How much time does your business development team spend on selling? If you’re like most associations, the answer is probably “not enough.” According to Hubspot’s 2024 Sales Trends Report, sales reps spend only two hours a day actively selling, while the rest of their time is spent on administrative tasks, research and following up. That means your team could be missing out on valuable opportunities to connect with potential advertisers and sponsors — the lifeblood of your non-dues revenue.
Here’s where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in.
AI can be used to automate and optimize some of the most time-consuming and tedious aspects of sales and free up your team to focus on the core activities that drive revenue. According to Gartner, by 2025, 75% of B2B sales teams will incorporate AI-guided selling solutions into their traditional sales methods.
AI is not just a buzzword — it’s a reality that is transforming the way associations sell.
Used appropriately, AI can help your sales team in five key areas: prospecting, marketing, personalization, organizing and presenting. This article will outline how AI can help you find and reach out to the right sponsors and advertisers, tailor your messages and pitches to their needs, and streamline your sales process — all without compromising your association’s values and reputation.
1. Sales prospecting: AI enables your team to access and analyze vast amounts of industry data and identify the most promising prospects for sponsorship or advertising. It can provide helpful insights into each company’s profile, allowing you to tailor your sales conversations and prioritize leads that are most likely to convert.
Many of the tools business development teams already use, such as ZoomInfo and LinkedIn Sales Navigator, are incorporating AI-enhanced functionalities into their platforms, so before you invest in new technology, assess what’s available in your current tech stack.
- Tip: Using a generative AI tool such as ChatGPT, you can enter prompts like “Compile a list of companies that have advertised in similar industry publications or events in the past year” or “Identify companies that have sponsored or exhibited at recent industry conferences and trade shows.” If you’re unsure about what prompts to use, ask the AI tool to provide sample prompts to get you started.
2. Marketing and personalization: Crafting personalized and relevant outreach messages that resonate with your prospects is another way to use AI in your business development efforts. These tools can help you generate creative ideas, outlines and content for your marketing campaigns, and then optimize them for maximum impact. Not only can you refresh your copy, but you can also get ideas and mockups for visuals that can improve your sales collateral.
Beyond that, email automation journeys powered by AI can connect prospects to relevant engagements, ensuring timely and personalized communication. AI-driven tools can also provide detailed sponsorship engagement recaps and help teams craft unique sales messaging tailored to individual prospects, supported by customized collateral that resonates with their specific interests.
- Tip: When using a generative AI tool to draft marketing messages, review the copy to make sure it aligns with your organization’s style and tone. Revise the copy so it has a human touch; refrain from using AI-generated copy as is. Tailor the messaging to match your audience. Consider the AI a writing assistant, not the sole author.
3. Organizing and improving sales conversations: AI helps your team improve their sales skills and performance by analyzing your sales conversations and providing feedback and suggestions. AI can also help you organize and follow up on your sales activities and keep track of the key outcomes and action items.
- Tip: Many programs your team likely has access to have already introduced AI features. Microsoft’s Copilot, for example, can quickly build summaries and flag important next steps for you after a Teams meeting, making follow ups and next steps easier.
4. Simplifying routine tasks: Repetitive administrative tasks such as scheduling meetings, sending reminders, updating records and generating reports can also be delegated to AI, so your team can focus more on building relationships and developing strategies.
- Tip: Book more meetings with AI-assisted calendar tools such as Calendly, Chili Piper or Microsoft Bookings help automate the process of finding an open space on everyone’s calendar. These tools also provide metrics around meeting activity.
5. Upgrade your sales presentations: Another way AI can help your business development team is by creating sales presentations that showcase your association’s value proposition. AI can help you adapt your presentations to different audiences, scenarios and platforms, and enhance them with visuals, data and stories.
- Tip: Getting started is as easy as dropping a Word document into PowerPoint using Copilot or your AI presentation tool of choice. Be sure to revise to match your organization’s style, look and tone.
Additional Considerations for Using AI
When using AI, it’s important to remember a few key things to keep your association safe and your content genuine.
- Refer to your organization’s policy on AI before selecting and using a tool, and be sure the information you input is not proprietary or confidential.
- Revise and refine any copy generated by AI. AI is smart, but it can’t replace the deep knowledge and personal touch your association stands for.
- Double check the facts. AI technology isn’t perfect and sometimes gets details wrong. Don’t assume everything it generates is accurate or factual.
Integrating AI into your association’s business development strategy can revitalize how your team connects with potential sponsors and advertisers. Using these tools thoughtfully is key in ensuring all generated content aligns with your association’s values and maintains a human perspective. Consider AI a helpful assistant that can boost your non-dues revenue by enabling your sales team to operate more efficiently, uncover new opportunities, and secure valuable partnerships with greater precision and effectiveness.
