RWC 3 versus AI Nil

 

Recently a client asked us to write a few emails, and also asked an AI program to write the same emails. Blow our own trumpet as we won clearly. At first there was a moment of panic as the emails read very well. Just like sales emails, and there’s the rub - to borrow from Shakespeare. I wonder how often phrases by Shakespeare and other famous people will be used by AI?

 

1 – Nil

 

The emails sounded good. They read just like a sales email read. However, the phrases used were the same phrases we have seen in thousands of emails. Emails that usually go unread and often deleted as soon as the typical blurb kicks in. Such as ‘provides a one stop solution’ and ‘With just a few clicks, you can …………. saving you time and money’. Or ‘has got you covered!’ and ‘you can rest assured that we have the solution…’.

 

 

2 – Nil

 

THE AI version failed to position the customer as the supplier of choice. One of the aims of all sales emails is to point out your ‘unique selling proposition’ (USP or USP’s). Customers need to see that you are really the only option not just the best option.  If you aren’t ‘adding value to the email readers day you are wasting their time’. If you are wasting their time you can soon get deleted. We always ask our customers to remember to add value in every transaction with their customers.

 

 

3 – Nil

 

You can’t sell someone something if they don’t have a need for it. The emails failed to show the customer their issue was understood and how we were the solution for it. It’s almost impossible to write a generic email if you don’t know the individual and the specific company it’s intended for. You can write generic emails when a group of companies all fall into the same category and have the same need. However, you often firstly end up sounding like the sales email described above or secondly some companies on the target list may have very slightly different issues and you end up getting deleted because you aren't talking directly to them.

 

Conclusion

 

We are happy to be winners and our aim is not to trash AI. In many areas such as analysing customer and prospect data to predict popular product lines or which companies are cross selling and upselling potentials bring it on! We have always disliked hearing the phrase ‘Sales is a numbers game’ because it implies that sales are just simply about the more people you contact the more you will sell. AI may well be all about the numbers. Data is growing. 90% of the world’s data was generated in the last 2 years. Using AI to mine the vast information we all collect may well be where sales will get the real benefit for AI.

 

While many people would love to use AI to generate their emails as it’s a hard and time-consuming sales activity. We say don’t, until you can get AI with its own personality. In the meantime, develop your sales personality and learn your various customers personalities and sell more.

 

 

Many of our training programs include recognising personalities. This Sales Client Personality program is available and we have apps to assist you every day as you sell.

 

These Apps can be used as an on-the-sales job tool or in conjunction with a sales course and don’t collect dust on the bookshelf after the course is over.