Do you think traditional front line sales jobs are AI/automation proof? If not, how do you see the role changing in the future?
Sort by:
AI will continue to increase efficiency in areas like lead generation, contract negotiation, pricing, reducing discounts, and managing forecasts. It will also make transactional processes from order to cash more efficient. However, the uniquely human aspects of B2B sales, particularly when acquiring new clients (i.e. persuasive skills, storytelling for executives, personal stories, and presentation techniques), will always need a sales professional and, for more complex opportunities, a deal coach. Additionally, let's not ignore the wealth of asynchronous communication required to build trusted-centric relationships, including phone calls, F2F meetings, dining together, attending events, and so on. Note - this is forever, for now. Let's talk again after we'll all 'chipped'. :)
In the short and mid-term, I think many front-line sales jobs are AI / automation proof. The role may change as AI brings capabilities to sellers to better and more fully synthesize information, position offers, navigate the end-to-end sales process. However, my own belief is that sellers stand to benefit from these technologies more than they are a threat for replacing the front-line sales jobs. To further expand on this, for any given sales role, it would probably be important to understand the selling environment, products and services being sold, and the total addressable market. For commodities, the selling jobs would be at much more risk. For complex products and services, much less so.
I do not believe any corporate functions are "AI proof" nor do I think they should be. I do not believe that AI will replace most jobs (if any) people who know how to leverage AI will replace those who do not. This is the same for any major technological advancement. Had you been a salesperson who rejected the idea of using a computer, laptop, CRM....the same is true...my advice. Embrace AI, and use it to your advantage!
I concur with Adam's assessment. Everyone will need to upskill--the context you bring is valuable!<br><br>Embrace change and look for opportunities to automate and increase productivity.<br><br>For example, I've created "research/discovery" bots that cut our preliminary research time down that scour web and pull specific information from 10K/Q and other public data.
Yes.
The key quality of frontline workers is that they represent the company directly to customers and have frequent interactions with them. They typically require strong interpersonal skills as a major part of their roles involves assisting, servicing, or selling directly to the public. While self service and digital becomes prominent, the need for human will still be there. AI and Automation is just going to make it easier for them to operate and function.