Explore real applications of using AI for troubleshooting in chemical sales.
Sales AI
November 21, 2024
Selling to procurement departments in the chemical industry is anything but straightforward. Securing a deal might require navigating multi-tiered approval processes across R&D, compliance, and production teams. Add to this the need to meet stringent quality standards — such as ISO certifications or REACH compliance — and the complexity deepens.
Procurement teams often demand precise technical specifications, like viscosity thresholds for coatings or specific performance guarantees for catalysts, making every sale a test of both technical and commercial expertise.
Fortunately, advancements in technology and technical processes are transforming this landscape, with one innovation leading the charge: artificial intelligence (AI) — and more specifically, generative AI.
Generative AI (GenAI) is reinventing how chemical sales teams interact with their customers’ procurement departments. To learn about the use of generative AI during procurement in chemical sales, keep reading.
In this blog, Nesh explores specific sales activities and qualification processes involved.
Procurement qualification in the chemical industry is a marathon, not a sprint. With countless technical steps, input from multiple stakeholders, and an approval cycle that often feels endless, the process can push even the most seasoned sales teams to the limits as they search for solutions to accelerate the sales process.
Chemical sales reps often handle procurement departments by relying tenured product experts with deep technical and industry knowledge. To be effective, sales reps must also maintain a nuanced understanding of their clients’ needs and detailed industry regulations and requirements.
This brings up several challenges:
Overcoming these challenges is crucial to accelerate deal cycles and ensure customers are happy and meeting their production schedules and demands. Unfortunately, the traditional procurement qualification process is not only time intensive but leaves the door open to errors, leading to potential delays and or costly missed opportunities for sales teams.
Artificial intelligence gives sales teams a new competitive advantage as they support their customer’s procurement processes in the competitive chemical sector. When chemical sales reps use AI for procurement qualification, they augment their ability to:
GenAI accelerates sales motions that reinforce sales-procurement relationships and build confidence in sales reps and the products they sell. As AI technologies advance, the impact on the procurement qualification step of the sales cycle is only expected to grow, making Sales AI adoption essential for chemical companies to remain competitive.
In the context of procurement qualification, generative AI offers several benefits.
Generative AI is optimizing chemical sales activities in several areas. From marketing to troubleshooting, consider these innovative capabilities.
GenAI platforms ensure that all members of a sales team have access to the same up-to-date information and messaging. This consistency is crucial when dealing with procurement teams because it builds trust and demonstrates professionalism. Whether it's product specifications, pricing information, manufacturing processes, or compliance data, AI tools like Nesh ensure that every sales representative can provide accurate and consistent information.
Providing rapid, accurate responses to customers who are seeking procurement can make the difference between winning and losing a contract. GenAI enables sales teams to answer their customers’ complex technical questions instantly at any time. This responsiveness not only builds trust with procurement teams but also accelerates their decision-making process.
Chemical sales often require extensive documentation, from safety data sheets to technical specifications and compliance certificates. GenAI excels at quickly locating, retrieving, and summarizing, and transforming the exact documents needed, saving valuable time for both sales representatives and procurement officers. This efficiency can significantly reduce the procurement cycle time.
When assisting procurement teams with testing, the ability to suggest alternative raw materials can be a significant advantage when supply chain or formulation challenges arise. Technical sales teams can use AI to analyze product requirements and suggest suitable alternatives based on availability, cost, and performance characteristics. Quick reaction to challenges help sales reps demonstrate their technical expertise and the breadth of their company’s product portfolio, keeping procurement teams engaged and seeding potential upsell opportunities in the future.
Working effectively with chemical procurement teams is business critical in today’s competitive environment. Building a foundation of trust not only enhances a sales rep’s relationship with the procurement team but also opens the door to working directly with a customer’s R&D team. This approach can lead to more in-depth technical discussions and stronger, long-lasting business relationships.
Ultimately, generative AI strengthens trust by helping sales reps demonstrate their deep technical knowledge and engage in high-level discussions that resonate with R&D professionals. It can also help sales teams articulate standout value propositions of certain products that matter to R&D teams, which moves the sales cycle beyond pricing and instead focuses on innovation and performance.
The ability to quickly troubleshoot with R&D teams when challenges arise is also another beneficial use of AI. For example, the Nesh Sales AI platform offers reps insightful solutions necessary to position themselves as valuable partners — rather than mere vendors — in the industry.
To keep up with industry changes and customer demands, chemical sales teams have been adopting AI as a reliable, efficient solution. Generative AI platforms like Nesh simplify and streamline the sales process at every step, from lead generation to procurement qualification to closing the deal.
By using the breakthrough capabilities available with Nesh, sales teams improve their interactions with procurement departments and build the trust and credibility needed to accelerate through complex sales cycles. Sales reps leveraging Nesh save time, build relationships with decision makers in both procurement and R&D teams, facilitate better problem-solving, ensure customer’s meet their business goals, and ultimately, drive revenue growth.
Companies that use Nesh Sales AI close 50% more deals with greater sales efficiency and reduced procurement cycles. As chemical sales continue to grow more competitive, organizations that embrace GenAI are positioned to lead, innovate, and thrive.
Ready to boost your chemical sales strategy and gain a decisive edge in procurement qualification? We’re here to help you make it happen. Book a demo with Nesh and transform your sales enablement to push your business forward.
Want to learn more about Generative AI in the chemical industry? Download our Ultimate Guide to AI in Chemicals.
Explore real applications of using AI for troubleshooting in chemical sales.
Chemical distributors and sales teams need generative AI to keep up in the global market.
Unlock the power of generative AI with Nesh to elevate every technical sales rep in your specialty chemical company.
