Blog
AI agents: definition and impact on sales performance
In 2024, generative AI made a dramatic entrance into marketing and sales teams. According to Hubspot, 65% of sales reps said they used AI on a daily basis. But by 2025, a new generation of tools is taking hold: AI agents.
These assistants are designed to support sales teams in their activities, maximize their impact and help them make a difference. Less visible than generative AI, but much more targeted, they work to achieve objectives, within a controlled framework, to save time, refine the sales pitch and reinforce impact.
What can they offer sales and marketing teams in concrete terms? And why is it in sales management's best interest to start using them right away?
What is an AI agent?
An AI agent is an intelligent software program incorporating one or more artificial intelligence engines, designed to achieve objectives defined by its function in a given business context. It does not operate alone: it provides support, within a clearly defined framework, by analyzing data and proposing actions adapted to the situation. The AI agent has the ability to question the salesperson to refine his or her understanding.
Unlike generative AI, its business specialization means it can be extremely precise, even with few instructions. It's a bit like Generative AI boosted by business and process knowledge. The AI agent selects the best information or recommendations to support a sales action: better prepare for a meeting, structure a sales pitch, prioritize opportunities, etc.
The AI agent therefore significantly enhances the salesperson's ability to analyze, make decisions and execute. It's an AI assistant for the sales force, designed to support them at every decisive stage of their sales cycle.
Agent AI vs. generative AI: two logics, two uses
Generative AI, now widely democratized with tools such as Mistral, ChatGPT, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Claude and Gemini, is designed to produce content from instructions: the famous prompts. Text, image, script: it generates what it is asked to, but without any real understanding of the business context or the objectives to be achieved. It's effective... as long as it's properly framed. Otherwise, it can produce imprecise or even irrelevant results. These prompts sometimes become real specifications, complex and tedious to write, aimed at guiding, framing and defining the expected format, and sometimes generate professionally unsatisfactory results.
Conversely, an AI agent does not produce "raw" content. It acts within a defined framework, with a clear objective, generally set by the marketing or sales teams. It is based on generative AI, but with a very different logic: action-oriented, filtered by business needs, and framed by precise predefined rules.
For example, where a generative AI can write a prospecting email if given a complete brief, an AI agent will identify the right angle of approach for a given prospect, based on his or her profile, the context of the appointment and the company's commercial priorities.
Another example: everyone has had fun with the famous Starter Packs. Here, for example, is the script for rendering a Salesapps Starter Pack:
« Crée un rendu 3D de haute qualité d’une figurine en style cartoon, présentée sous blister, à la manière d’un jouet de collection. Le fond en carton est <COULEUR> et porte une étiquette de jouet rétro. En haut au centre, en grandes lettres majuscules et en gras, dans un cadre jaune au contour noir, écris « STARTER PACK ». Juste en dessous, tu peux écrire <NOM> en plus petit en bas à droite. En haut à droite, un badge bleu circulaire indique « ACTION FIGURE ». En haut à gauche, une petite bulle blanche indique « 4+ ».
Le personnage se tient debout, moulé dans une boîte en plastique transparente fixée sur un support en carton plat. Il doit ressembler à la photo que je joins. Son visage est <CARACTÉRISTIQUES DU VISAGE>, avec une pose <CARACTÉRISTIQUES DE LA POSE>. Le ton général est léger et réaliste.
La figurine porte <INDIQUER LES VÊTEMENTS + COULEURS>. Sur le côté de la figurine, intégrés dans des moules en plastique distincts, expose 3 accessoires miniatures : <ACCESSOIRE 1>, <ACCESSOIRE 2>, <ACCESSOIRE 3>. Chaque accessoire s’insère parfaitement dans son propre compartiment moulé.
The packaging is photographed or rendered with soft shadows, uniform lighting and a clean white background to give the impression of a commercial photo shoot. The style should combine realism and 3D cartoon stylization, like Pixar or modern toy models. Make sure the layout and proportions of the product resemble those of a real toy sold in a store."
