One answers questions. The other moves a conversation toward a booked meeting. The difference is intent, not model.
Most companies buy a chatbot when they need a sales assistant. The tooling looks similar. The outcome isn't.
A chatbot is measured on deflection
Its job is to answer the question and end the conversation. That's genuinely valuable for support teams drowning in the same ten queries.
A sales agent is measured on progression
Its job is to understand the situation, qualify the fit, handle the obvious objection and secure a next step. Every message either learns something or moves the visitor forward.
It also knows when to stop selling — a bad fit gets a fast, honest answer rather than a booking your team has to cancel.
Which one do you need?
If people arrive already knowing they'll buy, build the chatbot. If they arrive undecided and expensive to acquire, build the sales agent. Most businesses need both, wearing one interface.