From ‘Vibe Coding’ to ‘Vibe Selling’: how AI is reshaping the artwork of promoting
When “vibe coding” was named Collins Dictionary’s word of the year last month, it signaled a crucial milestone for AI: applications that were once niche or sector-specific had truly become mainstream.
A term initially coined by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy to describe coding through natural language outputs rather than development languages, it has sparked inspiration among leaders in other industries around where else AI can give processes the “vibe treatment”.
Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Gong.
Looking at how AI can support other types of workers and teams, the same core principle applies: handing over repetitive work to AI. Whether that’s research tasks or analyzing large data sets, it’s about humans directing the action rather than spending time on menial tasks themselves.
AI’s expanding foothold in the enterprise means an increasing number of tasks can undergo the same transformation as writing code. One of the most exciting – and practical – areas where this is happening right now is in sales. So, let’s dig into it.
What is ‘vibe selling’?
Vibe selling isn’t about a salesperson simply “chatting with a machine”. Nor is it about simply delegating tasks to autonomous agents. Instead, it’s about engaging with AI in a dynamic, iterative way, interacting repeatedly until the output is right.
Sellers use AI to take on the time-consuming tasks that slow them down today – drafting emails, researching accounts, analyzing conversations – so they can focus on what matters most: actual selling.
Traditionally, sellers have had to juggle these tasks themselves to gain a competitive edge. However, while these tasks are essential, they often pull sellers away from the activities that truly drive revenue – building relationships and closing deals, which demand a personal, human touch.
Vibe selling changes this. By embedding AI directly into workflows, sellers can offload those repetitive tasks to intelligent tools that generate insights, prep materials and flag opportunities in real time. That leaves the salesperson free to do what humans do best – connecting with customers, earning their trust and closing more deals.
Separating hype from impact
Every technological shift generates its share of buzzwords, but vibe selling isn’t merely hype – it’s already producing measurable outcomes for sales teams.
Instead of manually combing through call notes or email chains, a rep can instantly see what messaging is resonating, which competitors are being mentioned and where deals may be stalling (and why).
Managers get visibility into patterns across teams at the same time, while reps get practical recommendations on how to move their deals forward.
Sellers aren’t just saving time; they’re also making better decisions with AI that acts as a true collaborator. That’s the key difference between applications that are all flash without fire, and those that make a real impact.
Already, Gong Labs data from our latest State of Revenue AI report shows AI-enabled sellers drive 77% more revenue per rep, and the popularization of vibe selling will only see more teams reach those sorts of results.
AI as a collaborator
People can mistake AI for something that only works in the background: nice-to-have tools for ‘boring’ or admin-heavy work. While perhaps true in some applications, vibe selling demonstrates a use case where AI can (and should) be an active partner, taking on the back-end tasks that people allocate to it.
Instead of logging into a CRM and spending hours piecing together next steps, a seller can simply get quick answers to questions that otherwise would mean scrolling through endless chains of content. The AI responds, contextualizes and updates accordingly.
This constant back-and-forth mirrors the collaborative spirit of vibe coding, but with added stakes – even one misplaced decimal could represent thousands in lost revenue.
The human touch
While AI can quickly surface insights and even generate messages, it isn’t yet capable of closing the trust gap – still critical as ever for closing deals.
Sales, at its heart, remains a human job. Enterprise deals even more so. Buyers don’t sign contracts because of perfect phrasing or bulletproof research alone. They sign because they believe in the seller, trust their expertise and feel confident the solution being offered will deliver.
AI can accelerate that process, but it can’t lead it. That’s why vibe selling should be seen as a crucial tool in the seller’s kit, not a replacement. Ultimately, AI should lay the groundwork, while humans bring the emotional intelligence and nuance that seals the deal.
The future is ‘vibe ANYTHING’
We’re still in the early days of letting AI take a seat at the table, but the trajectory is clear. Just as vibe coding changed how developers approach their craft, vibe selling is changing how businesses reach customers and drive revenue growth.
By automating tasks that keep sellers from actually selling, AI isn’t replacing them – it’s making them better. The future of business won’t be defined by those who resist this technical revolution, but by those who learn to channel it in the right ways.
In the end, the most powerful deals won’t be closed by AI alone or humans alone – but by an amalgamation of both.
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