👉 The AI agent doesn't replace the salesperson's judgment or relational posture. It simply structures an intelligent decision-making aid, designed for the concrete challenges of B2B sales.
AI agents: 3 benefits to boost sales
In the field,AI agents are already changing the way sales meetings are prepared, conducted and followed up.
More than a digital assistant, it's a tool forsales support tool designed to alleviate time-consuming tasks and enable teams to focus on what's essential: selling.
Here are three benefits observed in B2B teams that have adopted it.
Refocusing sales reps on sales
According to LinkedIn's State of Sales report, sales reps spend an average of 67% of their time on non-sales-related tasksThis includes 19% for administrative tasks and 17% for CRM updates. The AI agent reduces this workload by automatically summarizing key information before an appointment, or by taking over certain follow-up actions. As a result, sales reps spend less time getting organized, are better prepared and can concentrate on selling.
Better customization, at the right time
According to a Forrester study, personalization can improve conversion rates by 40%. And according to the Global B2B Payments Playbook, 85% of B2B buyers consider the purchasing experience to be as important as the product or service itself.
In this context, the AI agent becomes a valuable lever to help sales reps contextualize their pitch. It can suggest hooks in line with the prospect's issues, anticipate objections, or recommend the most relevant content depending on the moment in the sales cycle. By analyzing the profile of your contact and his or her company, you'll be one step ahead of the game, so you can approach your prospect or negotiate with the best cards in hand.
Accelerating skills development
An AI agent doesn't just assist the salesperson in the moment. By analyzing data from previous exchanges, it identifies concrete areas for improvement: posture, argumentation, pace, or relevance of responses.
This approach makes it possible to use each interaction as a lever for continuous training, without formalizing a heavy program. It's a personalized, results-oriented form of integrated, day-to-day learning.
How a salesperson uses an AI agent at every stage of the sales cycle
The AI agent is a natural part of the salesperson's daily routine, supporting him or her at the right moments: those that make the difference in a sale. Here's how it works, quite simply.
Before an appointment: targeted analysis, help with prioritization, building a relevant pitch
Antoine, a B2B salesman, starts his day with an important meeting. Rather than spending an hour combing through the available information, he relies on his AI agent to quickly access the essentials: the company context, identified issues, recent exchanges, recent signals of interest... His AI agent can also inform him about the profile of his contact, and the opportunities and risks linked to his role in the company.
In just a few minutes, he has a synthetic brief that enables him to concentrate on the essentials. It's not a basic summary. It's a tailor-made analysis: recent signals of interest, sensitive points, business issues to be highlighted... Antoine can then refine his approach, adapt his speech, and go into his meeting with a head start.
During the appointment: unobtrusive support, smooth exchanges, staying on course
For example, when confronted with his interlocutor, Antoine starts the exchange with a tone of voice, naturally presenting arguments that resonate with his interlocutor and rapidly gaining credibility. He can count on his AI agent to support him if need be: a piece of information to check, a figure to find, an objection to reframe.
The agent intervenes without disrupting the exchange, providing targeted assistance that enables him or her to remain fluid, confident and focused on the conversation. The salesperson remains in control, but is better equipped to bounce back.
After: structuring follow-up, increasing skills
Once the appointment is over, Antoine doesn't lose track. The IA agent helps him to structure the follow-up immediately: points discussed, actions to be taken, items to be passed on. A thank-you email is ready to go, the CRM is updated, and the next steps are clear. All sales follow-up is automated: summary of exchanges, reminders to be scheduled, content to be transmitted. Sales reps stay on track, effortlessly, and without the risk of forgetting.
Even better: by analyzing the exchange, he identifies elements to be explored during the next contact, unresolved objections, or content to be sent in addition. Antoine saves time, and the quality of his follow-up no longer depends on his memory or personal to-do list.
Remember: the artificial intelligence agent doesn't replace the salesperson, it structures his or her action and enables him or her to be more relevant, faster and more serene, without spreading himself or herself too thin.
