AI Edge: The Sales Singularity is Near

In his book The Singularity Is Near (2005), scientific futurist and AI prophet Ray Kurzweil predicts that machine learning will accelerate over time to a point at which machines become smarter and more capable than humans.

He calls this moment the Singularity. He also predicts that humans will eventually merge with AI to become immortal. (Immortality! I’d like to hitch a ride on that rocket ship.)

The book is worth reading, but be warned that it will frighten you when Kurzweil also goes down the dark road of how humanity could be made extinct by runaway artificial intelligence.

Will AI Take My Sales Job?

It is this worry, along with the explosion of AI in every aspect of life, that is now driving debate around which guardrails should be put into place, including regulations that govern how AI is used, and how to build it in alignment with human values.

One of the most pressing concerns for professionals in almost every industry sector is whether there is a singularity at which time, “AI will displace me from my job.” In a world where robots can write, communicate, and fake being human this is not an irrational concern.

There are voices in the business and sales worlds predicting a dystopian future in which AI replaces salespeople. This attention-seeking clickbait is pure BS.

Salespeople are More Important Than Ever

The role of the salesperson is not diminishing. Instead, it’s evolving and becoming more important. With AI handling data analysis, content creation, and strategy suggestions, salespeople can focus on what they do best: building genuine authentic relationships, trust, and developing creative solutions for customer problems.

Despite AI, sales will continue to be a uniquely human endeavor, relying on emotional intelligence, personalized interactions, and an in-depth understanding of human behavior to foster genuine connections and build lasting relationships with customers.

Unlike machines, great salespeople read between the lines, perceive unspoken cues, respond with genuine care and concern, and tailor a unique experience for each buyer and stakeholder group.

The Human Advantage

The foundation of any relationship between buyer and seller is a conversation. While an AI chatbot may be able to make a recommendation based on a buyer’s question or request, only another human can understand the nuance of the discussion and the emotional experience of buying. When leading a stakeholder through a complex decision journey, humanity is your greatest strength.

Our human advantage is a composite of the unique qualities, skills, and capabilities that we possess compared to machines. This includes emotional intelligence, creativity, critical thinking, nonlinear thinking, empathy, adaptability, the ability to understand nuance and context and navigate complex social dynamics, and most importantly, build trusting relationships.

In a rapidly evolving world dominated by AI and technology, the human touch is an indispensable competitive advantage for delivering a powerful, personalized, and humanized buying experience that extends across the entire customer journey.

This is very good news for the sales profession and perhaps AI is the singularity that brings us back to the foundations of sales excellence: relationships, the art of conversation, empathy, emotional intelligence, listening, business acumen, intuition, and building trust.

Perhaps we can leverage The AI Edge to help us finally get back to talking with people.

This is an excerpt from the NEW book THE AI EDGE from Anthony Iannarino & Jeb Blount