This article explores the impact of AI on sales roles and the broader sales industry, addressing the question: “Will AI replace sales roles, or redefine them?” By looking at historical context and forward-looking insights, the article traces the evolution of sales technology, from manual processes to modern AI-powered tools. It highlights how each era of innovation helped reshape the sales profession and delves into the current era, where AI has become an integral part of modern sales strategies.
Will AI Replace Sales Roles, or Redefine Them?
Introduction
A quick Google search of “will AI take my job” might validate your thinking that your job security is being threatened by the rise of AI. The internet is flooded with articles and social media posts fearmongering people into thinking that AI will be taking over their jobs and that they should be pursuing an “AI proof” career path. Now, for the less sceptical of you out there you’re probably already aware of the REAL potential AI has on sales roles, the industry itself and the overall landscape of selling.
But if you’re still concerned, let’s take a closer look at the history of each era over the last 100 years or so and explore how technology has historically shaped the sales industry, which will help us to demonstrate how AI is changing sales.
Brief Timeline of Technology in Sales
1900s–1940s: The Pre-Digital Era
The pre-digital era of sales relied heavily on manual processes such as in-person meetings, handwritten records and direct post. But by the 1920s, telephones were becoming commercially available, making it easier than ever before for salespeople to prospect and follow up with customers.
1950s: The Rise of Early Automation
By the early 1950’s, nearly every office in the world had a telephone and standardised processes were being put in place to improve its efficiency. The introduction of sales scripts were used to help sales teams to become more prepared, demonstrate consistency in their messaging, and improve overall sales efficiency and success rates.
In the mid 1950’s a Danish engineer named Hildaur Neilsen created a nifty little desk accessory that allowed salespeople to quickly store, find, and organise customer information. A Rolodex was the first iteration of a CRM system, of course it’s much different to what we know a CRM system to be now, but for the benefit of younger readers who may not have seen one before, a Rolodex was a way to alphabetically store contact details and keep track of everyone you met in business – think of it as the analogue version of connecting with a prospect on social media.
An Office Artifact – Rolodex – (Image source)
1960s & 1970s: Data-Driven Beginnings & CRM
The 1960s brought the end of the space race with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin becoming the first men to walk on the moon, but back here on earth a different race was underway – the race among large corporations to harness the emerging power of computer technology. Mainframe computers which were typically reserved for governments and education institutions were beginning to find their place in the corporate world, which revolutionised how businesses managed data.
By the 1970s, computer-based technology became the new standard and allowed companies to make giant leaps forward in improving sales processes with data-driven strategies like direct mail campaigns and database marketing enabling businesses to segment audiences and identify high-value prospects easier than ever before. It was also during this era that early CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems emerged, with mainframes and minicomputers providing businesses the tools to track sales activity, forecast performance, and optimise their operations.
1979 Computer Advert – (Image source)
1980s & 1990s: Rise of Personal Computers (PC’s) & The Internet Revolution
The 1980s were a game-changer for salespeople with the arrival of personal computers. Suddenly, we weren’t reliant on clunky, space hungry systems; we could track customer data, manage leads, and even run reports all on our own machines. Excel became your best friend and your worst enemy streamlining planning and reporting like never before, but not without its fair share of modern headaches. Cue the dreaded #NULL! and #VALUE! Meanwhile, the telephone had firmly cemented their place as one of the most powerful selling tools available.
Then came the 1990s, and with it the internet. To say the internet was revolutionary would be an understatement. Not only did it completely change how we managed leads and customer relationships, but it helped to create new forms of selling such as email marketing and e-commerce. Companies were now able to start selling directly online, revolutionising B2C sales.
The pre-2000s era in sales can be defined not just by the digitalisation of processes but by its focus on empowering salespeople to work smarter, not harder – laying the foundation for the tools we rely on today.
2000s: Digital Transformation
As the 2000s rolled around, cloud-based CRMs were becoming increasingly accessible, Salesforce, created in 1999, was the first to deliver a model known as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) which helped to eliminate massive upfront costs, lengthy implementations and the constant need for complex maintenance and upgrades.
