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As middle managers thin out, companies hand sales training to AI simulations

Enterprises are increasingly adopting AI-powered sales coaching tools to simulate buyer interactions, standardize performance metrics, and accelerate the onboarding process for sales representatives in a competitive market.

Key points

  • ServiceNow reduced seller onboarding time from three months to six weeks by implementing AI-driven role-play simulations for its 8,000-person sales team.
  • Training firm Braintrust uses the Yoodli platform to analyze communication metrics like pacing and filler words, mapping them to proprietary neuroscience-based sales frameworks.
  • AI tools provide objective, rubric-based scoring to replace subjective manager "vibe checks," allowing reps to practice pitches in low-stakes, repeatable environments.
  • Despite efficiency gains, industry leaders warn that AI simulations lack human nuance and risk reducing essential mentorship time between managers and their direct reports.
Why it matters:

As companies cut middle management to improve efficiency, AI coaching fills a critical training gap by providing scalable, data-driven feedback. However, businesses must balance these automated performance gains with the need for human judgment and mentorship to maintain authentic client relationships.

Business Insider Published by Aaron Mok
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