In 2011, IBM’s computer Watson made national news after defeating former Jeopardy champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Not long after, IBM teamed-up with Memorial Sloan Kettering and the Cleveland Clinic to increase Watson’s medical prowess. This ultimately gave the robot the knowledge of a second-year medical student; it became a tool that physicians could use to check their hypotheses and gain recommendations. In January of 2017, IBM signed a 5-year deal with the Cleveland Clinic to help physicians speed up and improve the accuracy rates of their diagnosis and prescriptions. In this case, Watson augments the skills of physicians. It’s fair to theorize that if a computer can quickly learn to assist in performing medical functions, it’s possible it could rapidly learn the skills of a sales professional.

[fusion_text]Improving sales productivity continues to be a leading concern for senior sales executives. Understanding these concerns and how executives are solving these problems can help sales leaders boost their sales revenue.
Dr. Richard Rocco of DePaul University Center for Sales Leadership shared his findings of over 7 years of research in the field of sales productivity in a presentation earlier this year.