In my recent article on marketing, I shared a simple but important reminder: “The world is changing. But the human element in marketing remains irreplaceable.”
This idea doesn’t just apply to marketing. It’s just as true in sales. At the heart of both functions is one goal: to encourage profitable customer action by building trust.
In simpler terms, marketing is about attracting and engaging the right customers, understanding their needs, communicating effectively, building trust, and ultimately driving long-term business success. It supports growth by making sure people see value in what you offer.
While marketing is often associated with creativity, branding, and promotion, its true impact is measured in results, such as stronger sales, increased customer loyalty, a higher market share, and a trusted brand. That’s why marketing and sales work best when they’re closely aligned.
But in today’s digital world, where businesses increasingly use automation, AI, and chatbots, it’s worth asking: Can machines really understand what motivates people? Can they build genuine connections the way humans do?
It’s easy to forget a fundamental truth: people still buy from people. AI can help speed up processes and improve efficiency, but relying too much on it can harm your customer relationships—and your bottom line. Especially when emotions are involved, people still want to feel understood by another human.
In this article, we’ll explore how over-automation and impersonal AI interactions can hurt your sales. We’ll also explore ways to strike the right balance, utilizing AI where it benefits us, while maintaining the human touch that customers still value.
AI in Sales: A Double-Edged Sword
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized how modern sales teams operate. From prospecting and qualifying leads to closing deals, AI tools are helping sales professionals become more efficient, data-driven, and responsive.
AI can streamline repetitive tasks, freeing up sales professionals to focus on more strategic activities. For example:
Lead qualification: AI can prioritize leads based on behavior, demographics, and previous interactions, improving conversion rates.
Personalized messaging: Generative AI tools can craft emails and proposals tailored to a prospect’s profile, increasing engagement.
Sales forecasting: Predictive analytics help teams anticipate customer needs, track trends, and allocate resources more effectively.
CRM automation: AI-powered CRMs can log interactions, schedule follow-ups, and remind reps of key milestones, reducing administrative burden.
These tools make sales processes more scalable and consistent, especially useful for growing companies and teams handling large pipelines.
But here's the catch. While AI undoubtedly brings speed and efficiency to sales processes, it lacks the emotional intelligence and human connection that often define successful sales outcomes. Automation may help expand your reach, but without a thoughtful approach, it can make your messaging feel impersonal, robotic, or disconnected from real human needs.
In high-value B2B transactions, trust is the real currency. Clients aren’t just buying a product. They’re investing in a relationship. Navigating complex deals requires more than data-driven insights. Empathy, active listening, humor, and adaptability are critical skills for building rapport, resolving objections, and uncovering deeper client motivations. These are areas where AI still falls short.
And it’s not just B2B. B2C businesses are also feeling the impact.
This aversion is rooted in emotional and ethical concerns.
Many consumers worry about job displacement and the decline of genuine human interaction. High-profile brands such as Google, Toys "R" Us, and Under Armour have encountered public backlash for AI-heavy campaigns, resulting in reduced trust and consumer engagement.⁵
When AI is misused, it can do more harm than good. Over-automated follow-ups, tone-deaf personalization, or awkward chatbot interactions often lead to frustration and disconnection.
Let’s break down how AI can hurt your sales performance, if not used wisely.
How AI Can Hurt Your Business?
1. Lack of Emotional Connection
AI can simulate conversations, but it can’t genuinely empathize. Let's face the reality. This is a primary concern of AI. It knows a lot, but its emotions are platonic. According to Salesforce’s 2023 State of the Connected Customer report, 68% of consumers expect companies to demonstrate empathy.⁷ When interactions feel scripted or robotic, customers often walk away feeling ignored or undervalued.
Take chatbots, for example. While they efficiently handle basic inquiries, they frequently stumble when conversations require emotional nuance. If a prospect expresses frustration or concern and receives a canned response. The result is often irritation and erosion of brand trust.
