Emotional Intelligence or Artificial Intelligence for salespeople An exploratory study among sales managers

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is one of the most powerful technologies that the world has ever seen. Many salespeople fear being replaced by robots even if they have developed soft skills like emotional intelligence.

Through this study, we try to understand if artificial intelligence will replace emotional intelligence which is considered an essential skill for salespeople. To do so, we conducted a qualitative approach using a semi-structured interview with 10 sales managers who work in the different B2B sectors.

To analyze our data, we use thematic analysis and content analysis. The results of our study showed that Moroccan companies use artificial intelligence to digitalize some tasks and should collaborate with machines to succeed. Our study shows the importance of ethics in using artificial intelligence.