What will change sales in the future, besides artificial intelligence?
Companies surprisingly rarely consider trends other than technology that influence sales. Perhaps this is because technological development is tangible, and its impacts on one’s operations can be easily integrated into action plans and investment calculations.
In our client projects, sales often become a central theme in one way or another, whether we discuss strategy or management.
How to sell more, better, more efficiently, more profitably?
Regardless of industry or company, there is a shared understanding that artificial intelligence will impact sales activities in various ways. Key themes include better utilization of customer data, improved data quality, and enhanced systematic efficiency.
However, a larger and more impactful shift is happening elsewhere—in personal interactions, appreciation, and trust.
Customers value human, personalized interactions. Empathy, emotional intelligence, and authenticity are emphasized, making human interactions increasingly critical in selling complex solutions and services. Sales are becoming more human-centric.
A company’s values are also increasingly significant. Even if the current global political climate temporarily reduces the perceived importance of responsibility, buyers have not entirely abandoned this consideration.
Especially as younger generations step into buying roles, value-driven decisions will significantly gain prominence. Younger generations prioritize company values, ethics, and transparency in their choices. They prefer buying from companies sharing their worldview. Sales increasingly rely on building trust.
The rise of individualism in sales is reflected, among other things, in the expectation of hyper-personalization. In consumer markets, data-driven personalized offers are commonplace, but even in B2B markets, customers expect tailored products and services. Customer-centric and buyer-centric approaches are becoming stronger, and sales are expected to deliver individualized experiences.
Thus, emotional intelligence emerges strongly alongside—and even surpasses—traditional tactical sales skills.
Where does your company’s sales development focus? Are humanity, trust-building, and addressing individual expectations on your agenda?
We dare say they aren’t.
Challenging economic or market conditions often highlight rigid, easily trackable metrics. Yet, future winners will be those who dare to build sales closer to the customer, the buyer, the human.
This requires new skills and new metrics but, above all, a change in sales leadership attitudes.
Is your organization ready for this?
