When we set out to develop the 2026 Sales Leader Report, our goal was simple: Understand how sales leaders are navigating a rapidly changing environment shaped by AI, shifting buyer expectations, and increasing pressure to do more with less.
What we found was both encouraging and concerning. On the surface, many organizations are performing well. Most sales leaders expect to meet or exceed their revenue targets.
But when we looked deeper, a different story emerged—one that has important implications for how you develop your sales team, structure your training, and drive sales performance moving forward.
Here are the most important sales team development insights we uncovered—and how you can apply them.
Download your copy of 5 Strategies for Consultative Selling in the Age of AI to learn how to future-proof your sales team.
Step 1: Scale the Behaviors of Top Performers
One of the most striking findings in our research is that revenue success can mask underlying performance issues.
While 93% of organizations expect to hit their targets, many told us that fewer than 60% of their sellers are actually on track to meet individual goals. In other words, a small group of high performers is carrying the load.
We see this pattern often: A few “A players” drive results, while the rest of the team underperforms.
The challenge is that this model doesn’t scale. As targets increase, it becomes harder—and riskier—to rely on a handful of top performers.
What we recommend: Focus on elevating the performance of your entire team. Study what your top performers do well, identify the behaviors that truly drive success, and build those into your training, coaching, and sales process.
Step 2: Strengthen Core Selling Skills Before Adding AI
There’s no question that AI is transforming sales. A majority of the leaders we surveyed are already using AI, especially in sales training and coaching environments.
But one theme came through clearly: AI amplifies what’s already there.
If your sellers have strong consultative skills—if they know how to ask great questions, understand customer needs, and build trust—AI will make them even more effective. But if those foundational skills are missing, AI will only highlight the gaps.
What we recommend: Treat AI as an accelerator, not a replacement. Invest first in building strong core selling skills, then use AI to reinforce, scale, and optimize those capabilities.
Step 3: Develop the Team You Have
Another clear trend is a shift in focus. Compared to previous years, sales leaders are less concerned with expanding into new markets or hiring more sellers. Instead, they’re prioritizing customer retention, account growth, and improving margins.
This tells us something important: Leaders believe their current teams have untapped potential.
What we recommend: Double down on development. Use assessments to understand where each seller can improve, and invest in sales coaching and training to unlock that potential.
At the same time, be intentional about how you deploy your team. Not every seller is suited for every role. Align strengths with the right opportunities to maximize performance.
Step 4: Make Your Sales Process Customer-Centric
Nearly every organization we surveyed reported having a defined sales process—and most said their teams follow it consistently. But despite that, consultative selling remains one of the biggest challenges.
That raises an important question: If the process is being followed, then why aren’t we seeing better outcomes? The answer is that not all sales processes are created equal.
Many are still seller-centric, focused on tracking activity and managing pipeline stages rather than helping sellers understand customers and create value.
What we recommend: Evaluate your sales process through a customer lens. Does it help your team:
- Prioritize the right opportunities?
- Understand what matters most to the customer?
- Differentiate beyond price and features?
- Navigate the customer’s decision process?
If not, it’s time to rethink your approach. A process should guide behavior—not just document it.
Step 5: Build a Culture of Intentional Selling
As we analyzed skill gaps, three areas consistently rose to the top: qualifying opportunities, differentiating against competition, and pre-call planning. What ties these together is intentionality.
High-performing sellers don’t just react—they plan. They think critically about where to spend their time, how to approach each interaction, and how to create value in every conversation.
One area that stood out this year was pre-call planning. For the first time, it ranked among the top skill gaps.
What we recommend: Make intentional selling a priority. Equip your team with simple frameworks for planning their calls, setting clear objectives, and preparing meaningful questions.
This doesn’t require a massive overhaul. Even small improvements in preparation can lead to better conversations, stronger positioning, and higher win rates.
Step 6: Align Sales Training With Real Skill Gaps
One of the more concerning insights from our research is the disconnect between what sales teams struggle with and what organizations prioritize in sales training.
While leaders identified consultative selling and qualifying as top challenges, many still prioritize product knowledge and presentation skills in their training programs. These are important—but they’re not what’s holding most sellers back.
What we recommend: Take a more diagnostic approach to training. Use sales assessments and performance metrics to identify real skill gaps, then design training that directly addresses those needs.
If your team struggles with questioning, focus there. If they lack pre-call planning discipline, build that capability. Align your training with the behaviors that drive results.
Step 7: Reinforce Training With Coaching and Practice
Finally, one of the most consistent themes we see across organizations is that sales training, by itself, doesn’t lead to lasting improvement.
What makes the difference is reinforcement—sales coaching, practice, and ongoing feedback. Sales leaders who see the greatest impact from training are those who build systems around it.
What we recommend: Treat training as part of a broader performance ecosystem. Ensure your managers are equipped to coach effectively. Provide opportunities for sellers to practice new skills. Use tools—AI included—to reinforce learning over time.
Download your copy of 5 Strategies for Consultative Selling in the Age of AI to learn how to future-proof your sales team.
Use AI to Build Capability at Scale
If there’s one message we hope sales leaders take from this report, it’s this: The future of sales performance depends on your ability to build consistent capability across your entire team.
It’s no longer enough to rely on a few top performers or to implement siloed sales training programs. Success requires a more intentional, aligned approach—one that connects strategy, process, training, and coaching.
When you focus on developing your people in this way, you don’t just improve performance—you create a sales organization that’s resilient, adaptable, and ready for whatever comes next.
See how The Brooks Group’s award-winning IMPACT sales process and skills training programs can help you build a high-performing sales team.
