Liberation from Routine: AI as a Tireless Research Assistant
Perhaps the biggest and most immediate change brought by AI in sales is the automation of time-consuming routine tasks. Sales representatives still spend a significant portion of their working hours, up to two-thirds according to some studies, not on selling itself but on administrative activities like maintaining data in the CRM system or manually researching potential customers. This is where the strength of AI comes in. It acts as a tireless assistant, sifting through vast amounts of data to identify suitable companies and contacts. A concrete example is the Berlin-based retail tech company Retalos GmbH. As a medium-sized enterprise, it uses AI-supported platforms to optimize its B2B procurement processes and find the right partners. Instead of hours of manual searching, the sales team receives precise, pre-qualified suggestions. This liberation from the routine of research and qualification does not lead to the elimination of the salesperson, but to a qualitative enhancement of their role. They no longer have to search for the data provided by the AI, but must interpret and strategically use it. The central question is no longer "Who should I contact?" but "How can I create the greatest possible value for this highly relevant contact?".
