Will technical sales representatives be replaced by AI?
Updated
Technical sales representatives score 60 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 66%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 23% outright, and 11% stays with people.
- 23% AI can do it
- 66% AI helps
- 11% Needs a person
High exposure
Higher than 91% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 33 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 6 of them today, speeds up 23 and leaves 4 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain customer records, using automated systems. CRM record keeping is routine data entry AI handles well. | 80% AI can do it |
| Complete expense reports, sales reports, or other paperwork. Expense and sales reports are routine, highly automatable paperwork. | 80% AI can do it |
| Prepare sales presentations or proposals to explain product specifications or applications. Proposal and deck drafting is strong AI territory with review. | 70% AI can do it |
| Study documentation or other information for new scientific or technical products. AI summarizes technical documents well; person verifies understanding. | 70% AI helps |
| Prepare and submit sales contracts for orders. Contract drafting from order data is routine document work. | 65% AI can do it |
| Inform customers of estimated delivery schedules, service contracts, warranties, or other information pertaining to purchased products. Routine status and warranty notices are easily drafted and sent. | 65% AI can do it |
| Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications. Standard quotes follow price books; AI drafts, person approves. | 62% AI can do it |
| Compute customer's installation or production costs and estimate savings from new services, products, or equipment. AI builds cost and savings models; person checks inputs. | 60% AI helps |
| Identify prospective customers, using business directories, leads from existing clients, participation in organizations, or trade show or conference attendance. AI can research and score leads; attending events stays human. | 60% AI helps |
| Verify accuracy of materials lists. Comparing lists to specs is systematic checking AI handles well. | 60% AI helps |
Show the other 23 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms. AI answers routine product, price and availability questions quickly. | 55% AI helps |
| Verify customer credit ratings. Credit lookups are systematic, but approvals need accountable review. | 55% AI helps |
| Select or assist customers in selecting products based on customer needs, product specifications, and applicable regulations. AI matches specs and rules; selection needs expert confirmation. | 50% AI helps |
| Provide customers with ongoing technical support. AI handles routine support queries; complex troubleshooting stays human. | 50% AI helps |
| Initiate sales campaigns to meet sales and production expectations. AI drafts campaign plans and content; strategy needs human ownership. | 50% AI helps |
| Present information to customers about the energy efficiency or environmental impact of scientific or technical products. AI can build impact figures and slides; presenter delivers them. | 50% AI helps |
| Inform customers about issues related to responsible use and disposal of products, such as waste reduction or product or byproduct recycling or disposal. AI drafts disposal guidance; compliance accountability stays with staff. | 50% AI helps |
| Contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs. AI drafts outreach; live customer conversations stay human. | 45% AI helps |
| Emphasize product features, based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations. AI can match features to needs; salesperson frames the pitch. | 45% AI helps |
| Verify that delivery schedules meet project deadlines. Schedule checks use data, but supplier coordination needs people. | 45% AI helps |
| Provide feedback to product design teams so that products can be tailored to clients' needs. AI can summarize customer feedback; design input needs judgement. | 45% AI helps |
| Consult with engineers regarding technical problems with products. AI assists with technical analysis; engineering judgement stays human. | 45% AI helps |
| Advise customers on product usage to improve production. AI supplies usage guidance; expert advice and accountability stay human. | 40% AI helps |
| Attend sales or trade meetings or read related publications to obtain information about market conditions, business trends, environmental regulations, or industry developments. AI summarizes publications; attending meetings needs presence. | 40% AI helps |
| Sell service contracts for technical or scientific products. Selling service contracts is persuasive human work with AI support. | 30% AI helps |
| Sell technical and scientific products that are environmentally sound or designed for environmental remediation. Selling environmental benefits is persuasion; AI helps prep materials. | 30% AI helps |
| Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements. Live negotiation needs people; AI helps prep terms and options. | 25% AI helps |
| Collaborate with colleagues to exchange information, such as selling strategies or marketing information. Team collaboration is human; AI summarizes notes and shared material. | 25% AI helps |
| Arrange for installation and testing of products or machinery. Scheduling is automatable; physical installation oversight stays human. | 25% AI helps |
| Visit establishments to evaluate needs or to promote product or service sales. Site visits need physical presence and relationship building. | 12% Needs a person |
| Visit establishments, such as pharmacies, to determine product sales. On-site store visits require physical presence and observation. | 10% Needs a person |
| Stock or distribute resources, such as samples or promotional or educational materials. Physical handling of samples and materials needs people. | 8% Needs a person |
| Demonstrate the operation or use of technical or scientific products. Physical product demonstration needs presence and equipment. | 5% Needs a person |
How technical sales representatives compare
All occupations (923)
Sales and related (22)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $104,920 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 284,800 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +1.2% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Log account activity and pipeline stages in Salesforce
- Review AI-drafted proposals for product specification accuracy in PowerPoint
- Run on-site product demonstrations with customer equipment
- Build pricing scenarios and margin models in Excel
- Negotiate price and delivery terms on live sales calls
- Manage multi-stakeholder deal orders in SAP software
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about technical sales representatives and AI
Will AI replace technical sales representatives?
Partly. About 5 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly maintaining customer records and filing expense and sales reports. What stays with people is the physical side of the job, including product demonstrations, site visits and live price negotiation.
Which tasks will AI take over for technical sales representatives?
Maintaining customer records scores 80 on exposure because CRM entries are routine data entry. Completing expense and sales reports also scores 80, since the paperwork follows fixed formats. Drafting sales proposals scores 70 and mostly needs a final read before it goes out.
Which tasks stay human for technical sales representatives?
Demonstrating products scores 5 on exposure because it needs the physical equipment and a person running it. Visiting establishments scores 10 to 12, since site visits depend on presence and relationships. Negotiating prices scores 25 because live bargaining needs judgment that AI only prepares for.
How can technical sales representatives stay valuable?
Put the hours AI frees into site visits, live demonstrations and price negotiation. Use Salesforce to keep account records accurate, then check each AI-drafted proposal in PowerPoint before it goes out. Build pricing scenarios in Excel for negotiations, and run product demos on site where the equipment is.
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