Unpacking Generative AI for B2B Sales: Definitional Perspectives, Multidimensional Framework, and Sales Roles

Generative AI (GenAI) technologies are transforming B2B sales, yet both academic and practical understanding of their distinct capabilities and implications remain limited. This article establishes a conceptual foundation for GenAI in sales by introducing three definitional perspectives, technical, functional, and institutional, and examining how they manifest in research and practice. We show that the institutional perspective bridges the technical and functional perspectives, providing a grounded framework for understanding GenAI’s role in B2B sales. Building on this foundation, we present the AGA framework, which identifies autonomy, generativity, and adaptability as core dimensions of GenAI. Configurations of these dimensions enable distinct GenAI sales roles, conceptualized as sociotechnical systems that augment and extend human and organizational capabilities to enhance sales effectiveness. The GenAI roles of assistant, analyst, and coach each offer specific capabilities for coordinating sales activities while also presenting potential risks. We develop a set of propositions and research questions to guide future research and practice. Overall, this study clarifies GenAI’s conceptual dimensions, links them as configurations of sales roles, and outlines a roadmap to guide future research and practice, as well as responsible deployment in B2B sales contexts.