LAS VEGAS, Nev., May 21, 2025
- Gartner client? Log in for personalized search results.
Harnessing AI Agents in Sales: Building an AI-Ready Team
Q&A with Adnan Zijadic
Adnan Zijadic
Senior Director Analyst, Gartner
In today's rapidly evolving sales landscape, the integration of AI agents, particularly those powered by large language models (LLMs), is poised to revolutionize how sales organizations operate. These advanced AI entities promise to move beyond traditional assistant roles, offering autonomous capabilities that can plan and execute tasks, thus driving efficiency and enhancing revenue growth.
From the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference in Las Vegas, we spoke with Adnan Zijadic, Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner Sales Practice, and discussed the transformative potential of AI agents in the sales domain. He explained how these agents are reshaping sales processes, the critical challenges organizations face in implementation, and strategies for building trust and ensuring that AI agents align with established sales methodologies.
Journalists who would like to speak with Adnan regarding this topic can contact Elizabeth.Bishop@Garter.com. Members of the media can reference this material in articles with proper attribution to Gartner.
Q: How are AI agents transforming traditional sales processes, and what advantages do they offer over conventional AI assistants?
A: LLM-based AI agents have the potential to revolutionize traditional sales processes by moving beyond mere task assistance to autonomous task execution. Unlike conventional AI assistants that respond to direct prompts, these agents can independently plan and execute sales tasks such as lead qualification, customer engagement, and follow-up actions. This capability allows sales teams to focus on more strategic activities like relationship building and deal negotiation, thereby increasing productivity and efficiency.
The proactive nature of AI agents, coupled with their ability to conduct research, enables sales organizations to improve processes, reduce human effort, and achieve faster sales cycles, ultimately leading to enhanced revenue growth.
Q: What are the key challenges sales organizations face in implementing AI agents, particularly concerning data quality and operational maturity, and how can they address these obstacles?
A: Implementing AI agents in sales organizations presents several challenges, with data quality and operational maturity being paramount. Poor or incomplete data can severely limit the effectiveness of AI agents, leading to unreliable output and process executions.
To address this, organizations must invest in robust data management practices, ensuring data accuracy, completeness, and consistency. Additionally, operational maturity is crucial; organizations with immature sales processes or lacking technological expertise may struggle to integrate AI agents effectively.
Building foundational maturity involves documenting processes, enhancing internal technical skills, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. By addressing these challenges, sales organizations can create a conducive environment for AI agents to thrive and deliver meaningful business outcomes.
"Building foundational maturity involves documenting processes, enhancing internal technical skills, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement."
Q: How can sales teams build trust and confidence in AI agents, ensuring that these tools align with their sales methodologies and deliver reliable, compliant outputs?
A: Building trust in AI agents requires a multifaceted approach that includes transparency, validation, and alignment with existing sales methodologies. Sales teams must be involved in the AI integration process, ensuring that agents are trained on relevant data and aligned with the organization's sales strategies. Implementing validation mechanisms to regularly assess AI outputs against compliance requirements and sales objectives is essential.
Additionally, providing training and support to sales personnel on how to effectively interact with or work alongside AI agents can alleviate concerns and build confidence. By fostering a culture of collaboration between human teams and AI agents, organizations can ensure that these tools enhance, rather than hinder, their sales efforts.
Q: What steps can sales leaders take to build an AI-ready sales team, ensuring their workforce is equipped to leverage AI agents effectively for success?
A: Sales leaders can build an AI-ready sales team by focusing on education, skill development, and cultural adaptation. First, they should provide comprehensive training programs that educate sales personnel on AI technologies, their benefits, and their application within the sales process.
Encouraging a mindset of continuous learning and adaptability is critical as AI technologies evolve. Leaders should also foster a collaborative culture where human and AI agents work in tandem, emphasizing the augmentation of human capabilities rather than replacement.
About the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference
The Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference is taking place May 20-21, 2025 in Las Vegas, providing sales leaders with the latest research on AI, sales talent, and transformative sales leadership. Follow news and updates coming out of the conference on the Gartner Newsroom and on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerSales.
About Gartner for Sales Leaders
Gartner for Sales Leaders provides heads of sales and their teams with the insights, advice and tools they need to address mission-critical priorities amid mounting pressures to drive growth through new and existing customers. With extensive qualitative and quantitative research, Gartner for Sales Leaders helps sales teams combat commoditization and price-based purchasing, develop critical manager and seller skills, elevate the value of sales interactions, unlock existing growth potential, and optimize sales force enablement. Follow news and update from the Gartner Sales practice on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerSales. Members of the media can find additional information and insights in the Gartner Sales Newsroom.
About Gartner
Gartner (NYSE: IT) delivers actionable, objective business and technology insights that drive smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organization’s mission-critical priorities. To learn more, visit gartner.com.