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The 2026 Sales Team: 50% Humans, 50% AIs. All 1 Team.
- By 2026, sales teams may be comprised of 50% humans and 50% AI, particularly for SMB and mid-market sales.
- AI systems are evolving to autonomously manage sales processes like maintaining relationships, preparing for meetings, analyzing deal progressions, and facilitating post-sale handoffs.
- The role of Account Executives will transform to focus on high-value conversations, strategic guidance, complexity management, and collaborating with AI teammates.
- CROs will need to manage a 50/50 team of humans and AI, requiring unified workflows, new performance metrics, culture redefinition, and resource reallocation.
- Compensation for sales teams comprising AI and humans may involve team-based incentives, quality metrics, and AI optimization bonuses.
- Sales professionals may be expected to handle more deals with AI teammates, potentially leading to a specialization in sales teams for tasks like live demos or issue resolution.
- Companies are advised to identify human strengths in sales processes, upskill teams for effective collaboration with AI, and pilot hybrid sales teams with varying ratios.
- The rise of AI in sales may help address the talent gap, with top sales talent being scarce, leading to a potential shift towards relying more on AI sales reps.
- While enterprise sales may still require human involvement for deal closures, changes are expected with AI infusion despite lagging behind SMB and mid-market sectors.
- The future of sales lies in mastering the collaboration between AI and humans, with successful organizations focusing on integrating these elements seamlessly as a unified force.
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