2. Dehumanized Customer Experience
AI’s speed is impressive, but it can come at the cost of authenticity. Research from Harvard Business Review found that customers are 80% more likely to buy from brands that deliver personalized experiences.⁸ Unfortunately, over-reliance on automation, such as repetitive email drips or looped chatbot replies, can make interactions feel sterile and disconnected.
Picture a long-time customer reaching out for assistance, only to get trapped in an AI-generated support maze. Instead of feeling valued, they might feel dismissed, and more likely to explore your competitors.
3. Poor Contextual Understanding
One of AI’s biggest limitations is its inability to read between the lines. It might catch certain words or spot a general mood, but it still can’t pick up on things like sarcasm, doubt, or unspoken concerns the way a real salesperson can.
For example, if a potential customer says, “This looks interesting, but I’m not sure about the pricing,” an AI tool might log that as a cold lead. A trained sales rep, however, could recognize this as an opportunity to explore value or offer flexible solutions. That’s the kind of nuance machines still struggle to grasp.
4. Misalignment with Buyer Journeys
AI usually follows a straight path, but real customers don’t. The way people decide to buy is often messy, emotional, and full of twists and turns. A Gartner study revealed that 77% of B2B buyers described their last purchase as “very complex or difficult.”⁹ Automated systems, when too rigid, can misinterpret buyer intent and push leads toward premature decisions, ultimately missing chances to build trust and nurture relationships.
AI can be a powerful tool, but if used without insight and strategy, it risks doing more harm than good to the sales process.
The Right Balance Formula: AI + Human = Success
Most experts would agree: AI shouldn’t replace your sales team. It’s meant to support them, not take over. Some people make the mistake of thinking AI is like a new employee who can magically deliver results on its own. But that’s just not the case.
Even tools like ChatGPT come with a warning: “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.” That tells us something important: AI needs human guidance. It works best when we understand how to utilize it and develop effective strategies around it.
When used right, AI can boost your sales performance. The key is knowing how to use it without losing the human connection. Here’s how to make the most of AI while keeping your customer relationships real:
1. Let AI Handle the Data, Not the Dialogue
Use AI to handle tasks like research, updating your CRM, and forecasting sales trends. But when it comes to sensitive customer conversations, let a real person take the lead.
In one of our B2B companies, an executive once suggested, “Why don’t we use our form builder to send automatic replies? It could save us time in sending proposals and quotations.” While the idea had merit, it made me pause and ask: “How many of our clients prefer a personalized proposal over a generic one?” The answer was clear—most of our clients expect proposals that are well-researched and carefully tailored to their specific needs.
That’s why we decided to automate other parts of the customer journey, but not the initial engagement. We want to meet our clients personally, understand their concerns, and create a strong first impression.
AI can recommend the best time to follow up based on data and behavior patterns, but the actual follow-up should still come from a real person who can connect, listen, and build trust.
2. Involve Humans at the Right Moments
These days, Reddit has become a popular hangout for Gen Zs to catch up on trending topics and share real-world experiences, including frustrations with customer service. In one forum, a customer of a major telecommunications company expressed his disappointment with how AI has replaced human support. He shared:
"[Company] doesn't transfer you to a real customer service representative anymore; everything is handled by a chatbot when you use Messenger or comment on their posts."
In another thread, a shopper voiced similar concerns after trying to get assistance from a popular online shopping app. She said:
"[Shopping App Name]'s chat service is ineffective; you always end up talking to an AI... I tried typing 'scam' and it directed me to a live agent."
These experiences reflect a common pain point: the lack of timely human support. When customers face complex or emotional issues, getting stuck in a loop of automated replies can lead to deep frustration, loss of trust, and unresolved problems.
To avoid these pitfalls, structure your sales process so that AI handles basic inquiries efficiently but flags complex or sensitive matters for human intervention. This balance helps strengthen customer relationships and ensures that you don’t lose high-value leads due to the automation gap.
3. Scale Personalization Without Losing the Human Touch
AI can help you segment your audience and recommend relevant content based on customer behavior. But when it comes to messaging, your sales team should take the lead. Let AI guide the strategy, while your people bring in the empathy, creativity, and real-world understanding that genuinely connect with customers.
