{"id":15030,"date":"2024-10-14T00:23:55","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T00:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=15030"},"modified":"2024-10-17T05:03:27","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T05:03:27","slug":"how-ai-and-data-are-changing-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/blog\/how-ai-and-data-are-changing-the-game\/","title":{"rendered":"State of Sales in India: How AI and Data are Changing the Game"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Indian market is rapidly evolving, and sales teams are at the forefront of change. Sales professionals are not viewed as number chasers anymore but as trusted advisors to their customers. Indian businesses are moving away from traditional sales tactics to create unique differentiators that set them apart from their competitors. And therefore, transactional interactions to close deals have given way to sales teams offering deeply personalised, advisory interactions that help build long-term trust and lasting relationships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most interesting emerging trend is how sales functions are leaning into innovation, building trust, and intelligent use of technology like data and AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest State of Sales Report<\/a> highlights how this transformation is playing out and is helping set the new ground rules for sales teams in India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a look at the top findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The power of recurring sales and partner ecosystem<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The customers are coming back for more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

91% of sales professionals in India<\/a> claim that repeat business is their key revenue driver. But, as the markets are getting crowded with similar product offerings, sales leaders acknowledge the role of a robust partner ecosystem to explore new territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strategy is not just about reaching out to a new customer base, but also about building strong, lasting relationships to fuel continuous growth. And it is proving to be successful already, with 92% of sales leaders from the country claiming that partner sales now have a bigger impact on their business than they did a year ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Penna Cement: Cementing channel sales success with digital solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Penna Cement<\/a> significantly enhanced its dealer operations by integrating its existing dealer management solution with Salesforce. This has streamlined processes for dealers, enabling seamless order placements, and helping track requests efficiently.

The result? A 13% increase in trade sales and a 15% expansion in their dealer network. By integrating data and workflows into Salesforce, Penna Cement improved coordination across teams, empowering dealers with real-time information, ultimately driving better sales outcomes and strengthening dealer relationships.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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The top two rising challenges: competition and expectations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

73% of Indian sales leaders think that the competitive landscape is tougher than it was last year. And 65% also admit that customer expectations are becoming harder to meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Despite bigger sales budgets than last year, only 8% of Indian sales professionals are confident they\u2019ll meet 100% of their sales targets this year. A big part of the problem is that sales teams are spending too much time on non-selling tasks\u2014only 27% of their time is actually spent selling. Sales leaders are realising that to stay competitive, quicker adoption of new technology and continuous innovation in sales processes is the key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI can play a crucial role here, helping sales teams extend beyond traditional roles. For example, sales teams can focus on more crucial tasks with Customised AI agents which can manage routine tasks like follow-ups, pipeline tracking, or even close deals autonomously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Powering sales productivity: L&T Electrical & Automation energies efficiency with Salesforce<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

L&T Electrical & Automation<\/a> transformed their sales with Salesforce, automating all sales processes and giving their teams a 360-degree customer view. Today, there is a 4x increase in the volume of sales activities, and automation has saved the company over 129 hours.<\/strong>

All teams are now collaborating more effectively and driving higher sales performance through improved coordination and insights.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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AI impact: Boosting sales with data and trust<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

AI is reshaping the way Indian sales teams operate, becoming an essential driver of success. Nearly 90% of sales teams in India<\/a> are already either implementing or experimenting with AI to supercharge productivity and enhance customer engagement. From smarter sales forecasting to competitive analysis, AI is helping sales teams streamline operations and personalise every interaction with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s not all smooth sailing\u2014while the potential is vast, challenges persist. Teams are wrestling with concerns around budget constraints, data security, and the need for more robust AI training. To maximise the potential of AI in sales, trust, and data accuracy are critical and sales teams are acknowledging it. Indian sales teams believe that they must ensure that the AI-driven insights they rely on are secure and enterprise-grade, allowing for seamless integration into daily operations\u200b. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Indian sales leaders, investing in these areas is the key to staying ahead in a fast-evolving market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Revving up lead conversions: How AI drives sales at Royal Enfield<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Royal Enfield<\/a> is leveraging Salesforce Einstein to improve its lead scoring. By predicting which leads are most likely to convert, they\u2019re boosting efficiency and driving more sales. With this data-driven approach, Royal Enfield\u2019s dealers are converting 23% of high-propensity leads<\/strong>, ensuring stronger dealer engagements and boosting their success.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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With Salesforce unifying 80+ data streams on one platform, we have a much richer understanding of who our customers are, and how best to engage with them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nJatin Chhikara
Head, Digital Marketing and CRM
Royal Enfield<\/span>\n