AI is finding its way into the everyday routines of sales reps, but usage remains uneven. 17% have only “dabbled” with AI, according to the 2025 Voice of the Sales Rep study conducted by SalesFuel.
Many more are using AI for prospect research, data analysis and automating mundane tasks — freeing up more time for selling. The survey reveals both enthusiasm and uncertainty about AI use in B2B sales. While many reps experiment with AI tools, few understand where it fits into their company’s sales ecosystem. Only one in six salespeople believes their company has clearly defined goals on AI.
This is where strong managerial leadership becomes critical. Start by creating — and communicating — an AI adoption roadmap for your team. When AI has a defined role aligned with corporate goals, it stops being a novelty and starts driving measurable performance.
Based on data from the study, here’s a manager’s playbook for using AI to elevate performance and credibility without losing the human element.
Close the Clarity Gap on AI and Data Security Policies
As AI enters client interactions, buyers are asking sharper questions about data protection and transparency, yet only four in 10 sales reps say they clearly understand their company’s “Responsible or Ethical AI policy.” Salespeople who cannot confidently explain how client data is protected — or how AI is being used by their company — risk eroding trust before the deal even starts.
Sales managers need to first understand their company’s Responsible AI Policy and ask clarifying questions about its enforcement. Then coach reps to talk plainly about how the organization safeguards client data.
Transparency is a differentiator in building trust. Teams that proactively discuss how AI is used to serve the client, rather than hide behind it,—signal professionalism and reassurance that it’s safe to share sensitive business information. This kind of information makes dealing with objections easier, leads to higher closing rates, and enables your recommendations to deliver the result your customer seeks.
Develop Critical Thinking Skills for Leveraging AI
By now, you’ve probably heard at least one story about how AI errors, hallucinations or “workslop” have led to real-world consequences. Some salespeople resist AI for fear of being embarrassed when it goes awry.
This opens the door for a vital managerial skill: teaching critical thinking in the age of AI. Managers should encourage reps to always question AI output, verify it and learn from its limitations. Scenario-based coaching works well here. Present AI-driven client profiles or email drafts and challenge reps to spot errors, overgeneralizations or tone issues.
By reinforcing discernment, leaders prevent “cognitive offloading,” where reps stop applying judgment and simply echo what the machine provides. A critical-thinking culture ensures that sales effectiveness improves with AI, not in spite of it.
Make Human Verification a Standard Practice
AI always sounds smart, but it’s not always right. A recent Salesforce study says that 71% of customers believe it is important for a human to validate AI output. But the SalesFuel study reveals that only 24% of salespeople feel the same way.
To maintain reputation integrity, sales managers should establish human verification protocols for any client-facing, AI-produced content. Every deck, report or outbound communication should undergo manual review. The short time it takes is far less than having to course correct later.
Verification doesn’t inhibit speed, it ensures trust.
Invest in Training that Combines Technology and Empathy
Most sales teams lack practical, integrated AI education. Only four in 10 reps say they are crystal clear about how to use AI to improve results.
True AI fluency requires more than technical knowledge and learning how to prompt. It demands emotional and ethical maturity. AI in sales training programs like SalesCred address this intersection by combining AI proficiency, proprietary business intelligence and emotional intelligence.
Sales leaders need to invest in ongoing education that goes beyond “how to” workshops. Training should model real scenarios — how AI can analyze account patterns, highlight prospect triggers, or prepare reps for objections — while reinforcing that authentic human connection remains essential.
Use AI for Outreach Without Overreliance
AI changes daily, but how reps influence people does not. One of the biggest ways sales teams use AI is for writing email sequences. This is especially true for salespeople who often miss quota.
This underscores a simple truth: Automation can save time, but outreach still requires oversight, editing, and revision. Your reputation is at stake. Sales managers should encourage reps to use AI for brainstorming and first drafts but maintain control over how they communicate (and connect) with buyers.
Create Internal Knowledge Loops
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the Voice of the Sales Rep study is the need for sales leaders to formalize AI learning for sales. They should also maintain a culture where their team feels psychologically safe to be less than perfect when first attempting to apply AI to a task.
One step in this direction is to create AI knowledge loops within the sales department and contribute to them regularly. Establish internal communication channels in Slack, Microsoft Teams and other internal systems where reps share:
- Successful prompts that produced actionable insights
- Examples of AI improving client engagement
- Challenges where AI misfired — and how human judgment corrected it
This turns scattered adoption into collective intelligence. When the team learns together, adoption accelerates and innovation compounds. AI hesitators may also begin to use the technology when they see their team’s success.
Address the Emotional Side of AI Adoption
AI anxiety is real. In the study, nearly one in five sales reps admitted they worry that AI might make salespeople irrelevant in the future. This emotional undercurrent cannot be ignored. Reps who fear replacement rather than empowerment are less likely to adopt new tools effectively.
Sales leaders play a major role in reframing this narrative. The message should be simple and consistent: AI supports the salesperson; it doesn’t replace them. Managers can demonstrate this by publicly showing how AI reduces preparation time, eliminates administrative busywork and frees up more time for salespeople to attend to other tasks.
Teams that view AI as a productivity partner, not a threat, respond with increased confidence and engagement.
Champion the Advantage of Human Intelligence Over AI
Top-performing sales teams in the (near) future won’t be the ones with the most data, they’ll be the ones who know how to think critically, act ethically and sell intelligently in partnership with AI.
Sellers are ready to learn. They just need managers who will lead with purpose, define the boundaries, and model responsible AI fluency. Following this blueprint will result in faster skill adoption, tighter compliance and higher engagement across their teams.
