helps account executives understand how their prospects are engaging with their content. This allows them to personalize their outreach and tailor their messaging to what resonates best with their audience. PathFactory is ideal for account executives looking to improve their content marketing and make data-driven decisions to optimize their sales funnel.
V. Sales Productivity and Workflow
Troops is an AI-powered sales productivity platform with Salesforce integration that automates sales tasks and provides real-time insights into sales performance and productivity. Unlike other sales productivity platforms, Troops is designed to work seamlessly with Salesforce, making it a popular choice for account executives who rely on the CRM for their day-to-day activities. Troops' real-time insights and automated tasks can help account executives stay on top of their leads and opportunities, improving their sales performance and productivity.
X.ai is an AI-powered personal scheduling assistant that uses natural language processing to schedule meetings, saving time and improving efficiency. X.ai is different from other scheduling assistants in that it doesn't require any back-and-forth communication with the other party, as it can handle the entire scheduling process on its own. This makes X.ai a popular choice for busy account executives who need to schedule meetings quickly and efficiently.
TimeCamp is a time tracking and productivity management platform that uses AI to analyze how account executives spend their time, providing insights into productivity and identifying areas for improvement. TimeCamp's AI-powered analytics can help account executives identify time-wasting activities and optimize their workflows for maximum productivity. Unlike other time tracking platforms, TimeCamp's AI features make it easy to see where time is being wasted and how to make improvements.
VI. Sales Forecasting and Pipeline Management
InsightSquared: An AI-powered sales analytics and forecasting platform that uses machine learning to analyze sales data and provide insights into sales performance and revenue forecasting.
Aviso: An AI-powered sales forecasting and pipeline management tool that uses AI to analyze sales data and provide insights into sales performance and pipeline management.
Salesforce: An AI-powered CRM with forecasting and pipeline management capabilities that uses AI to analyze sales data and provide insights into sales performance and revenue forecasting.
VII. Sales Coaching and Training
Brainshark: Brainshark is a sales coaching and training platform that leverages AI to deliver personalized coaching and training content. The platform uses machine learning algorithms to analyze sales performance data and provide customized coaching plans to help sales professionals improve their skills and performance. Brainshark also includes interactive training modules, video coaching, and analytics to track progress and identify areas for improvement. With its AI-powered approach, Brainshark is an effective tool for sales teams looking to optimize their training and development programs.
MindTickle: MindTickle is an AI-powered sales enablement and training platform that analyzes sales data to provide personalized coaching and training content. The platform uses machine learning algorithms to analyze sales performance data and create customized training programs that target specific areas for improvement. MindTickle also includes interactive role-playing scenarios, gamification, and analytics to track progress and measure the effectiveness of training initiatives. With its focus on personalization and analytics, MindTickle is an ideal solution for sales teams looking to improve their skills and performance.
Showpad Coach: Showpad Coach is an AI-powered sales coaching and training platform that offers personalized coaching plans to help sales professionals improve their skills and performance. The platform uses AI to analyze sales performance data and provide insights into areas for improvement, such as objection handling and product knowledge. Showpad Coach also includes interactive training modules, video coaching, and analytics to track progress and identify areas for improvement. With its personalized coaching plans and focus on actionable insights, Showpad Coach is an effective tool for sales teams looking to optimize their training and development programs
VIII. Sales Performance and Compensation Management
Xactly: A sales performance management and compensation software that helps businesses analyze sales data and improve the accuracy and efficiency of their incentive compensation programs. With real-time insights into sales performance and compensation management, Xactly enables companies to align their sales goals with their overall business objectives.
CaptivateIQ: A sales commission management platform that automates commission calculations and provides businesses with accurate insights into sales performance and compensation management. By streamlining the commission calculation process, CaptivateIQ frees up valuable time and resources for businesses to focus on growing their sales operations.
Anaplan: A sales performance management and forecasting platform that helps businesses analyze sales data and make more informed decisions about their sales strategy. With Anaplan's data-driven insights, businesses can improve the accuracy of their revenue forecasts, identify areas for growth, and align their sales goals with their overall business objectives.
VanillaSoft: A sales engagement and lead management platform that uses AI to automate sales tasks, such as lead follow-up and nurturing, and provide businesses with real-time insights into sales performance and effectiveness during the lead management process. With VanillaSoft, businesses can streamline their sales operations, improve efficiency, and drive growth.
As the sales landscape continues to evolve, account executives who embrace the power of AI-powered sales tools will be better positioned to succeed. With the right tools and strategies, account executives can close more deals, increase revenue, and stay ahead of the competition. As the saying goes, "The best way to predict the future is to create it." With the help of AI-powered sales tools, account executives can create a great future for themselves and their company.