A great example of this is Klarna, a Swedish financial technology company. In 2024, Klarna began using AI tools like Midjourney and DALL·E to automate parts of its marketing, including image creation and translation. This move helped the company reduce marketing and sales costs by 11% in the first quarter alone. However, Klarna didn’t let AI run the show entirely. Their team made it clear that while AI supports the process, it’s the human marketers who shape the brand stories and customer communication, ensuring that messages are still meaningful and personal.10
AI can support you throughout the process, but the final touch should always come from you. Never forget that.
4. Train Your Sales Team to Use AI Wisely
In the Philippines, as of 2021, only 14.9% of firms had adopted any form of artificial intelligence (AI).11 While this number has likely increased in recent years, it’s clear that many employees still lack awareness of what AI is and how it can be used effectively, especially in areas like sales.
That’s why it’s a no-brainer to equip your sales team with a deeper understanding of how AI works and how it can drive results. Look for affordable training programs. Some are even offered through partnerships between government agencies and private organizations. Investing in your team’s knowledge ensures they can unlock AI’s full potential.
But don’t stop there. Pair AI training with essential skills like critical thinking and problem-solving. When your team knows how to interpret data, question automated insights, and apply their own judgment, they become not just users of AI, but strategic thinkers who know when and how to use it for maximum impact.
AI Is a Tool, Not a Human
The future of sales depends on an innovative partnership between humans and AI. When used wisely, AI can boost your team’s productivity and streamline processes. But if misused, it can create cold, impersonal experiences that turn customers away, damage your brand, and ultimately hurt your sales.
So before you hit “send” on that automated email or let a chatbot handle a crucial interaction, pause and ask yourself: Is this bringing me closer to the customer, or pushing them further away?
At the end of the day, customers want more than just answers. They want to feel heard, understood, and valued. And that’s something only a real human connection can deliver.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marlon is the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of Molmisa Point, leading its vision as a premier digital platform for leadership, business, and personal growth. A thriving leadership and management consultant, corporate trainer, and best-selling book author in the Philippines, he is also the founder of Mzone Training and Chairman of the Molmisa Group. Marlon holds a Master’s in Public Management from Ateneo de Manila University - School of Government and a postgraduate certificate from the Asian Institute of Management. He also co-founded the Business and Management Consultants Association of the Philippines.
Footnotes
1 American Marketing Association. (2017). Definition of Marketing. Retrieved from https://www.ama.org/the-definition-of-marketing-what-is-marketing
2 Harvard Business School. (2024). A Human Touch: Why AI Can’t Fully Replace Empathy in Social Interactions. Retrieved from https://d3.harvard.edu/a-human-touch-why-ai-cant-fully-replace-empathy-in-social-interactions
3 McKinsey & Company. (2024). Unlocking Profitable B2B Growth Through Gen AI. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/unlocking-profitable-b2b-growth-through-gen-ai
4 Business Insider. (2024). "AI has a marketing problem: People don’t like hearing about it." Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-has-marketing-problem-people-dont-like-hearing-about-it-2024-8
5 Salesforce. (2023). State of Sales: 5th Edition. Retrieved from https://www.salesforce.com/resources
6 Ibid.
7 Salesforce. (2023). State of the Connected Customer. https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/
8 Harvard Business Review. (2021). The Value of Customer Experience, Quantified. https://hbr.org/2014/08/the-value-of-customer-experience-quantified
9 Gartner. (2020). The New B2B Buying Journey and Its Implication for Sales. https://www.gartner.com/en/sales/insights/b2b-buying-journey
10 WSJ. (2024, May 1). Klarna Marketing Chief Says AI Is Helping It Become 'Brutally Efficient'. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/klarna-marketing-chief-says-ai-is-helping-it-become-brutally-efficient-4ad388d3
11 Philippine Institute for Development Studies. (2021). Readiness for AI adoption of Philippine business and industry: The government’s role in fostering innovation and AI-driven industrial development. https://www.pids.gov.ph/publication/discussion-papers
People Still Buy From People
In my recent article on marketing, I shared a simple but important reminder: “The world is changing. But the human element in marketing remains irreplaceable.”
