Sales reps have a lot of administrative work to do after each call, which takes time away from selling. Attention’s sales assistant uses AI and natural language processing to automatically fill in CRMs and draft follow-up emails, saving them time.
Today, NYC-based startup announced a $3.1 million raise led by Eniac Ventures and joined by Frst, Liquid2 Ventures, Maschmeyer Group Ventures, Ride Ventures and the founders of Ramp, Pawp Truework and CBInsights.
In 2021, Anis Bennaceur and Matthias Wickenburg—former rivals who had each been running job platforms for creative professionals—realized they shared many of the same sales challenges. To address these issues, they founded Attention in September 2021: a platform to simplify tasks like Salesforce updates and onboarding new reps quickly.
“After much deliberation, Bennaceur and Matthias decided to join forces,” said Bennaceur. “I spoke with countless salespeople – from leaders to new reps – discussing their challenges and uncovering desired solutions. Through continual amendments, we knew we had something special.”
CRM hygiene – keeping CRM software updated with accurate data – is important for chief revenue officers and VP of sales to leverage their organization’s CRM to track customer interactions, manage leads and analyze sales data in order to increase revenue. Bennaceur explains Attention helps make this possible.
Sales reps often face barriers to CRM hygiene due to the administrative work associated. When sales reps move on or pass accounts, data may be lost and lead to customer attrition. It also makes it difficult for revenue leaders to advance potential deals without tracking what is said during sales calls.
Attention streamlines data export from calls to CRMs, such as Salesforce and Hubspot. For example, if a sales team uses the MEDDIC methodology––which includes 6 steps––Attention flags whether each step was addressed during conversations; reducing reps’ busywork while giving revenue leaders more visibility into leads and opportunities.
Attention’s natural language processing enables sales reps to be coached in real-time through battlecards. During a call, these cards appear onscreen and provide guidance for responding to prospects’ inquiries about competitors’ capabilities. According to Bennaceur: “By leveraging battlecards, reps are able to answer questions accurately and quickly.”
Sales teams can increase deal velocity by sending personalized emails quickly. However, templates are often impersonal and catered emails may miss important information. Bennaceur suggests using Attention to draft post-call emails that recap the conversation, outline the prospect’s challenges and how your product can help them, as well as discuss next steps. For example: “Write an email recapping our conversation – mention our prospect’s challenges & how our product can help them & talk about next steps.”
Attention stands out from its competitors Gong and Chorus, which focus on analyzing customer conversations. Its advantage? The ability to flexibly understand conversations, display real-time prompts during calls and provide A/B testing for coaching. Plus, it’s the only one that can export conversations into CRMs – a big plus! According to Bennaceur, this is Attention’s “strong edge”.
“We’re delighted to partner with Anis and Matthias as they use the latest AI generation and natural language processing technology to boost sales organizations,” said Hadley Harris of Eniac Ventures. “We appreciate working with repeat founders, especially when their product is in such high demand.”