How marketing uses AI agents to better support sales
Marketing no longer works in silos. Its mission goes far beyond lead generation: it must also equip sales reps, refine messages, and reinforce the relevance of actions in the field. This is precisely where AI agents come in.
Thanks to the insights they generate, these agents enable marketing to better understand prospects' issues: what interests them, what content they consult, what objections they frequently raise... Valuable data that used to never leave the field.
The result? Marketing teams can adapt their content, refine their segments, and create far more effective media - not in theory, but in line with the reality of sales conversations.
Here's a concrete example: after several meetings, your AI agent can help you identify a recurring trend around a buying disincentive. Marketing can then produce targeted content to help the sales rep remove this obstacle more easily during future exchanges.
Another impact: personalization. By cross-referencing the information gathered by the sales reps and the behavioral signals provided by the AI agent, marketing can propose much more refined messages, teasers or sequences without increasing the operational load per content.
More than a technological revolution, it's a strategic alignment around a common goal: enabling sales reps to be more convincing, faster.
AI agents: what they transform in sales and marketing teams
| Without the AI agent | With the AI agent |
| A lot of time spent researching, sorting, summarizing | Quick access to the essentials, without info overload |
| Appointment preparation varies by profile | Structured, consistent and contextualized preparation |
| Difficulty of large-scale customization | Targeted customization at every stage of the cycle |
| Customer care depends on individual attention to detail | Smooth, automated tracking aligned with CRM |
| Marketing content sometimes disconnected from the field | Alignment strengthened by insights from the field |
| Little concrete feedback to improve sales posture | Regular recommendations to help you make progress over the course of your appointments |
AI agents developed by Salesapps: designed for field sales
AI agents were launched live at our 3rd Sales Excellence meetups. At Salesapps, our vision is to develop AI agents designed to improve sales efficiency. As a result, several AI agents are set to boost the tool's performance: Company Profiler, Individual Profiler, Notetaker and Document Summarizer. These easy-to-use agents (for all types of sales reps) provide precise, synthesized information, making it easier for sales reps to use it to prepare relevant sales calls.
| Agent IA | Its role in sales |
| Company Profiler | Synthesize key information on the target company to prepare for an effective meeting |
| Individual Profiler | Helps you understand your customer and personalize your sales pitch |
| Notetaker | Automatically structures post-appointment follow-up and suggests areas for improvement |
| Document Summarizer | Instant analysis of documents, their usage, key messages, etc. |
These agents, integrated into Salesapps, provide the right guidance to help you make the right decisions, and simplify reporting.
Conclusion: AI agents, a new sales reflex
In a context where every appointment counts, where every message must be precise and relevant, AI agents bring a new form of intelligence: applied intelligence, at the service of sales performance.
They'll give your sales reps the right reflexes, at the right time, to persuade faster and better.
At Salesapps, we're convinced that the sales force remains human, but that it can rely on powerful levers designed for its profession.
Would you like to see how it would look in your context?
Request a personalized demo of our AI agents and find out how they can boost your sales effectiveness, today.
FAQ
A chatbot is designed to answer simple requests, often via a pre-established scenario (FAQ, making an appointment, customer support).
An artificial intelligence agent, on the other hand, goes further: it interacts with a business environment, collects and cross-references different sources of data, and proposes actions adapted to a given situation. It acts as a strategic assistant, not as an automatic response tool.
Generative AI produces content from instructions. It is useful for writing or creating, but without a business framework, it can generate errors or irrelevant content.
An AI agent, on the other hand, is calibrated for a specific professional use. It exploits the power of generative AI, but within a framework defined by the company, with clear objectives (preparing a meeting, structuring a follow-up, etc.).
AI agents are particularly useful for B2B sales teams managing complex sales cycles, frequent appointments, and high expectations of personalization.
They provide practical help to all teams who want to sell more efficiently, without adding to their processes.
AI agents help sales reps save time, better prepare their appointments and personalize their pitch. They facilitate access to the right information at the right time, while simplifying post-exchange follow-up.
The result: more effective appointments, higher conversion rates, and more confident teams on a daily basis.