This idea doesn’t just apply to marketing. It’s just as true in sales. At the heart of both functions is one goal: to encourage profitable customer action by building trust.
In simpler terms, marketing is about attracting and engaging the right customers, understanding their needs, communicating effectively, building trust, and ultimately driving long-term business success. It supports growth by making sure people see value in what you offer.
While marketing is often associated with creativity, branding, and promotion, its true impact is measured in results, such as stronger sales, increased customer loyalty, a higher market share, and a trusted brand. That’s why marketing and sales work best when they’re closely aligned.
But in today’s digital world, where businesses increasingly use automation, AI, and chatbots, it’s worth asking: Can machines really understand what motivates people? Can they build genuine connections the way humans do?
It’s easy to forget a fundamental truth: people still buy from people. AI can help speed up processes and improve efficiency, but relying too much on it can harm your customer relationships—and your bottom line. Especially when emotions are involved, people still want to feel understood by another human.
In this article, we’ll explore how over-automation and impersonal AI interactions can hurt your sales. We’ll also explore ways to strike the right balance, utilizing AI where it benefits us, while maintaining the human touch that customers still value.
AI in Sales: A Double-Edged Sword
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized how modern sales teams operate. From prospecting and qualifying leads to closing deals, AI tools are helping sales professionals become more efficient, data-driven, and responsive.
AI can streamline repetitive tasks, freeing up sales professionals to focus on more strategic activities. For example:
These tools make sales processes more scalable and consistent, especially useful for growing companies and teams handling large pipelines.
But here's the catch. While AI undoubtedly brings speed and efficiency to sales processes, it lacks the emotional intelligence and human connection that often define successful sales outcomes. Automation may help expand your reach, but without a thoughtful approach, it can make your messaging feel impersonal, robotic, or disconnected from real human needs.
In high-value B2B transactions, trust is the real currency. Clients aren’t just buying a product. They’re investing in a relationship. Navigating complex deals requires more than data-driven insights. Empathy, active listening, humor, and adaptability are critical skills for building rapport, resolving objections, and uncovering deeper client motivations. These are areas where AI still falls short.
And it’s not just B2B. B2C businesses are also feeling the impact.
This aversion is rooted in emotional and ethical concerns.
Many consumers worry about job displacement and the decline of genuine human interaction. High-profile brands such as Google, Toys "R" Us, and Under Armour have encountered public backlash for AI-heavy campaigns, resulting in reduced trust and consumer engagement.⁵
When AI is misused, it can do more harm than good. Over-automated follow-ups, tone-deaf personalization, or awkward chatbot interactions often lead to frustration and disconnection.
Let’s break down how AI can hurt your sales performance, if not used wisely.
How AI Can Hurt Your Business?
AI can simulate conversations, but it can’t genuinely empathize. Let's face the reality. This is a primary concern of AI. It knows a lot, but its emotions are platonic. According to Salesforce’s 2023 State of the Connected Customer report, 68% of consumers expect companies to demonstrate empathy.⁷ When interactions feel scripted or robotic, customers often walk away feeling ignored or undervalued.
Take chatbots, for example. While they efficiently handle basic inquiries, they frequently stumble when conversations require emotional nuance. If a prospect expresses frustration or concern and receives a canned response. The result is often irritation and erosion of brand trust.
AI’s speed is impressive, but it can come at the cost of authenticity. Research from Harvard Business Review found that customers are 80% more likely to buy from brands that deliver personalized experiences.⁸ Unfortunately, over-reliance on automation, such as repetitive email drips or looped chatbot replies, can make interactions feel sterile and disconnected.
Picture a long-time customer reaching out for assistance, only to get trapped in an AI-generated support maze. Instead of feeling valued, they might feel dismissed, and more likely to explore your competitors.
One of AI’s biggest limitations is its inability to read between the lines. It might catch certain words or spot a general mood, but it still can’t pick up on things like sarcasm, doubt, or unspoken concerns the way a real salesperson can.
