Why Sales Is Getting Harder — and What Sales Leaders Need to Do About It

Are your salespeople prepared to compete in today’s changing sales environment?

Here’s a question I’ve been asking business owners, CEOs and sales leaders lately:

When was the last time your salespeople had to sell in a really tough economy?

For many sales professionals, it’s been well over a decade since they consistently had to fight for new business in a difficult market.

Think about it.

For years, many salespeople have been successful managing existing accounts, responding to inbound leads, preparing quotes and relying on relationships they developed long ago.

Business was coming in. Customers were buying. Marketing was generating opportunities.

And while salespeople were busy servicing customers and closing available business, how much time were they spending developing new prospects, improving their consultative selling skills or learning how to compete for business they didn’t already have?

For many, not nearly enough.

Now the selling environment is changing, and the skills that helped salespeople succeed over the past decade may not be enough to help them succeed in 2027 and beyond.

The Sales Environment Has Changed. Have Your Salespeople?

Today’s buyers are more informed, more demanding and often much further along in their buying process before they ever speak with a salesperson.

Artificial intelligence is accelerating that change.

Buyers are using AI tools to research companies, evaluate solutions, compare competitors, analyze pricing and prepare questions before their first sales conversation.

In some cases, the prospect may be better prepared for the meeting than the salesperson!

Meanwhile, sales organizations are facing several challenges:

• Marketing isn’t consistently generating enough qualified leads.
• New business opportunities are harder to develop.
• Competition is more aggressive.
• Existing customer accounts are flat or declining.
• Experienced salespeople aren’t prospecting consistently.
• Sales cycles are becoming more difficult to navigate.
• Too many opportunities are being lost late in the sales process.

And here’s another concern.

Some of your most experienced salespeople haven’t had to consistently prospect, develop new relationships or create opportunities in years.

They may be excellent at maintaining relationships and servicing existing customers, but that’s not necessarily the same skill set required to generate new business in a competitive market.

The Sales Training and Coaching Gap

Here’s another question worth asking:

How much professional sales training and coaching have your salespeople received over the past five or ten years?

Not product training.

Not CRM training.

Not another meeting about sales forecasts or pipeline numbers.

I’m talking about professional development in prospecting, consultative selling, questioning, qualification, negotiating, closing and managing the sales process.

Industry research has repeatedly identified significant gaps in formal sales training and ongoing development. An earlier Association for Talent Development survey found that more than half of respondents had received no formal sales education. Other industry surveys have found strong demand among salespeople for additional training and coaching.

And that should concern every business owner and sales leader.

We expect our salespeople to compete against increasingly sophisticated buyers, adapt to changing markets, learn new technologies and consistently produce better results.

But what are we doing to help them get better?

Experience Alone Doesn’t Guarantee Improvement

I’ve worked with sales organizations across many industries, and one thing continues to stand out.

Experience is valuable, but experience without ongoing development doesn’t necessarily produce better performance.

A salesperson with 15 years of experience may have developed 15 years of improving skills.

Or they may have repeated the same selling habits for 15 years.

There’s a big difference.

Consider how much time professional athletes spend practicing, reviewing performance, working with coaches and improving their skills.

They don’t simply show up for games and expect to get better.

Yet that’s exactly what happens in many sales organizations.

Salespeople are expected to perform every day, but rarely receive the consistent practice, coaching and feedback needed to improve.

Sales is a profession. Why wouldn’t we develop salespeople like professionals?

AI Is Changing the Game for Buyers and Salespeople

AI presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

Buyers now have access to powerful research tools that help them become better informed before engaging with salespeople.

But sales professionals have access to many of those same capabilities.

AI can help salespeople research prospects, identify business challenges, prepare for meetings, develop stronger questions, personalize outreach and improve follow-up.

Used effectively, these tools can make salespeople more prepared, productive and competitive.

The challenge is that some salespeople are slow to adopt new technologies, while others simply haven’t been shown how to use them effectively.

And AI won’t replace the need for strong selling skills.

It won’t automatically create trust, uncover a prospect’s real motivations, navigate difficult conversations or secure meaningful commitments.

The winning combination is better selling skills supported by better technology.

Six Areas Sales Leaders Need to Develop Now

If we want stronger sales performance in 2027, we need to start developing the right skills and behaviors today.

Here are six priorities we’re focusing on in our No BS Sales training and coaching programs.

1. Prospecting Skills and Habits

Salespeople need to consistently create new opportunities rather than depend on existing customers and marketing-generated leads.

2. Consultative Selling

The ability to ask meaningful questions, uncover business challenges and understand the real reasons customers buy is more important than ever.

3. Qualification and Sales Process Discipline

Salespeople need to identify real opportunities, understand decision-making processes and stop wasting time chasing business that isn’t likely to close.

4. AI and Sales Technology

Sales professionals need practical training in using AI, CRM and other tools to improve preparation, productivity and sales effectiveness.

5. Meaningful Sales Activity KPIs

Sales leaders need to measure the activities and behaviors that produce results, not simply review revenue numbers after the fact.

6. Coaching, Practice and Accountability

Training introduces skills. Coaching, practice and accountability help turn those skills into consistent selling behaviors.

My Challenge to Sales Leaders

How are your people going to get better?

Another year of experience?

Another product training session?

Another pipeline meeting reviewing the same opportunities that haven’t moved?

Or are you going to develop the skills, habits and behaviors your salespeople need to compete in today’s market?

Hoping your salespeople figure it out on their own is an expensive strategy.

The organizations that invest in developing their salespeople will be better positioned to adapt, compete and grow.

And that development needs to start now.

You’re Invited: The No BS Sales Executive Brief

“Why Sales Is Getting Harder — and What to Do About It”

We’re inviting business owners, presidents, CEOs and sales leaders to join us for an upcoming No BS Sales Executive Brief focused on the changing sales environment and what organizations can do to improve performance.

This will be a practical discussion of the challenges facing sales organizations and the strategies, skills and leadership practices needed to succeed in 2027 and beyond.

Choose one of two dates:

Wednesday, November 4, 2026 | 10:00 AM

Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | 10:00 AM

Location: No BS Sales Training Center, Rumford, Rhode Island

Attendance: In person, with remote access available as needed.

We’ll discuss improving prospecting, generating new business, strengthening consultative selling, using AI more effectively, developing meaningful KPIs and creating a stronger culture of coaching and accountability.

Interested in attending?

Contact John Polumbo at [email protected] or call 401-451-0553 for details and registration.

One Final Question

Are your salespeople being professionally developed, or are you simply expecting them to produce more?

If you’re serious about improving sales performance in 2027, that’s a question worth answering.

No hype. No gimmicks. No BS. Just better selling.