AI in sales: More time for customers, better decisions

What does good sales work require? From my many years of sales experience, it is above all a good understanding of customers, dependable relationships and the ability to draw the right conclusions from information. That is precisely why artificial intelligence interests me: how can it help us perform these tasks better?

A timely starting point is Haufe Akademie's article “KI im Vertrieb Studie 2026”, published on 10 November 2026. It summarises a joint study with the Hochschule der Wirtschaft für Management. A total of 542 sales professionals were surveyed online between January and March 2026. One finding stands out: 50.7 per cent of respondents cannot assess whether AI has affected their revenue. The reported time savings therefore cannot yet be clearly translated into a demonstrated contribution to revenue. Source: Haufe Akademie; see the references at the end.

For me, this is a useful starting point. An email written more quickly can be helpful. The real benefit, however, only emerges when the time saved is put to good use – for example, in a better-prepared customer conversation or a careful assessment of a business opportunity.

A McKinsey analysis dated 16 July 2026 also emphasises the importance of workflows. In the authors' assessment, simply adding AI tools to existing problems such as scattered data and disconnected processes is unlikely to be enough. They argue that what matters is redesigning the interaction between data, technology and people. Source: McKinsey; see the references at the end.

In my professional training as an AI Manager, I am exploring how such ideas can be applied to specific sales tasks. I find three potential applications particularly interesting.

When preparing for a conversation, AI could gather publicly available information about a customer and suggest initial questions. The salesperson checks the sources and decides which topics are actually relevant to the person they will be speaking to.

For tenders, I see potential in giving extensive documentation an initial structure and presenting requirements clearly side by side. Whether our own offering is technically and commercially suitable must be assessed by the responsible specialists.

AI could also help make assumptions and unusual patterns visible in sales planning. For me, an important distinction remains: an assessed sales opportunity is not yet an order. And a sales forecast must be consistent with delivery capability and available capacity.

My perspective on these applications combines sales practice with current AI knowledge: understanding customer needs, putting information into context and assessing business value. The key is to select suitable tasks and engage the people involved in a shared approach.

My approach to getting started would therefore be manageable: choose a specific task, record the starting point and then assess what has improved. Does preparation take less time? Are requirements captured more completely? Are decisions easier to follow? This also requires clear responsibilities, suitable data and human review of the results.

I want to combine my sales experience with this new knowledge. I find the prospect of creating more room for what sustains customer relationships particularly exciting: listening, understanding the bigger picture and developing workable solutions together.

As an additional perspective, I have chosen the conversation with Alexander Wonner from bwFutureTV's “InnovateTheFuture” series, embedded below. It explores the interaction between sales processes, data and personal customer contact. The interview also presents commercial solutions; it is an expert assessment rather than independent evidence of general effects on revenue.

Which sales task would you like to improve with AI – and how would you recognise whether its use has been successful?

References (accessed on 13 November 2026):

Rainer M. Grethel / Haufe Akademie: “KI im Vertrieb Studie 2026”, 10 November 2026. Summary of the survey by Haufe Akademie and HdWM.
https://www.haufe-akademie.de/blog/themen/vertrieb/ki-im-vertrieb-studie/

McKinsey: “The future of B2B sales: How growth champions rewire their playbooks with AI”, 16 July 2026.
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-future-of-b2b-sales-how-growth-champions-rewire-their-playbooks-with-ai

bwFutureTV: “KI im Vertrieb: Warum der Mittelstand beim Verkaufen zurückliegt | InnovateTheFuture”, conversation with Alexander Wonner, 3 August 2026.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-GgDAIQS6Q

The Haufe findings are based on a survey and do not demonstrate a generally applicable effect on revenue. Haufe Akademie and McKinsey themselves offer professional training and consulting respectively; their assessments should also be read in that context.