Using AI in Sales Should Not Sacrifice The Human Touch

From predictive analytics and sales automation to chat bots and conversational intelligence, more businesses are taking advantage of the latest advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation capabilities. It’s a trend that will only accelerate over the next few years. Digital technologies and AI tools have much to offer in terms of improving sales efficiencies, personalizing content, providing more data-driven insights and automating the tedious tasks that have frustrated salespeople for years. What this technology can’t do, though, is replace the human touch in sales.

No matter how much technology advances, the human factor is still an essential piece of the puzzle. In fact, in an environment where customers are savvier, more informed and more distracted than ever, the human side of sales—the ability to listen, connect and empathize —has never been more important. Today’s buyers are not only looking for high-quality products or services; they want to work with people they can trust, who are interested in understanding and helping them dig deeper into their challenges, and who will offer meaningful insights and deliver value beyond the transaction. While sophisticated AI tools can be used to augment the sales process, it takes a skilled salesperson to nurture the kind of trusted relationship that leads to sustainable business impact and ongoing customer successes, not just a single, short-term deal.

Fortunately, AI in sales and automated sales enablement tools are freeing up salespeople so they can focus even more on these differentiating human factors. The most successful leaders and salespeople will seize on this opportunity to leverage the best of both their technology and their talent to deliver more value for their customers and their organizations.

Why the Human Touch is So Crucial in Sales

Despite the “business-to-business” moniker, B2B sales in particular is a people-oriented profession at its core. Especially as the buying process has become longer and more complex and increasingly involves large and diverse stakeholder groups, salespeople play a key role in uncovering needs and facilitating a collaborative decision-making process. These stakeholders want to work with someone who is transparent, authentic and focused on helping them solve their problems and deliver value that matters to them, not just sell them a product. The human touch in sales achieves this by creating an environment where they feel heard and where the conversations are tailored, empathetic and relationship-focused.

This also reflects a simple truth about buying and selling: People don’t want to be sold to; they want to buy, and they want to buy from people they trust. Trust is foundational in any successful sales relationship, and it starts with a mindset that defines selling as uncovering needs, meeting needs and creating value for people. The human touch enables salespeople to build rapport with clients by demonstrating a genuine interest and clear understanding of their business needs, their customers, their industry and their competitors, and helping them understand the gap between where they are and where they want to be.

AI can make suggestions based on data, but it simply cannot build the emotional bonds that drive customer loyalty. That requires a committed, engaged salesperson who asks needs-based questions and makes the space to actively listen more than they talk. By making a personal connection and building these emotional bonds, salespeople can develop deeper, trust-based relationships with their clients. And because the client believes the salesperson has their best interests in mind and truly wants to help them, they’re more willing to open up about their needs and challenges.

This kind of trust-building isn’t just a feel-good, nice-to-have; it’s essential for helping clients feel confident about their purchasing decisions, especially when they’re investing in complex solutions that require a high level of buy-in and commitment.

While there are plenty of scenarios today where the buyer is looking for a quick, self-service, transactional buying experience, there are also many buying situations where clients are clamoring for the human connection, and in these cases, sales interactions are rarely black-and-white. They’re filled with nuances that only a human can fully understand and respond to. For instance, if a client is hesitant or uncertain, a skilled salesperson can pick up on subtle cues, such as tone of voice or body language, and adjust their approach accordingly. They might slow down, ask more probing questions or listen more attentively. A self-service model can only take a buyer so far. AI in sales can’t interpret these nuances or apply the emotional or situational context of a client’s concerns to collaborate on decision-making. By handling these complex, often subtle interactions, human salespeople can better address client hesitations and adapt their solutions to fit specific circumstances.

In addition to trust, these buyers are looking for empathy in their interactions with salespeople. With so much uncertainty and rapid change in many industries, buyers want to feel that they’re more than just a number or data point in a CRM. They seek a salesperson who truly cares about helping them solve their problems, understands what they’re dealing with, can validate their concerns and is able to illuminate the situation rather than just giving a canned response.

The human touch allows sales professionals to connect emotionally, which means they can show clients they understand their unique pain points and are genuinely invested in finding solutions that bring value. For example, a salesperson who empathizes with a client that’s feeling overwhelmed by technological change in their industry and offers practical, personalized guidance adds significant and differentiated value. That’s the kind of memorable sales interaction that will leave a lasting impression.

Empathy also builds stronger client loyalty, even if the customer doesn’t make the decision to buy in that moment. Customers are more likely to return to a salesperson they believe genuinely cares about their concerns and is there to help them, not simply close a deal or complete a transaction.

What Qualities Are Customers Looking for in Sales Professionals?

The role of the sales professional is evolving. Buyers today expect more from sales interactions and are increasingly discerning about whom they choose to do business with. Let’s take a look at what B2B buyers are and are not looking for in a salesperson today.

Today’s buyers are not looking for order-takers.

They want strategic partners who understand their industry and can offer insights they may not have considered. To position themselves as trusted advisors, sales professionals need to have value-added conversations and offer meaningful guidance rather than just pitching products and reciting features and benefits. This consultative approach requires first-rate questioning and active listening skills as well as an in-depth understanding of the client’s business and the more significant market trends that may impact them. It also requires a positive sales mindset and a sincere desire and belief in one’s ability to create value for the client.

