Change is the Greatest Hurdle to Account Planning

We’ve covered a ton of ground so far in our latest blog series based on Not Just Another Sales Robot, establishing that account planning and relationship-centric selling will help set sellers apart in the era of AI.

An integral part of this meant sharing key insights into how businesses can set themselves up for success even after the AI wave – leveraging internal resources and the right software to interpret insights and put them to good use. However, at the end of the day orchestrating all of this successfully takes a truly herculean effort – the kind of effort that can only be successful through effective change management.

What is change management and why does it matter now more than ever?

To boil it down to its most fundamental level, change management matters because people are a business’s most valuable asset. Change management is in place to successfully guide an organization and its employees to a successful new goal. In this case, we’re talking about enabling sellers to be more effective and better sellers with AI.

What does a world without change management look like?

A world without change management looks pretty bleak. However, that world gets bleaker still when change management is left out of the AI deployment process..

Like it or not, AI is already out there in the wild. It’s in the tools sellers are using with or without permission and oversight. While those tools are free now, imagine the cost down the road. Major enterprises are betting massively on AI – those bets aren’t going to come without a price tag at some point.

Without change management, organizations risk the possible reality of not evolving alongside AI, missing out while their competition gets ahead, losing valuable, skilled employees ahead of an impending talent shortage, and seeing costs skyrocket.

Despite the doom and gloom, AI should not be seen as an existential threat to sales orgs, but as an opportunity to excel in ways that have been out of reach before.

Implementing AI means serious challenges. Change management can help

There is a bumpy road ahead for all of us. However, effective change management strategies can help ease the turbulence, and get you to where you need to be from an AI implementation perspective more easily and painlessly than would otherwise be possible.

The transition to AI empowerment for sales leaders can present heightened and unique challenges. Why? Because everyone, from the most junior sales development rep to the most experienced director, harbors entrenched belief systems, relationships, and ways of working.

What does a world without change management look like?

Change management is an effective way to optimize any major transition. But given the potential magnitude of the AI revolution, it’s more important than ever to really nail this vital process here and now.

The transition to AI empowerment for sales leaders can present heightened and unique challenges. Why? Because everyone, from the most junior sales development rep to the most experienced director, harbors entrenched belief systems, relationships, and ways of working.

Straying from the predefined path could spell lost deals and lost earnings, making any adjustment at once an opportunity and a risk. The very best salespeople are always learning, growing, and experimenting, but the rest prefer to stick with what they know. But we need everyone.

Selling is, at its core, a team sport. Bringing AI best practices to an entire organization is a tricky business, and charging forward without a plan can spell disaster. What is required for successful change?

There are a handful of key requirements for success. Lose any one of these, and you’re bound to veer off course:

• Simplicity
• Belief and trust from your sellers
• Effective and recurring enablement
• Tools and methods that meet the needs of the full team

In the next blog, we’ll be going over more of the negative effects of not having a successful change management solution in place, so stay tuned and download the full Not Just Another Sales Robot eBook for more powerful content like this!