With the arrival of the internet in the 90’s, the 2000’s were a prime time for online sales with buyers increasingly turning to online research, but with it came search engine optimisation (SEO) a whole new technical dynamic. Businesses would have to adapt quickly as SEO would shape the digital landscape of the internet and how products/solutions and businesses were presented to online users.
The 2000s also saw the beginnings of social media as a powerful tool for sales. Platforms like LinkedIn transformed B2B networking, creating new opportunities for lead generation and relationship-building. Sales professionals could now connect directly with decision-makers, access insights about potential clients, and nurture leads more strategically than ever before. It was around the late 2000s that sales/marketing automation really began to grow; the industry grew from a $225 million industry to a $1.65 billion industry in just five years.
Did you know?
The first existence of sales automation dates back to 1992! ‘Unica’ laid the groundwork for the sophisticated sales automation tools we use today, streamlining processes like lead tracking and customer segmentation.
Automation offered new ways to streamline repetitive tasks like email follow-ups, lead tracking and data entry. It’s thanks to automation that modern salespeople can now save so much time on repetitive tasks and instead use technology to their advantage to help build meaningful relationships and close deals.
The 2000s really set the stage for the connected world we live in today, the adoption of cloud-based CRMs, increased internet speeds, social media and sales automation all helped to reshape how sales professionals go about their work.
2010s to the Present Day: From Big Data & AI Domination
For those of you that have been in sales for the last decade or so, you may have noticed the shift from using spreadsheets, gut instincts and sales experience to make decisions, to instead making informed data-driven decisions and using AI-powered tools.
The 2010s saw many events that dramatically changed the way buyers went about… well, buying. Smartphones remained popular with the infrastructure of 4G technology enhancing video calling technology, social media and allowing easier access to data-intensive applications. This period also saw the explosion of e-commerce. In 2010 less than 7% of retail sales happened online, but by the end of 2015, UK retail sales that happened via the internet had nearly tripled to 15.5% before hitting a peak of 37.8% during the covid-19 pandemic in 2021.
By 2016, AI started creeping into our CRMs, with tools like HubSpot and Salesforce Einstein helping us score leads, forecast deals, and personalise interactions we were having with buyers. Just like sales automation did, AI-powered virtual assistants added another layer to streamlining sales by freeing us up to focus on the complex, human parts of sales while they tackled the routine stuff.
Still using spreadsheets to store customer data?
Consider speaking to one of our sales strategist consultants, we can help your business to adopt a data-driven approach designed to strengthen sales processes, boost team performance and drive business growth.
Fast-forward to the 2020s, and AI has moved on from just being a sidekick that helped automate tasks, it became “conversational”. Although a little unsettling at first, AI is now able to hold entire sales conversations and include hyper-personalisation, with AI analysing data to recommend the perfect product/service, or craft communication so tailored it feels like magic. Today’s sales process is a whole collective of automation, integration, CRMs, AI and tools that all speak to one another to create a seamless journey for the buyer and a structured process for the sales professional.
Will AI Replace Sales Reps?
Now, the big question, will AI replace sales reps? The rise of AI and its unprecedented power could be a cause for concern for most in a sales role. What do the experts say? One side believes that AI will eventually replace many human jobs (such as sales) whereas the other side believe that AI will create new jobs and the overall impact on the job market will be positive rather than negative. On a macro-level we don’t yet fully understand just how AI will impact the job market landscape within sales. Job functions may be replaced where new ones are created; roles could become re-imagined with certain tasks and operations being replaced by AI making them no longer a part of the day-to-day operations of a salesperson. However, there is a really important element of sales that shouldn’t be understated, the human factor…
The Human Factor of the Sales Process
Despite all the advancements in technology and the ways AI has streamlined sales, the importance of human touch in managing relationships and building a healthy pipeline remains as crucial as ever. Advancements in AI assisting with the selling process may play their part in handling routine tasks but when it comes to making genuine connections and building meaningful long-lasting relationships, we suspect humans will remain the most vital component.
According to research by RAIN Group, 71% of buyers want to talk to sellers when they’re looking for new ideas and possibilities to drive stronger business results, with buyers seeking trust and authority when looking for insights or advice to help them navigate decisions. Despite this, a new Cogito survey found that 46% of consumers do prefer to speak to a human agent but are comfortable with AI-assisted human interactions. This hybrid preference underscores the importance of blending technology with a personal touch.
