A manufacturing SME in Qingdao is leveraging artificial intelligence to transform its sales approach, with a "digital employee" bringing in 35 new clients within just two weeks. How can a small firm of only 20 staff use AI to reach nearly 30,000 companies and capture dozens of new customers in such a short time?
The answer lies in an AI-powered business development tool named "创销宝." This intelligent agent integrates capabilities from leading large language models and simulates real sales logic to accurately identify and engage potential customers. For Qingdao Wanyifeng New Material Technology Co., Ltd., this recently deployed digital employee is quietly reshaping traditional manufacturing sales models.
During a two-week trial period, the AI system made over 28,000 outbound calls, identified more than 300 potential customers, and successfully converted 35 into paying clients. The company's general manager, He Wei, noted that one enterprise owner from Hubei province agreed to cooperate without realizing he had been speaking with an AI.
Despite its small size, the company is generating significant impact. Located in an industrial park in Jiaozhou, Wanyifeng specializes in producing industrial tapes for automotive, home appliance, and electronics applications. As consumables with low unit value but wide application, survival depends on securing large-volume clients. Before adopting AI, the firm relied on limited sales methods, primarily field promotion and customer referrals, with He Wei himself handling 90% of sales tasks.
A chance meeting with the head of a local tech company introduced He Wei to the AI business development tool. Though not deeply familiar with AI technology, he maintained an open mindset and decided to trial the system. On the day of its launch, the AI generated 10 potential leads within an hour and closed three deals by the afternoon.
The strength of AI-driven customer acquisition lies in its exponential efficiency gains. The system leverages extensive business databases to screen over 90,000 automotive-related enterprises, using simulated sales dialogue for proactive outreach. The AI handles initial filtering, qualification, and preliminary contact, passing qualified leads to human sales staff for final negotiation. This "AI screening plus human follow-up" model frees salespeople from inefficient cold calling, allowing them to focus on closing deals.
In practice, AI serves not as a replacement but as an enabler. For small and medium enterprises, the greatest challenges often lie in team and business management. Adopting AI requires more than just a tool—it demands guidance in building a sales system suited for the AI era, enhancing team management and business capabilities for comprehensive organizational upgrade.
Following the implementation of the AI system, He Wei quickly assembled a new sales team. Notably, these members came without backgrounds in either the tape industry or AI technology, but brought mature business experience. When AI and human workers operate in their respective roles, they unlock synergistic potential greater than the sum of their parts.
The adoption of AI has prompted a shift in mindset. Rather than replacing personnel, AI necessitates team growth to handle the increased lead flow. Traditional sales performance builds slowly, and prolonged lack of success can dampen team morale. Now, with a steady stream of qualified leads, sales staff remain highly motivated, engaging daily with clients, sending samples, and confirming orders, thereby finding value and achievement in their work.
Having experienced the benefits of AI-driven customer acquisition, He Wei now faces a "happy problem"—setting a 40% revenue growth target for the year, with hiring, production expansion, and client visits filling his schedule. Reflecting on the change, he remarked that while team dinners were once frequent, time has now become a precious commodity.
From the management perspective, He Wei emphasizes that AI actually highlights human value by taking over the most time-consuming, repetitive tasks in the sales process. Maintaining business relationships, conducting in-depth communication, and developing project plans—areas requiring human wisdom and experience—remain the core focus for the team. Moving forward, the company plans to expand AI applications, establishing an enterprise knowledge base and integrating AI with production scenarios such as automated inspections and equipment management.