AI in sales communications: Research and practitioner insights for the future

This paper explores AI’s impact on sales performance, communications, and customer service, and builds an integrative framework for understanding its implications for hybrid sales communications and performance. While AI can enhance many aspects of the sales process, it remains a deficient substitute in many of the nuanced attributes and skills possessed by human sales agents. Therefore, we seek to find a deeper understanding regarding the optimal complementary relationship between AI technology and human salespeople. The first study uses a bibliometric network analysis to identify the most salient themes present in the AI in sales literature. The second study builds on these findings by using thematic clustering to find and classify notable concerns expressed by sales practitioners about using AI technology in sales. Our findings show the importance of digital tools for advancing the construction of sales models and the necessity of a comprehensive, integrated understanding of AI that balances the roles of technology and humanity in sales and marketing communication. The findings emphasize the growing need for sophisticated, hybrid sales models that blend digital tools with fundamental sales knowledge, as well as the importance of synthesizing human and technological skill sets in AI deployment.