Will AI replace Sales Engineers?
AI can do 79% of the work Sales Engineers do at least twice as fast. People already use it for 6 of their 25 tasks, while 13 more are ready but barely used so far. 6 still need a person.
AI is already doing this6 · 42% of time
People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.
- Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.Mostly automated10% of time
- Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.Mostly automated10% of time
- Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs and to determine system requirements.Mostly assisted8% of time
- Provide technical and non-technical support and services to clients or other staff members regarding the use, operation, and maintenance of equipment.Mostly automated5% of time
- Document account activities, generate reports, and keep records of business transactions with customers and suppliers.Mostly automated5% of time
- Research and identify potential customers for products or services.Mostly automated4% of time
AI could do this next13 · 37% of time
AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.
- Prepare and deliver technical presentations that explain products or services to customers and prospective customers.8% of time
- Plan and modify product configurations to meet customer needs.5% of time
- Keep informed on industry news and trends, products, services, competitors, relevant information about legacy, existing, and emerging technologies, and the latest product-line developments.4% of time
- Secure and renew orders and arrange delivery.3% of time
- Diagnose problems with installed equipment.2% of time
- Recommend improved materials or machinery to customers, documenting how such changes will lower costs or increase production.2% of time
- Create sales or service contracts for products or services.2% of time
- Write technical documentation for products.2% of time
- Develop sales plans to introduce products in new markets.2% of time
- Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans.2% of time
- Maintain sales forecasting reports.2% of time
- Provide information needed for the development of custom-made machinery.1% of time
- Report to supervisors about prospective firms' credit ratings.under 1% of time
Still needs a person6 · 21% of time
No real AI use, no proven AI speedup and no robot that can do it yet. This is the part of the job to build on.
- Visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or catalogs, and to inform them about product pricing, availability, and advantages.8% of time
- Sell products requiring extensive technical expertise and support for installation and use, such as material handling equipment, numerical-control machinery, or computer systems.3% of time
- Arrange for demonstrations or trial installations of equipment.3% of time
- Attend company training seminars to become familiar with product lines.2% of time
- Train team members in the customer applications of technologies.2% of time
- Attend trade shows and seminars to promote products or to learn about industry developments.2% of time
Your week is not the average
Describe what you actually do and get a personal report: your own tasks, what AI can already do, what stays yours and a 90 day plan.
What this means
AI can already do almost all of this work at least twice as fast. People in this job already use it heavily. Expect the role to shift toward deciding what to do, checking AI's work and owning the result.
What to do next
- Do the 6 tasks AI is already handling with AI yourself. Your peers already are, and it is quickly becoming the baseline.
- Get ahead on the 13 tasks AI could do next. These move as tools improve, so learning them early pays off.
- Build on the 6 tasks that stay human. This is where your judgment, skill and relationships matter most.
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