How to Think About AI in Sales: 12 Quotes Worth Considering

The world is changing faster than we could ever imagine.

“In 2016 our disruption index was at 4%,” said Emma McGuigan, Accenture Senior Managing Director and Lead in Enterprise & Technology. “Every year since then it’s been over 200%.”

And the speed of change will only accelerate, especially in sales. Much of that change will be the result of artificial intelligence (AI).

“Fifty-nine percent of sales skills can be augmented by generative AI,” LinkedIn Marketing VP Gail Moody-Byrd said.

But that disruption isn’t a bad thing. 

“With every disruption comes both risk, and opportunity,” said Moody-Byrd.

Recently, Moody-Byrd, McGuigan, and a diverse set of leaders recently gathered for a live session focused on the ways AI will impact sales – and how sellers can be prepared for this massive change.

You can watch the recorded sessions above. In the meantime, these quotes will leave you with a taste of the type of expertise these leaders shared.

Let’s hear what they had to say: 

1. “We are alive at a time when we create more economic opportunity for more people in more places than ever before.” 

-Aneesh Raman, Vice President Head of the Opportunity Project, LinkedIn

2. “Arguably, AI could be used to equip sellers around the world with spam cannons, just going out there firing impersonal outreach that gets ignored, or worse – or it could be a force for good.” 

-Matt Dixon, founder of DCM Insights and co-author of The Challenger Sale and the Jolt Effect

3. “AI is going to fundamentally change nearly every aspect of work.” 

-Aneesh Raman, Vice President Head of the Opportunity Project, LinkedIn

4. “If you’re a seller and not thinking about AI today, you’re going to want to start.” 

-Emma McGuigan, Senior Managing Director & Lead of Enterprise & Technology, Accenture

5. “No one ever got into sales because they love updating the CRM.” 

-Matt Dixon, founder of DCM Insights and co-author of The Challenger Sale and the Jolt Effect 

6. “What we do really well as a species is we develop and leverage tools of increasing sophistication.” 

-Aneesh Raman, Vice President Head of the Opportunity Project, LinkedIn

7. “Think of AI as Jarvis to Iron Man or Iron Woman.” 

-Matt Dixon, founder of DCM Insights and co-author of The Challenger Sale and the Jolt Effect 

8. “The people who learn and take some bumps and bruises today will be the ones who win tomorrow.” 

-Dan Shapero, Chief Operating Officer, LinkedIn

9. “Social skills will matter now more than ever.”  

-Aneesh Raman, Vice President Head of the Opportunity Project, LinkedIn

10. “Some people are concerned that AI is going to reduce jobs in sales. But, imagine every seller on your team is 30% more effective. Are you going to want more sellers, or less sellers? If you have an opportunity in front of you, you’re going to want to double down.”  

-Dan Shapero, Chief Operating Officer, LinkedIn

11. “We’re using this term artificial intelligence, but in the role of selling and in our relationships, nothing about that relationship should be artificial. It should be genuine. So how we’re thinking about it is how do we use generative AI to help our account teams become more effective and productive, so they can double down on their interpersonal and relationship skills.”

-Barney Brown, Global Head of Sales Enablement, Amazon Web Services

12. “Philosophy is about to have a renaissance.” 

-Aneesh Raman, Vice President Head of the Opportunity Project, LinkedIn

Summary and Takeaways

AI is going to change everything about business, including how sellers sell and buyers buy. 

That means we all need to rethink our understanding of how we interact with each other in the age of AI – which is why Raman noted the need to dive back into philosophy and our understanding of each other on a human level. 

It’s exciting, but like Dan Shapero noted, no reason to be scared. Change can be a little scary – but every risk worth taking is always a little scary.

In the end, you’ll be glad you got in the game early, and didn’t let fear (or anything else) prevent you from embracing technology that will put you ahead of the game. 

In the meantime, continue to follow the LinkedIn Sales Blog and our LinkedIn Page to learn the latest about how AI is changing sales faster than we could ever imagine.

Subscribe to our blog newsletter to get sales strategies, tactics, and thought leadership sent straight to your inbox.