AI isn’t replacing salespeople. It’s exposing the ones who shouldn’t have been hired in the first place.

In 2025, 43% of salespeople use AI daily to automate lead qualification, CRM updates and customer research (GTM Monday, 2025).
Yet 78% of Australian B2B buyers still say they want to speak to a human before signing a deal (Salesforce State of Sales, 2025).

AI is making sales sharper. It’s speeding up the boring work. But trust, negotiation and client loyalty still belong to humans.

So the question for you isn’t whether AI changes hiring. It’s: Are you hiring salespeople who know how to use it?

AI is Already Changing Sales—Fast

AI adoption in sales has doubled in two years.
In 2023, just 24% of sales teams used AI tools daily. In 2025, it’s over 43% (GTM Monday, 2025).

Companies investing heavily in AI report:

• 15%+ faster deal closure rates
• 20% higher lead conversion rates
• 25% more time spent actually selling instead of admin work (Salesforce State of Sales 2025).

Sales teams using AI prospecting tools like Apollo, Outreach, and Gong close 22% more deals than teams who don’t (LinkedIn Sales Solutions, 2025).

AI is no longer an edge. It’s the minimum standard.

If your salespeople aren’t using AI to prepare, prospect, and follow up faster, they’re already behind.

What AI Can—and Can’t—Do in Sales

AI is brilliant at repetitive, data-driven tasks:

• Sorting and scoring leads
• Personalising mass email outreach
• Logging CRM notes
• Predicting churn risks

But AI fails at high-stakes moments:

• Reading a client’s subtle hesitation
• Shaping a deal when the buyer goes cold
• Winning back a near-lost customer through intuition
• Navigating emotional, political, or unstated objections

McKinsey’s 2025 Future of Work report says only 17% of B2B sales roles are at risk of full automation by 2030 (McKinsey, 2025).

Skills that protect a salesperson from AI automation:

• Critical thinking
• Relationship management
• Complex negotiation
• Emotional intelligence

So ask yourself: Are you recruiting for these skills?
Or are you still prioritising “years of experience” and LinkedIn connections?

Why the Best Salespeople Aren’t Worried About AI

The top 10% of sales performers see AI as a tool, not a threat.

They use AI to:

• Save hours on admin
• Personalise outreach at scale
• Get real-time deal insights during calls
• Identify hidden opportunities faster

In fact, high-performing sales reps are 2.8x more likely to embrace AI tools than low performers (LinkedIn Global Talent Trends Report, 2025).

They don’t waste time fearing automation.
They use it to outsell the competition.

Are you building a team like that?
Or are you still hiring based on how someone “sells themselves” in an interview?

What Employers Must Get Right in 2025

You need to rethink how you hire and support your sales team.

1. Hire for Adaptability, Not Just Sales Numbers
Look for candidates who show curiosity about AI tools.
Ask: “Tell me how you use technology to sell faster or better.”

2. Integrate AI Seamlessly
Equip your team with AI-powered CRMs, prospecting tools, and call analytics.
But make sure the tech is invisible. It should help, not hinder.

3. Invest in AI Training
Only 32% of salespeople say they feel properly trained on AI tools (Salesforce, 2025).
Training isn’t optional anymore. It’s survival.

4. Protect the Human Moments
Don’t automate follow-ups after high-value conversations.
Don’t replace discovery calls with chatbots for complex deals.

AI should serve the salesperson, not replace them.

Final Thought

If your sales team isn’t using AI, they’ll soon be outpaced.
If they can’t win trust, they’ll soon be irrelevant.

You don’t need more salespeople.
You need better ones—who know how to wield AI as a weapon and build trust as a shield.

Are you hiring the right ones?