It’s somehow awkward asking AI (in a few of its iterations) if it will replace human sales coaches. It feels like you’re testing its confidence level or issuing a challenge.
Gemini, Google’s AI multimodal tool, says AI won’t entirely replace sales coaching, but adds that it already is “fundamentally transforming it from a manual, periodic process into an automated, continuous one.”
ChatGPT says AI is more than capable of handling a number of sales coaching responsibilities, possibly more effectively than humans. But it also gives sales managers reassurance that they are still needed because AI doesn’t perform well with the most difficult aspects of coaching, which are “deeply human.”
“AI can diagnose patterns, but humans are still better at helping people transform behavior,” ChatGPT states.
Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant, echoes the sentiment that AI will augment rather than replace human coaches, and tacks on some constructive criticism about the current level of coaching that sales managers are providing.
Most current sales coaching that reps receive from managers isn’t coaching at all, but rather pipeline management, Claude states. “Managers are spending their coaching hours on pipeline reviews and performance conversations, not on skill development. They’re managing outcomes rather than building capabilities.” (Claude accredits this information to the AI-driven sales coaching platform SecondBody.ai.)
Where Coaches Can’t Compete With AI
Claude identified other areas of coaching in which sales managers are falling short that AI can tackle with ease:
- The middle 60% are being ignored. Managers coach their top and bottom performers, while those in between are left to figure it out by themselves.
- Feedback is delayed, vague and forgettable. AI listens to calls or roleplay and delivers instant feedback that is specific.
- Coaching quality is inconsistent and unverifiable. Some coaches are excellent, others are not. AI introduces objective measurements that create consistently strong coaching.
- Training doesn’t translate into behavior. A whopping 87% of training content is forgotten within a week if it isn’t reinforced. AI is better equipped to produce behavior change that must result from training.
AI and Human Coaching Are Needed
One recent study about how salespeople specifically respond to human and AI coaching was completed by Allego, providers of an AI-powered sales enablement platform. In the study on AI vs. human coaching, Dr. Carmen Simon, a cognitive neuroscientist, discovered that both types of coaching have their strong suits.
81% of sales teams use AI, with these teams reporting significantly higher revenue growth (83%) compared to teams without AI (66%).
— Salesforce “State of Sales” Report
Sellers who received AI feedback remembered 50% more content after 48 hours than those who received human feedback, the study found. However, human feedback triggered more emotional engagement. When emotional support, motivation or personal connection are important, human involvement can’t be replicated.
Rather than feel their job is threatened by AI agents, sales managers should be relieved that companies are recognizing that sales leaders are being stretched too thin. McKinsey states that 30% to 60% of sales managers’ time is sucked up by administrative tasks and meetings. Another 10% to 50% is spent on non-managerial tasks, leaving 10% to 40% of their time for actual people management, including coaching.
As SecondBody.ai reports, organizations that are making strides in terms of sales coaching needs by addressing sales management time constraints are doing two things:
- Giving managers AI-powered skill data so their coaching conversations are based on evidence, not anecdote.
- Offloading repetitive practice coaching to an AI sales coach, so managers can focus their time on the coaching conversations that require human judgment.
Sales managers should be focused on figuring out how AI tools can take on the more mundane aspects of coaching (and administrative work) to free up time for the critically important human element of upskilling teams.
As NYU Business Professor Scott Galloway states, AI is an accelerator of human potential – but only if one knows how to implement it. Galloway warns, “AI won’t take your job. But someone who understands AI will take your job.”
