Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we live and work. Upcoming AI-based technologies are even integrating with the pharmaceutical sales industry, changing the way sales professionals approach their jobs.

Here are a few of the most highly anticipated innovations of 2019 and how pharmaceutical sales professionals can prepare now to make the most of these tech tools:

1. Personal Assistant

Time spent putting emails and communication notes into your CRM is time you could spend building relationships with clients or working on a high-level meeting. AI tools make it easier to focus your time on high-value tasks by automating your activity logs, sorting your email, and creating new contacts.

2. Better Deal Analysis

How much time and effort should you spend pursuing a particular client or deal? While many salespeople develop a “sixth sense” for valuable deals, AI can help hone and confirm that sense by identifying promising clients and accounts and predicting which incentives will appeal to particular customers. You’ll no longer need to waste brainpower on that sixth sense, which allows you to focus it on other tasks.

3. Improved Predictions

What does the market look like in the coming year? Where should you focus your energy? What should the forecast look like for the coming quarter? These can be tough questions to answer, but AI and predictive analytics can make them easier to address. By crunching more data than humans can absorb effectively, an AI system can produce a more nuanced analysis and better predictions.

4. Learning From the Past

Many sales professionals know it’s more important to learn from the deals you lost than from those you closed. Yet how can you approach this learning in a systematic way? Enter AI, which can examine your past deals – good and bad – to identify weaknesses, make recommendations, and improve your approach to the customers you’re working with today.

At SMR Group, our recruiters focus on connecting sales and marketing professionals to some of the best jobs and employers in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology industries. Contact us today to learn more.