Sales is a crucial element for startups of any size. But, how can startups prioritize sales among other necessary elements in a startup? After all, sales cannot necessarily replace development. With limited resources, startups need to find ways of leveraging new technology, namely AI, to achieve more with less.
In episode 95 of High Tech on the Low, Eldad Postan-Koren, CEO and co-founder of Winn.AI, shares his journey in tech and how it impacted him in focusing his career on making the sales process better. With his insights, he saw the importance of AI in sales, and, with his new venture, he is poised to help drive efficiency and success for startups.
Sales as a Driver for Startups
According to Eldad, sales is the lifeline of any startup. For that reason, it is critical for sales teams to be able to focus their efforts on closing deals, rather than on tedious tasks and administrative work. Before starting his company, he specifically hated working with his former company’s CRM, “just processing all the client data was awful.” Eldad saw the inefficiencies firsthand and knew that for startups that want to succeed, they would need a better sales system.
Since they are often strapped for cash, founders would need tools that allow them to accelerate growth and sales, but for less than a fortune. “As a startup, you have to do more with less,” says Eldad. “The key to success is to leverage technology to help the salesman focus on the client and the sale. That way you make the whole process more efficient.”
To overcome this challenge, Eldad began his foray into startup world by using his experience as a framework for a potential solution. He eventually moved into the world of AI to see how startups could deploy AI over sales related tasks and streamline the sales process. By automating certain tasks, sales teams could free up time and resources to focus on what they do best: closing deals and driving revenue growth.
The Importance of AI in Sales
AI has the potential to transform the sales process, providing sales teams with valuable insights and guidance that can help them close deals more effectively. Imagine an AI helper that can help sales teams create customer profiles, guide them through sales calls, and even predict which deals are most likely to close? Well, that was what Eldad was thinking might help, too. “Our AI helps sales teams by providing them with the information in real time as they are on the sales call,” says Eldad, “making sure they are accurately capturing and engaging on it.”
By utilizing AI to help sales teams, Winn.AI automates previously considered manual tasks while guiding startup sales teams to success. The salesperson, therefore, has his ‘space’ freed up to focus on making sure they are communicating well with the potential lead and doing what they do best. And, with its unique insights, salespeople will be able to improve as they go along. This approach can help startups retain their employees, drive revenue growth more efficiently, and ultimately achieve greater success.
Efficiency in the Startup Sales Process
Efficiency is critical for startups, particularly when it comes to the sales process. Eldad realizes that startups need to be able to move quickly, but this can be challenging, particularly when sales teams are bogged down by administrative work. “Speed is critical for startups and the faster you can close deals, the faster you can grow.” Through AI, tasks such as data entry and lead qualification become streamlined, directly improving improve the speed and efficiency of their sales process.
Eldad highlights, however, that it is also critical to work correctly with the AI to ensure the proper processes are put into place. AI is not a magic solution, and it is not a substitute for human expertise and experience. However, the potential it has to amplify human expertise is probably unmatched.
