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According to Gartner, the technological consulting and research company, 10% of sales associates will save enough time with AI to seek “overemployment”—covertly working multiple jobs—by 2028.
The deployment and use of AI in sales will result in more sellers looking to engage in additional work outside their primary role due to feed capacity from AI automation, the research firm said.
Its survey of nearly 3,500 global employees, conducted in September of last year, discovered that 41% of sellers at least somewhat agree that new technology has freed up their capacity by automating manual, repetitive tasks.
“It is important for chief sales officers (CSOs) to be aware that some of their top talent is no longer engaged, and CSOs must implement new incentive structures before seller engagement drops and talent begins to leave,” said Alyssa Cruz, who serves as senior principal analyst in the Gartner sales practice.
“CSOs may need to revise compensation plans to remove or expand both hard and soft commission caps,” Cruz continued. “This tactic will help prevent sellers from perceiving diminishing returns on their efforts.”
The research firm’s predictions for what’s to come in the near-future also includes the forecast that, through 2028, around 30% of new sellers entering the workforce will experience a gap in critical social sales skills due to an overreliance on AI technologies.
Gartner noted that, as sales organisations increase interest and dependence on AI-enabled tech, there’ll be a rapid decline in sellers’ analytical—as well as social—skills, which are requisites for relationship building with customers.
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Addressing the widening gap in social sales capabilities will require organisations to commit substantial resources to training programmes centred on fundamental interpersonal skills, including relationship building, active listening, empathy, and critical thinking.
Success in this evolving, technological landscape will demand a fundamental culture shift toward human-centric approaches that recognise the irreplaceable value of authentic, human connections in building trust and sustaining client relationships, the firm advised.