Artificial intelligence (AI) is a term that strikes fear into the hearts of many a salesperson. The concern over this advanced technology is whether or not AI has the ability to take over your job. Or at least make most human components of the sales process as we know it obsolete. What most people don't realize is that AI is one of the most powerful and underutilized sales tools available today. In fact, Gartner, a renowned research firm, estimates that only 5-10% of businesses are taking advantage of this insanely beneficial technology.

Now that businesses have seen the kind of revolutionary impact AI and automation can bring, most of them are making a leap towards the advanced technologies. AI has transformed functions, tasks, workforce skills, results and there is much more to come. With sales and marketing functions being the easy playground for AI, business leaders are getting anxious about the immediate impacts of technology on the workforce and job prospects. Their concern remains that AI may take away the jobs of the sales reps. There is a great deal of tension and discussion around this subject.

Over the past year, Artificial Intelligence (AI for short) has become somewhat of a buzzword or area of discussion in the world of sales. Rumblings continue to grow over its imminent arrival and software companies claim to have developed applications like "AI-driven CRM's" that will supposedly make your sales job a breeze. If you're paying attention, hardly a week goes by where a podcast or webinar doesn't tout AI as one of the "hottest trends to look out for in 2018." AI is here, that we know for sure, but whether it is good for hardworking sales reps or to what extend it will disrupt the world of sales as we know it is up for debate. Opinions of experts vary from AI becoming a digital assistant to sales professionals or in the furthest extreme; replace salespeople outright.

Artificial intelligence is changing the world. When it comes to sales, we've already seen AI replace basic jobs in retail and fast food. But by 2020, a million B2B salespeople will lose their jobs, according to Forrester. AI won't make all salespeople's jobs irrelevant, though -- just the not-so-great salespeople. If your reps are still cold-calling or if their days are filled with busywork, AI will soon eliminate their jobs.

When ranking the list of professions that are likely to be replaced by AI, sales is often way down on the list, along with chiropractors and preachers. The rationale for such predictions are that sales is still considered a high-touch profession. A recent survey showed that in certain industries, people would rather buy from someone who is charismatic and fun even if that salesperson doesn't know their product well. Respondents preferred that charismatic-but-dim salesperson to someone who knows their stuff but is on the dull side. That seems to bode well for those fear who their job will go the way of VCRs.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) - and robotics - has been around for a long time but it has not yet disrupted white collar work very much yet - or has it? And surely our sales profession is safe - no robot could ever sell - or could it? As it turns out AI development has accelerated in recent year and it is now contributing considerably to the sales world and influencing significant change. I asked Tony Hughes to explain how and asked him for his futuristic view of what AI and robotics will mean to us in the sales world - and how soon can we expect it to impact us? He said that the impact of AI on sales was already significant - so much so that within only 4 years (2020) 85% of business to business (B2B) sales transactions will occur without human intervention resulting in the redundancy of about 25% of current B2B sales roles in that time.