Interestingly, what highlights the need for the human factor even more is the advancement of how in control the buyer is of the buying journey. According to a 6sense buyer experience report, B2B buyers spend 70% of their buying journey doing independent research before engaging with vendors. While this might seem like a case for automation, it actually highlights the importance of making those initial human interactions count. Buyers approach salespeople after they’ve armed themselves with information, expecting conversations to add genuine value, not just repeat what they’ve already discovered online.
At its core, sales has always been—and likely will always be—about relationships. The tools that salespeople use have evolved, the channels have multiplied, and AI has supercharged what we’re capable of, but people still buy from people. Whether it’s building trust, navigating complex needs, or simply providing the human touch that algorithms can’t replicate, salespeople play a vital role in every deal.
6 Ways Salespeople Can Harness AI to Increase Sales
It’s no secret that AI has changed the way we as salespeople function. Just look around, nearly every tool in a modern tech stack has AI built in, whether it’s a CRM system, AI lead generation tools, sales enablement software or using Chat-GPT to help finish a sentence off. Research carried out by HubSpot on the state of AI in sales found that “52% of sales professionals use AI to conduct data analysis leveraging automated tools to inform decisions related to lead scoring, pipeline analysis, and forecasting.”
With that in mind, we will now show you 6 ways you can use AI to increase sales…
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Hyper-personalise Your Outreach
AI can analyse customer data to craft highly personalised messages that resonate with prospects. From tailoring email content to creating unique product recommendations, AI ensures your outreach feels relevant and impactful, increasing engagement rates. Large language models (LLMs) that can process vast amounts such as website interactions, response rates and purchasing behaviours will understand and predict what messaging will resonate most with your prospects.
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Enhance Pipeline Management
We talk a lot here at Firestarter about effective pipeline management and the importance of tracking and evaluating the overall health of your sales pipeline. AI can assist when it comes to monitoring your pipeline in real time. It’s able to identify bottlenecks, predict deal closure probabilities, and suggest next best actions. This keeps your pipeline flowing smoothly and prevents deals from stalling.
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Predictive Sales Insights
AI can analyse historical sales data to identify trends, anticipate customer needs, and forecast future sales, these features are usually accessible through a CRM such as HubSpot or Salesforce. These insights empower sales teams to make proactive, data-driven decisions and capitalise on emerging opportunities.
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Sales Call Analysis and Coaching
AI tools like Gong and Chorus analyse sales calls using smart trackers to provide actionable feedback. From identifying the most effective phrasing to spotting missed buying signals, AI enhances sales performance by improving communication strategies. Tools such as Gong give insights based on the number of times tracked terms were mentioned during a sales call, just like most AI tools it’s only as powerful as what you feed into it so configuring the right terms initially is important.
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Automating Repetitive Tasks
For todays sales professionals the number one use AI has in 2024 is in its ability to automate repetitive tasks. Once time consuming tasks such as scheduling meetings, sending follow-up emails, and updating CRM systems can now be automated with AI freeing up valuable time for sales reps to focus on building relationships and closing deals.
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Real-Time Chat Assistance
AI-powered chatbots and conversational AI can engage with website visitors 24/7, answering questions, qualifying leads, and even booking meetings. These tools ensure no prospect slips through the cracks, especially outside of business hours meaning your business is theoretically open 24/7 without having to employ someone to be there 24/7. Automated chat assistance saves businesses money and are designed to grow with your business. Over time, these tools learn from user interactions, becoming smarter and more efficient at understanding complex questions, handling objections, and delivering solutions.
Conclusion
At its core, sales has always been—and likely will always be—about relationships. The tools have evolved, the channels have multiplied, and AI has supercharged what we’re capable of, but people still buy from people. Whether it’s building trust, navigating complex needs, or simply providing the human touch that algorithms can’t replicate, salespeople play a vital role in every deal.
So, while AI may reshape how we sell, it will never fully replace the human factor. Sales success will continue to depend on a thoughtful mix of technology and the uniquely human ability to connect, empathise, and guide.