For example, if a potential customer says, “This looks interesting, but I’m not sure about the pricing,” an AI tool might log that as a cold lead. A trained sales rep, however, could recognize this as an opportunity to explore value or offer flexible solutions. That’s the kind of nuance machines still struggle to grasp.
AI usually follows a straight path, but real customers don’t. The way people decide to buy is often messy, emotional, and full of twists and turns. A Gartner study revealed that 77% of B2B buyers described their last purchase as “very complex or difficult.”⁹ Automated systems, when too rigid, can misinterpret buyer intent and push leads toward premature decisions, ultimately missing chances to build trust and nurture relationships.
AI can be a powerful tool, but if used without insight and strategy, it risks doing more harm than good to the sales process.
The Right Balance Formula: AI + Human = Success
Most experts would agree: AI shouldn’t replace your sales team. It’s meant to support them, not take over. Some people make the mistake of thinking AI is like a new employee who can magically deliver results on its own. But that’s just not the case.
Even tools like ChatGPT come with a warning: “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.” That tells us something important: AI needs human guidance. It works best when we understand how to utilize it and develop effective strategies around it.
When used right, AI can boost your sales performance. The key is knowing how to use it without losing the human connection. Here’s how to make the most of AI while keeping your customer relationships real:
AI Is a Tool, Not a Human
The future of sales depends on an innovative partnership between humans and AI. When used wisely, AI can boost your team’s productivity and streamline processes. But if misused, it can create cold, impersonal experiences that turn customers away, damage your brand, and ultimately hurt your sales.
So before you hit “send” on that automated email or let a chatbot handle a crucial interaction, pause and ask yourself: Is this bringing me closer to the customer, or pushing them further away?
At the end of the day, customers want more than just answers. They want to feel heard, understood, and valued. And that’s something only a real human connection can deliver.
Marlon is the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of Molmisa Point, leading its vision as a premier digital platform for leadership, business, and personal growth. A thriving leadership and management consultant, corporate trainer, and best-selling book author in the Philippines, he is also the founder of Mzone Training and Chairman of the Molmisa Group. Marlon holds a Master’s in Public Management from Ateneo de Manila University - School of Government and a postgraduate certificate from the Asian Institute of Management. He also co-founded the Business and Management Consultants Association of the Philippines.
Footnotes
1 American Marketing Association. (2017). Definition of Marketing. Retrieved from https://www.ama.org/the-definition-of-marketing-what-is-marketing
2 Harvard Business School. (2024). A Human Touch: Why AI Can’t Fully Replace Empathy in Social Interactions. Retrieved from https://d3.harvard.edu/a-human-touch-why-ai-cant-fully-replace-empathy-in-social-interactions
3 McKinsey & Company. (2024). Unlocking Profitable B2B Growth Through Gen AI. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/unlocking-profitable-b2b-growth-through-gen-ai
4 Business Insider. (2024). "AI has a marketing problem: People don’t like hearing about it." Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-has-marketing-problem-people-dont-like-hearing-about-it-2024-8
5 Salesforce. (2023). State of Sales: 5th Edition. Retrieved from https://www.salesforce.com/resources
6 Ibid.
7 Salesforce. (2023). State of the Connected Customer. https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/
8 Harvard Business Review. (2021). The Value of Customer Experience, Quantified. https://hbr.org/2014/08/the-value-of-customer-experience-quantified
9 Gartner. (2020). The New B2B Buying Journey and Its Implication for Sales. https://www.gartner.com/en/sales/insights/b2b-buying-journey
10 WSJ. (2024, May 1). Klarna Marketing Chief Says AI Is Helping It Become 'Brutally Efficient'. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/klarna-marketing-chief-says-ai-is-helping-it-become-brutally-efficient-4ad388d3
11 Philippine Institute for Development Studies. (2021). Readiness for AI adoption of Philippine business and industry: The government’s role in fostering innovation and AI-driven industrial development. https://www.pids.gov.ph/publication/discussion-papers
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