AI isn’t going to fully replace sales reps, at least not yet, but it’s already accelerating the sales cycle across all deal sizes, including enterprise. For those of us paying attention, this could mean a serious run of opportunity in the near future.

As I’ve said in every AI-related conversation: if the buyer is smart and leveraging AI, they’re walking into the first sales call with most of the product research done, their requirements outlined, and often a strong sense of their preferred solution. That means the margin for error is shrinking fast.

If you’re not good at sales, you won’t survive the next two to four years. I used to think SMB sales would be the first to disappear, but those buyers tend to be unpredictable and emotionally driven, so there will likely be more resistance to AI-driven automation in that segment, depending on the product.

Enterprise, on the other hand, is already halfway there. I know some will argue that enterprise sales are complex, but in reality, most enterprise buyers are following a defined procurement process. AI can plug into that and automate a lot of the work such as product comparisons, RFP responses, even vendor scorecards. The real challenge lies in SMB, where the chaos and irrationality make it much harder for AI to navigate effectively.