AI impact on sales skills

: the implications of artificial intelligence on the required skill set for the B2B sales workforce

Abstract

This dissertation investigates how artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the skill set of B2B sales professionals. Guided by human capital theory, it addresses three questions: which skills matter today, how AI alters them, and what this means for tomorrow’s sales role. Twenty seven expert interviews across European SaaS, fintech, energy and consulting firms were analyzed with Braun and Clarke (2006) thematic analysis to map 23 competencies into four clusters. Findings show that AI displaces routine analytics and administration while amplifying high touch capabilities: relationship building, active listening, commercial acumen and strategic orchestration grow in importance; operational AI literacy, especially prompt engineering, emerges as a new meta skill; and adaptability and continuous learning become critical. AI lifts productivity yet introduces risks of cognitive dependence and skill decay if used uncritically. The study concludes that AI is an augmenter, not a replacer of human skills: sustainable advantage will accrue to organizations that treat algorithms as collaborative “colleagues” and simultaneously invest in soft skill coaching and prompt engineering training. These insights extend human capital theory to the AI era and offer managers a roadmap for up skilling sales teams while safeguarding human judgment.

Date of Award	14 Oct 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Filipa Serpa Pinto (Supervisor)