Will the Rise of AI Impact the Social Skills of Sellers?

A survey of 3,496 global employees found that 41% of sellers believe new AI-powered technologies have helped automate repetitive tasks, increasing their capacity. As a result, Gartner predicts that 10% of sellers will leverage time freed up by AI automation to covertly work multiple jobs by 2028.

These and other recent predictions add a new dimension to the AI conversation. While Gartner’s data reinforces that AI can empower sales teams to be more efficient and effective, it also reaffirms that B2B organizations need to consider how these tools will impact employee engagement in the long term. For example, if sellers have more capacity to work multiple jobs, it means organizations have to increasingly focus on keeping top-performers engaged.

“It is important for Chief Sales Officers (CSOs) to be aware that some of their top talent is no longer engaged, and CSOs must implement new incentive structures before seller engagement drops and talent begins to leave,” said Alyssa Cruz, Senior Principal Analyst in the Gartner Sales Practice in a statement. “CSOs may need to revise compensation plans to remove or expand both hard and soft commission caps. This tactic will help prevent sellers from perceiving diminishing returns on their efforts.”

Tackling the Growing Social Skills Gap

AI is empowering sellers to do more in less time. But because sellers are increasingly automating critical tasks, such as crafting email flows and outreach scripts, they risk losing the communication and relationship-building skills that are central to sales success. To that end, Gartner predicts that roughly 30% of new sellers entering the workforce through 2028 will experience a reduction in critical analytical skills as well as social skills like relationship building, empathy and active listening, due to an overreliance on AI technologies.

That means sales leaders and organizations need to focus on closing this gap by:

• Prioritizing human-centric sales approaches that reaffirm the value of human connections
• Training and empowering teams to acquire new critical thinking skills and interpersonal communication best practices
• Encouraging reps to balance AI use with emotional intelligence.

While AI streamlines processes and adds efficiency to daily workflows, it cannot fully replicate (nor replace) the nuances of human communication and trust-building. The Gartner research reaffirms that B2B organizations should continue to strategically invest in both technology and employee training to best position their teams for success.