Major Shift in Sales Work by AI Technologies in 5 Years
Gartner Predicts Major Shift in Sales Work by AI Technologies in Five Years
One of the biggest changes brought about by generative AI will be in process automation. By 2028, Gartner, Inc. predicts that 60% of work done by B2B sellers will be carried out through conversational interfaces using generative AI sales technologies. This is a significant increase from less than 5% in 2023.
Adnan Zijadic, Director Analyst in the Gartner Sales Practice, advises sales operations leaders and their tech teams to get ready for the merging of new forms of AI, dynamic process automation, and revamped deal-planning activities that will reshape the sales function.
Generative AI to Provide New Customer Insights
Generative AI is set to change how sales organizations gather, understand, and use a variety of more complex data signals. Before this technology, sellers had to look at different data sources to guide their strategies and messages. Generative AI will help sales leaders simplify these processes, saving sellers valuable time.
Zijadic explains that by merging external and internal data sources and automating intricate manual processes, generative AI will provide a deeper understanding of target audiences and usher in a new era of sales decision-making. He adds that this shift will transform sales technology from just being a tool to becoming a true partner.
New Selling Methods Through Sales Force Automation and Generative AI
The fusion of sales force automation (SFA) data and generative AI prompt engineering will pave the way for the next wave of dynamic process automation. This will allow leaders to make real-time changes to market strategies. AI can blend compelling buyer data and creativity to automate value messaging, producing high-quality content. Gartner forecasts that in the next two years, 30% of outbound messages from large organizations will be synthetically generated.
AI will also power significant process automation use cases through mobile and smart devices, desktops, and bots. Conversational experiences will be used to carry out up to 14% of sales planning, 15% of customer meeting prep, and 14% of deal negotiation.
Zijadic emphasizes that one of the most transformative uses of generative AI will be in process automation. He encourages CSOs to invest in AI readiness and data maturity to ensure they’re prepared to embrace this highly impactful use case.
Revamping Deal Strategy With AI-Enabled SFA Platforms
The successful implementation of generative AI adaptive sales and deal playbooks will lead to new improvements in sales productivity. This presents an opportunity to reassess how go-to-market (GTM) resources are distributed.
Gartner anticipates that the most significant impacts of generative AI on SFA platforms for planning purposes will be seen in the areas of guided selling, forecast management, visualization and analytics, integration and platform composability, and collaboration.
Zijadic predicts that in the coming years, Gartner expects 35% of chief revenue officers to allocate resources to a centralized ‘GenAI Operations’ team as part of their GTM organization.