ZoomInfo’s State of AI in Sales and Marketing survey, which gathered insights from more than 1,000 GTM professionals, reveals just how quickly AI is transforming sales teams — and the roadblocks for further AI innovation.
Power users on sales teams are saving time, closing deals faster, and seeing real, measurable business results. But despite the momentum, many sales professionals risk falling behind because they haven’t fully embraced AI.
We’re diving deeper into the survey’s findings for sales teams, offering a closer look at how sellers are using AI, where they’re seeing success, and what’s standing in the way. If you’re in sales leadership or frontline execution, these are the insights you need to compete in an AI-powered future.
Adoption and Usage
Of the 1,000+ respondents, 68% work in sales, with 45% using AI at least once a week.
That puts sellers slightly behind the overall survey pool, which found that half of all GTM professionals rely daily or weekly. Sellers in the survey were more likely than the overall pool to be skeptics, with 42% using AI only a few times a year or not at all.
This highlights the lack of compelling bottom-line use cases delivered by mass-market AI tools, such as chatbots or basic CRM assistants, which are the most popular tools in our survey.
As ZoomInfo Chief Revenue Officer James Roth notes: “AI needs to be built directly into specialized applications by people who know what go-to-market teams need to succeed. That’s how we are seeing companies drive real innovation in GTM.”
The Tools Sales Teams Use
The most commonly used tools in sales are AI-powered CRMs, which integrate AI capabilities like lead prioritization, forecasting, and automated follow-ups directly into existing workflows. These tools help streamline day-to-day tasks and offer actionable insights into prospect behavior.
For next-level AI use cases, sellers who want bottom-line impact are increasingly turning to advanced sales AI tools like ZoomInfo Copilot, which analyzes CRM activity, market signals, and B2B contact data to recommend next steps in outreach, messaging, and pipeline management.
Since launch, Copilot users have booked 60% more meetings, improved email response rates by nearly 90%, and recovered 10+ hours a week through workflow automation.
A key reason for this success? Copilot’s integration with ZoomInfo’s Go-to-Market Intelligence Platform, which fuses technographic and firmographic data with advanced signals and AI-fueled insights — combined with first-party customer and prospect data — to deliver tailored GTM recommendations that move the needle for sellers everywhere.
Impact on Sales Efforts
Teams that frequently use AI report substantial improvements across all major performance metrics:
- Faster Deal Cycles: 78% of frequent users said AI has helped shorten deal cycles, enabling faster decision-making and deal closures.
- Larger Deal Sizes: 70% reported an increase in deal size, likely attributed to better prospect insights and tailored outreach.
- Higher Win Rates: AI-powered tools contributed to a 76% increase in win rates.
- Profitability: 79% of respondents said AI has made their teams more profitable, highlighting its role in driving revenue.
Among sellers who use AI at least once a week:
- 81% said their deal cycles got shorter
- 73% reported increases in average deal size
- 80% saw higher win rates
These numbers show sales teams are moving beyond efficiency metrics, and are achieving stronger business outcomes across the board. AI’s ability to analyze prospect behavior, prioritize leads, and automate routine tasks empowers sales teams to deliver results with greater speed and precision, directly impacting the bottom line.
Challenges in Sales
Challenges that sales teams struggle the most with include:
- Data Quality: Sales teams depend on accurate and up-to-date data to prioritize leads and forecast effectively. Any discrepancies in data can erode trust in AI recommendations.
- Training Gaps: Many sales professionals lack the training to fully utilize AI tools, leading to underperformance or distrust.
- Integration Issues: AI tools must seamlessly integrate with existing CRMs and sales workflows to maximize utility.
Many teams are still working to overcome structural obstacles in AI adoption.
Integration remains a sticking point — 28% of survey respondents to our overall survey cited difficulties folding AI into current systems. Meanwhile, a lack of skilled personnel (29%) and general resistance to change (28%) also surfaced as top barriers.
That’s why phased rollouts, strong training programs, and a focus on strategic use cases — like forecasting or lead scoring — are critical for sustained success.
Success Stories
In our survey, sales professionals who have embraced AI said they were seeing impressive results:
- Sellers at MajorKey Technologies, an enterprise identity security provider, credited AI use with increasing their team’s revenue by 16% in the past year. One business development manager reported doubling their sales since starting to use AI with their existing CRM system.
- Executives at Simmers Crane Design & Services, which engineers, builds, and maintains overhead cranes and hoists, saw a 20% jump in sales in just one month after implementing AI tools into its sales process.
- Reps at Embroker, an innovative business insurance provider, have doubled productivity and sales since starting to implement AI.
ZoomInfo Copilot users offer further proof of what’s possible when AI is integrated at scale. Sellers using Copilot reported a 43% increase in Total Addressable Market (TAM), a 41% jump in win rates, and a 30% reduction in deal cycle length — competitive advantages that deliver serious ROI.
Overcoming AI Challenges for Sales Success
AI in sales has already demonstrated its ability to drive meaningful outcomes, from shorter deal cycles to larger revenues.
To unlock its full potential, GTM teams must address challenges around data quality, training, and integration. By doing so, sales teams can leverage AI not just as a tool but as a strategic advantage in an increasingly competitive marketplace.