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Five Ways to Revolutionize EMS Sales With AI
October 22, 2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
If you’ve been in the EMS game for any length of time, you know the sales cycle can be a challenge to navigate. It’s complex, technical, and often a marathon, not a sprint. With OEMs demanding faster turnarounds, tighter margins, and bulletproof supply chains, the pressure is on for EMS providers to stand out in a crowded field.
Enter AI. We’re on the verge of transforming how we sell in this industry thanks to AI, from pinpointing the right leads to crafting pitches that hit the mark. AI has been instrumental in how we research and learn about the electronics manufacturing landscape.
The five most successful sales strategies for mid-tier EMS companies are:
- Niche specialization and value-added services.
- Leveraging regional proximity and relationships.
- Partnerships with larger EMS providers.
- Data-driven sales and analytics.
- Omni-channel sales approach using digital integration.
Interestingly, three (arguably four) of these successful strategies strongly suggest using current state-of-the-art sales and marketing software tools, and you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that AI is an important part of this solution.
The five most effective ways AI can assist EMS providers to supercharge their sales game:
1. AI-powered Lead Scoring: Finding the Needle in the Haystack
Every sales team wrestles with leads. For EMS suppliers, where contracts can run into the millions of dollars and relationships take months to build, chasing the wrong prospect is painful and unproductive. AI-powered lead scoring changes the game by analyzing mountains of data to determine which prospects are worth your time. For example, AI can comb through a company’s website visits, past RFQs, or even their LinkedIn activity to score their likelihood of signing a deal. It’s not just about who’s clicking on your site; it’s about who’s got the budget, the need, and the authority to say “yes” to your SMT line or box-build services.
Continue reading this article in the October 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine.
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