Sales and marketing departments are often the first to benefit from AI due to their familiarity with digital tools and tasks suited to generative AI. Here are five concrete examples for this stage:
1.1 Automated meeting recording and summarization
All prospecting and client follow-up meetings can be automatically recorded and summarized with tools like Otter or Firefly, or through AI features integrated into Microsoft Teams or Zoom. These tools generate meeting summaries, transcriptions, and follow-up emails with actionable tasks. This information can also be directly transferred into the CRM without manual entry.
Fictional example: SteelFlow Inc., a steel processing firm, saved over 15 hours a week by using AI to automatically summarize sales calls and update their CRM, reducing manual errors and improving pipeline tracking.
1.2 Refining your marketing plan with ChatGPT
AI, particularly ChatGPT, can refine your marketing plan. You can brainstorm with AI to define your personas, establish your go-to-market strategy, and receive advice on optimizing your campaigns.
Fictional example: SteelTech Solutions used ChatGPT to identify untapped market segments, like solar panel manufacturers, and develop tailored marketing campaigns that boosted their lead generation by 20%.
1.3 Website improvements and bio rewriting
ChatGPT can review your website, suggest improvements, or even offer a complete redesign. It can also craft compelling LinkedIn bios, enhancing your professional online presence.
Fictional example: IronWave Industries revamped its website content using ChatGPT, improving SEO and increasing website traffic by 30% within three months.
1.4 Proposal writing
AI can automate much of the process of writing commercial proposals, creating structured documents tailored to client needs. This allows for quicker responses to requests while maintaining quality.
Fictional example: ForgeIt Steel cut proposal response times in half by using AI to generate proposals customized for different sectors, such as automotive or infrastructure.
1.5 Data analysis for requests for proposals (RFPs)
Using tools like NotebookLM, you can analyze RFP data quickly and efficiently. AI can generate a 10-minute podcast summarizing key points or even create a FAQ or table of contents to organize information effectively.
Fictional example: BlueMetal Co. used AI to analyze an RFP for a government bridge project, creating a comprehensive summary and identifying key compliance requirements within hours instead of days.