"Would you buy something from an AI salesperson? Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff doesn't think so. It's a surprising take from a company that has gone all in on AI. It's even in the company's branding - the "#1 AI CRM" - and its investments. Earlier this month, Salesforce announced a $15 billion investment in workforce development and startup incubation in San Francisco in an effort to build the "world's AI capital.""
"Even with his bullishness on AI, however,Benioff doesn't think the tech will replace human salespeople. Salesforce is in fact bringing on thousands of new account executives, he told TBPN, a live daily YouTube show covering business and tech. Benioff said "face-to-face communication" will always be essential. "Look, we love AI, OK? But AI - it's not the same," Benioff said. "AI doesn't have a soul. It's not that human connectivity.""
"Benioff said that he recently hired between 3,000 to 5,000 more salespeople. "I'm growing my sales force," Benioff said. "I'm going to try to get to 20,000 account executives this year. That doesn't include systems engineers, managers, the infrastructure teams." Salesforce has 80,000 employees, Benioff said, a quarter of whom are trained to help customers use the company's sales product."
Marc Benioff maintains that in-person, face-to-face communication remains essential in sales because AI lacks the human connectivity and "soul" needed for customer relationships. Salesforce continues heavy AI investment, including branding as the "#1 AI CRM" and a $15 billion initiative in San Francisco, while simultaneously expanding its sales organization. Benioff reported hiring between 3,000 and 5,000 additional salespeople and aims to reach 20,000 account executives, complementing Salesforce's 80,000-employee workforce, with roughly a quarter trained to support customers on the company's sales products.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]