Job Seekers Hub | Will you lose your job to a robot?

Amy Green from Cirrus Insight puts it well when she says, “highly-skilled B2B salespeople operating in complex selling environments aren’t going to be replaced by robots any time soon, but the job will inevitably change in many ways.”

• A recent study by McKinsey Global Institute found that more than 50% of the day-to-day tasks performed in sales positions could be automated using already-existing technology.
• Within ten years, as much as 80% of the sales situations currently undertaken by salespeople will be handled automatically, according to Gerhard Gschwandtner, publisher of Selling Power magazine.

A Forrester report identified three kinds of salespeople that are most likely to be replaced by AI and automation in the near future:

1. Order Takers: Salespeople who sell a simple product in a simple selling environment. The product is easy to understand, and the buyer can navigate stakeholders and budgets on their own.
2. Navigators: Salespeople who sell a simple product in a complex selling environment, where various stakeholders and budgetary requirements must be considered.
3. Explainers: Salespeople who must explain how a complex product works in a simple selling environment where the buyer can navigate stakeholders and budgets independently.

Source: salesforlife.com

This leaves one type of salesperson standing:

• Consultants: Selling a complex product in a complex selling environment. Buyers look to the consultant for assistance during every stage of the buying process. Not only are consultant jobs safe from the threat of AI and automation, but Forrester predicts continued growth in consultant roles.

To be a great consultant, it pays to be an expert in one area of tech sales and master that niche over a period of time. Having past case studies to draw on personally adds a human touch to a sales process, and that will allow you to better serve your customer and help them visualise the future benefits of your product. These are built up over time and can be applied in different situations.

Data can also be your friend and is readily available in most tech sales roles – it’s just a matter of using it in the right way to back up your case and, of course, what will really set you apart in these choppy waters that lie ahead is the ability to connect and listen on a human level and be a true partner and consultant to your client.

So if your current role is a little one dimensional or you’re selling a product with a limited lifespan, then maybe it’s time to think about future-proofing your career sooner rather than later.