What does the Seller of the Future look like?
Sellers these days are overwhelmed by technology and AI among other. So how do the sellers of the future navigate these constant advancements? At this event, CBS researchers Michel van der Borgh and Selma Kadić-Maglajlić and a panel of industry innovators shared developments, demo and actionable insights on AI in sales work.
"AI is going to shape sales professionals"
In this video, CBS researchers and event speakers Michel Van Der Borg and Selma Kadić-Maglajlić speak on how implementing AI can help optimise administrative tasks and qualify decisions in sales work.
From gut-feeling to data driven decisions
Sellers these days are overwhelmed by technology and AI among other. In fact, research shows that being overwhelmed by technology reduces quota obtainments by 43%. So what repercussions do these constant advancements have for the sales role, customer relations, ethical concerns and wellbeing? And how do the sellers of the future navigate it?
At this event, Michel van der Borgh and Selma Kadić-Maglajlić, faculty members of the Department of Marketing at CBS, shared insights into the state-of-the-art, accompanied by demo presentations of innovative AI-based sales tools. They also posed some questions for the audience: Would they prefer engaging with an AI or human sales rep? Or would they be able to evaluate a sales call the same way an algorhithm would?
Furthermore, participants had the opportunity to engage in thought-provoking discussions with industry experts and hear their views on how the seller of the future is perceived. The discussion touched on topics of implementing AI for effectiveness vs. improving quality, where to start with AI implementation and highlighting frontrunners in the field.
Meet the speakers
Michel Van der Borgh
CBS Professor in Marketing
Since 2022 Michel van der Borgh has been a Professor of Marketing at the Department of Marketing at Copenhagen Business School. He previously was Assistant Professor of Marketing at Eindhoven University of Technology and Tilburg University.
In his research, Michel aims to understand what drives the success of radically new (digital) technologies in ICT, medical devices, manufacturing, and other industries, and how firms can design effective sales strategies for such solutions. Michel collaborates with leading high-tech organizations like Philips, Vanderlande Industries, KPN, Getronics, Ahrend, and the High-Tech Campus Eindhoven.
Selma Kadić-Maglajlić
CBS Associate Professor in Marketing
Dr. Selma Kadić-Maglajlić is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Copenhagen Business School. Before joining CBS, she held various academic positions at the School of Economics and Business, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Selma is also executive trainer, and TEDx speaker with prior experience in the automotive, entertainment, and media industries. She is passionate about helping organizations in optimizing their sales and marketing strategic decisions through robust analytics.
Freja Vulff
Technology Specialist at Microsoft
Freja Vulff is a CBS alumna, having graduated from what is now known as the MSc in Sales Management program (formerly the MSc in Customer and Commercial Development). She works as a Technology Specialist at Microsoft, focusing on Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing and the Microsoft Power Platform.
Freja’s experience stems from the sales and tech industries in Denmark, where she manages 150 of the largest companies, giving her extensive exposure to enterprise sales. With chairperson and board experience from Women at Microsoft and Young IT Professionals, Freja is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, actively working to create a more inclusive tech industry.
Joakim Steenfos
Co-Founder & CEO at Radiant
Joakim is the CEO and co-founder of Radiant. With 15 years of experience in sales and CRM, he has helped design and scale B2B sales for many companies across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Germany. Before Radiant, Joakim co-founded Deloitte's sales department (2014-2017) with Kasper Bjerggaard, Radiant’s other co-founder.
Joakim has expertise in strategic, tactical, and operational B2B sales, working with banks, FinTech, LegalTech, and software companies. He is also an Official HubSpot Speaker, specialising in AI in B2B sales, and has led over 100 HubSpot implementations. Though he began with Salesforce at Deloitte, HubSpot is now Radiant's preferred CRM for achieving better marketing, sales, and support results.
Ulrik Monberg
CEO of Arpedio
Ulrik Monberg, CEO of Arpedio, is a tech-driven leader specializing in scaling B2B SaaS companies, with a focus on enterprise B2B sales, account-based selling and CRM innovations.
With over $3 million in ARR, he has successfully led international expansions of SaaS companies, driven market innovation, and built strong investor partnerships. His expertise spans SaaS growth, strategic account management, management consulting and leading cross-functional teams in global markets.
These insights were shared at a CBS Executive Education event
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