Salespeople who invest time in learning about their client’s industry challenges, goals and long-term vision can provide relevant and future-focused customized recommendations. As a result, clients feel understood and reassured that the salesperson has their best interests in mind, which fosters a sense of partnership and mutual respect. Today’s buyers can tell pretty quickly when they’re being “sold to” in a way that feels forced or inauthentic. They value honesty and transparency in their interactions with salespeople and want to work with professionals who are straightforward about the benefits and limitations of what they’re offering.

Authenticity in sales stands out.

Sales professionals who take time to build rapport, communicate openly and avoid “hard selling” tactics create a more comfortable, trusting environment for clients. This means being honest about product limitations, suggesting alternative solutions and being upfront about pricing and timelines. This level of transparency builds credibility and demonstrates a commitment to the client’s success and achieving a win-win scenario.

Again, mindset matters. Knowing the latest and greatest selling techniques or the ins and outs of the product features isn’t enough. Authenticity requires strong inner confidence and purpose, along with an alignment of beliefs, values and attitudes.

Prioritize human-to-human interactions that deliver tangible value.

Today’s buyers expect more than a transactional relationship with salespeople. Rather than focusing solely on product features, sales professionals must be able to have high-quality, human-centered conversations with their customers. The more they learn from these conversations, the better able they’ll be to connect their solutions to the specific outcomes and benefits that matter most to the client.

Value-driven interactions might include sharing relevant industry insights, offering personalized recommendations or providing resources that help the client achieve a goal—even if it doesn’t directly benefit the salesperson. This approach positions the salesperson as a valuable resource and fosters a relationship built on trust and respect.

Responsiveness and adaptability are paramount.

In an era where technology enables near-instantaneous responses, sales professionals who can respond quickly and flexibly to client needs have a competitive edge. Whether addressing questions, providing updates or adjusting solutions as new information arises, a responsive approach demonstrates a commitment to the client’s satisfaction and shows they are a priority.

Likewise, clients appreciate sales professionals who can adapt to changes in their business or industry. Being willing to customize approaches or offer alternative solutions as new needs arise is all part of a customer-centric mindset.

Clients expect salespeople to be knowledgeable, prepared and to respect their time.

Buyers are coming to the table having done their research. They expect the same from the salespeople they’re working with. Sales planning and preparation ensures every minute of a call is time well spent for both parties. Good planning allows a salesperson to make space for rapport-building and create clarity so that they can accomplish the call’s objectives.

As part of their preparation, salespeople also need to do their homework and understand the latest industry trends, technological advancements and new challenges that might affect the client so they can have more meaningful conversations and deliver more value and relevance.

A salesperson who puts in the time in the preparation phase sends a powerful signal to the client that they have their best interests in mind and will be a knowledgeable, forward-thinking partner in the decision-making process.

Developing the Human Touch in Sales: 3 Key Steps

Technology has become ubiquitous in business, and new digital advancements will continue to drive demand. Amid all that technology, though, the value of the human touch can sometimes be forgotten. Here are some steps for developing and prioritizing the human side of sales:

Communicate expectations around when and how to leverage technology.

Make sure salespeople understand that technology is there to augment, not replace, their role. Automation, generative AI and other digital tools should be used to make salespeople more productive and give them more time to spend on the meaningful, human-to-human interactions that only they can provide.

Emphasize the human factor in sales development.

Sales training needs to address not just knowledge, processes and techniques but also the underlying emotional factors that drive decision-making and contribute to customer satisfaction and loyalty. In addition to selling skills like listening, asking open-ended questions and validating concerns, a key part of developing the human touch in sales is shifting mindsets about what it means to sell and what an authentic, trustworthy salesperson brings to the table. To be effective, training must help salespeople uncover and overcome any mental barriers to their success and build their confidence to leverage new tools so they can focus on building strong client relationships.

Equip sales leaders to coach with an emphasis on the human factors.

Most sales leaders aren’t doing enough coaching as it is, often because they don’t have effective coaching skills and therefore lack the confidence and motivation to do it consistently. But even those who say they’re coaching are often, in fact, evaluating and correcting, with a heavy emphasis on the numbers. If you want to nurture the human side of selling, you have to lead, measure and coach to it. Make sure sales leaders have the skills, framework and mindset they need to engage in effective coaching conversations with their teams — and then hold them accountable to doing it regularly.

Bringing It All Together: Balancing AI in Sales and the Human Touch

As the use of AI in sales continues to evolve, its role in the sales profession will only grow more prominent, but it will never replace that human touch that clients still value most. Sales professionals who can leverage AI’s capabilities where they offer an advantage and then focus on engaging in authentic, human-centered interactions are well-positioned to succeed no matter how much the business environment continues to change.

That’s because, while it might sound counterintuitive, customers aren’t looking to buy something; they’re looking to solve a problem, achieve specific outcomes and fulfill their own customers’ needs. The salespeople who understand that and have the inner drive, skills and commitment to deliver it will always be valuable partners in the journey.

About the Author

Melissa Duffield Magee

Director, Client Development

Melissa originally joined the Integrity team as a Business Development Representative and now focuses on the engagement and acquisition of...