Sales Gets a Machine-Learning Makeover

How human vigor and algorithmic rigor are joining forces in the sales function. This article is part of an MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. We live in a data-saturated world where a great many of our interactions with other humans happen online. It makes sense then that one of the most human of business activities -- sales -- is currently undergoing a digital renaissance. While the sales function has historically relied on metrics, today there is far more sales-centric data, and far richer data, than ever.