However, there are endless dilemmas about how AI will shape reality, raising serious concerns.
Let’s explore what sales leaders think about technology-driven solutions and what they’re doing to overcome fears associated with their implementation.
57% of sales professionals think most salespeople will use AI in their roles by 2024, according to HubSpot’s State of AI report .
On the other hand, only 6% of them consider AI to be overhyped and useless. The chinese overseas europe database same survey shows that 41% of salespeople believe their days are numbered due to AI-based automation, while only 21% think more positively.
But what is causing these concerns about AI in sales? Here is what salespeople have said.
►1. Fear of becoming too dependent on AI tools
AI can be addictive, and 39% of sales professionals fear becoming too dependent on its tools. While this technology may reduce the number of lower-complexity tasks, the sales industry will still need a human touch, and 60% of customers agree with this.
That said, salespeople need to have a wide range of skills to be successful, and AI is just an enhancer of their productivity, not a replacement. Additionally, there needs to be a healthy balance between manual and AI-generated work so that sales reps don’t get anxious when human expertise is required.
►2. Lack of accuracy
Artificial Intelligence is always dependent on data. It uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) to collect and process large amounts of text or speech to create forecasts, analyse sentiment or identify insights from vast sets of records. Therefore, the risk that AI can collect inaccurate data is always present.
This shows why around 25% of marketers are skeptical about the accuracy of AI and think that AI-generated content still needs to be reviewed and verified by a human.
►3. Privacy and data breach concerns
24% of sales professionals are concerned about the potential privacy issues and data breaches that AI can pose. Since this technology collects and stores vast amounts of information, without proper cybersecurity measures, there could be a data leak. Or worse, when generative AI is used, sensitive data can surface as a result.
This is a major concern, which is why some governments have already taken steps to promote transparency and allow only ethical use of AI.
In this regard, Italy banned ChatGPT over privacy concerns, while the European Commission proposed a legal framework to take control of Artificial Intelligence and monitor its use in the European Union market. Once approved, it will become the first rule on AI. As for the United States, there is still no federal privacy law.
►4. High prices
22% of salespeople find AI expensive , while 28% of sales leaders reported that AI-based tools had yielded negative ROI, according to a HubSpot study. It’s true that some free AI tools like ChatGPT are available, but costs can quickly add up if you want to go beyond the basics.
