Sales profession and professionals in the age of digitization and artificial intelligence technologies: concepts,priorities, and questions |
| |
| Authors: | Jagdip Singh Karen Flaherty Dawn Deeter-Schmelz Johannes Habel Kenneth Le Meunier-FitzHugh |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. AT&2. T Professor, Marketing, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA;3. Marketing, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA;4. J.J. Vanier Distinguished Chair of Relational Selling and Marketing, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA;5. Marketing, ESMT Berlin, Schlo?pl. 1, Berlin, 10178, Germany;6. Marketing, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK |
| |
| Abstract: | Recognizing the rapid advances in sales digitization and artificial intelligence technologies, we develop concepts, priorities, and questions to help guide future research and practice in the field of personal selling and sales management. Our analysis reveals that the influence of sales digitalization technologies, which include digitization and artificial intelligence, is likely to be more significant and more far reaching than previous sales technologies. To organize our analysis of this influence, we discuss the opportunities and threats that sales digitalization technologies pose for (a) the sales profession in terms of its contribution to creating value for customers, organizations, and society and (b) sales professionals, in terms of both employees in organizations and individuals as self, seeking growth, fulfillment, and status in the functions they serve and roles they live. We summarize our discussion by detailing specific research priorities and questions that warrant further study and development by researchers and practitioners alike. |
| |
| Keywords: | sales profession sales professionals digitalization artificial intelligence technology research priorities |
|
|
