AI Shortens B2B Sales Cycles By 1 Week

A brand new report reveals that B2B gross sales groups more and more use AI to enhance effectivity and shut offers.

Commissioned by LinkedIn and carried out by Ipsos, the survey included 1,250 gross sales professionals and located that AI is now a key a part of gross sales practices.

Right here’s what entrepreneurs must know.

AI Adoption on the Rise

88% of gross sales professionals use AI weekly, and 56% use it each day. This pattern displays adjustments within the gross sales area, the place groups should handle advanced shopping for processes.

Karin Kimbrough, LinkedIn’s Chief Economist, notes that corporations utilizing AI achieve a aggressive benefit.

“Corporations integrating AI are gaining a aggressive edge,” says Kimbrough within the report. “Groups that don’t embrace AI will fall behind.”

Microsoft’s Way forward for Work report additionally reveals that gross sales professionals see important productiveness will increase from AI.

Key Drivers Of Funding

98% of gross sales executives plan to speculate extra in AI this 12 months. They’ll deal with:

1. Gross sales intelligence
2. Gross sales enablement
3. AI-powered CRM instruments

Methodology Observe:
Ipsos surveyed gross sales professionals in the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, India, and Singapore, specializing in mid-market (200–999 workers) and enterprise (1,000+ workers) sectors spanning tech, finance, manufacturing, skilled providers, and different industries.

Prime Three Affect Areas

Sellers exceeding their targets are 2.5 instances extra seemingly to make use of AI each day than these not assembly their targets.

Researchers discovered three most important methods AI improves gross sales:

1. Discovering Leads
   1. 38% say AI helps to establish leads quicker and extra precisely.
   2. Sellers save no less than 1.5 hours weekly utilizing AI for lead analysis.
2. Personalised Messages
   1. AI instruments allow quicker and extra tailor-made outreach campaigns.
   2. Sellers utilizing AI noticed a 28% enhance in responses.
3. Gross sales Effectivity
   1. AI streamlines information entry and scheduling in CRM techniques.
   2. Practically 69% of sellers say AI shortens their gross sales cycle by about one week and helps them shut extra offers.

Wanting Forward

Dan Shapero, LinkedIn COO, advises corporations to “begin small” and deal with delivering fast wins as a basis for long-term AI adoption.

This method resonates with the rising variety of gross sales executives (39%) who really feel “extremely assured” about their readiness for future challenges.

In sensible phrases, gross sales groups can start by:

• Automating routine duties like updating CRM data or lead qualification.
• Leveraging real-time insights for focused outreach (e.g., monitoring job adjustments or firm information).
• Experimenting with generative AI to craft extra partaking prospect messages.
• Commonly coaching groups on new instruments to cut back resistance and easy adoption.

Dan Shapero, COO at LinkedIn, states:

“It’s too early to know what your AI technique is. I believe the query you ask your self is, “What’s my AI win?”. What’s the one factor that I can do with my crew proper now that’s going to create worth over the following six months? As a result of the world is altering so shortly, it’s certainly one of these moments to start out small, to go huge over time.”

For extra insights, see the total report.

Featured Picture: Screenshot from Linkedin ROI of AI report, March 2025.