Hello everyone, Lukas Thys here, founder of LEO (AI) and NeoDeal (Automation).

Today, we're diving into a hot topic: AI vs. Automation in sales prospecting.

Which technology generates more leads?

This question often comes up in discussions and debates on prospecting strategies.

As the founder of LEO and with my experience as the founder of NeoDeal, I have had the opportunity to explore and use both technologies extensively.

In this article, we will compare automated prospecting approaches and those assisted by AI, analyzing their performance, advantages, and limitations.

We will also explore how these technologies can be used together to maximize your prospecting results.

Ready for a comprehensive overview? Let’s go!

Automated prospecting involves using software to automate the process of finding and contacting prospects.

These tools allow you to create prospect lists, draft messages, and launch large-scale prospecting campaigns.

A typical example is NeoDeal, a software I developed in 2019, which helps businesses send messages to hundreds, even thousands of prospects with little manual effort.

AI-assisted prospecting uses artificial intelligence technologies not only to automate tasks but also to personalize and optimize each interaction with the prospect.

AI can analyze prospect data, propose personalized messages, and adapt strategies in real time.

My latest project, LEO, launched in 2024, uses this approach to offer more targeted and effective prospecting.

To illustrate the comparison, we conducted a study where we used NeoDeal for an automated prospecting campaign and LEO for an AI-assisted campaign.

Here are the results:

The numbers don't lie: AI has quadrupled our meetings compared to automation.

The results clearly show that AI-assisted prospecting with LEO outperforms automated prospecting with NeoDeal in terms of new connections, responses received, and meetings obtained.

The main reason for this superior performance is personalization. AI is capable of analyzing each prospect's data and proposing highly personalized messages, which increases the chances of response and engagement.

Moreover, AI constantly learns and improves through machine learning, making each campaign more effective than the last.

Automation remains a powerful technology, especially for nurturing, i.e., the development and maintenance of a lead base.

After an event or webinar, using automated campaigns to follow up with prospects, share relevant content, and maintain interest is an effective strategy.

Examples of campaigns:

Automation is like maintaining a fire: regularly add fuel to keep the flame alive.

Automation is also useful when you need to reach a large number of prospects in a short time.

Mass campaigns are ideal for awareness phases or for general announcements where personalization is not critical.

For direct prospecting and initial contact, AI is unbeatable.

By proposing highly personalized prospect profiles and messages, AI enables you to quickly and efficiently secure meetings.

With AI, every prospect becomes a golden opportunity.

AI also excels in performing repetitive tasks like prospecting and data analysis.

Let AI do the tedious work while you focus on building relationships and closing deals.

The best approach is not to choose between AI and automation, but to combine the two.

Use AI for initial prospecting and direct contacts, then automation to nurture leads and maintain interest over time.

The winning duo is AI for immediate impact and automation for long-term success. By combining AI and automation, you maximize your chances of success at every step of the prospecting process.

AI ensures a personalized and effective approach for initial contact, while automation helps maintain interest and develop a long-term relationship.

In conclusion, AI and automation are two powerful technologies that, when used together, can transform your prospecting strategy.

AI excels in personalization and immediate efficiency, while automation shines in managing large bases of prospects and long-term nurturing.

I firmly believe that the future of prospecting lies in the synergy between these two approaches.

I invite you to try them out for yourself and see how these technologies can propel your prospecting to a higher level.

Feel free to contact us to learn more about our prospecting software.
Together, let's transform your commercial prospecting and reach new heights!
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Lukas,