Sales performance management is more challenging than ever. B2B sales teams face both uncertainty and opportunity at every turn. The current sales outlook is digital-first, buyer-centric, driven by millennial and Gen Z decision-makers—and powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Of these factors, AI is the most important. It has immense potential to change the way sellers research, collaborate, and engage with customers. But it must complement—not replace—the human elements that drive exceptional selling.
We surveyed 270 B2B sales leaders across multiple industries at organizations with revenue greater than $50 million to identify trends in B2B seller capabilities and sales leader priorities for 2026.
We found that a majority of sales teams are already using AI, primarily for sales training and coaching. But we also found that teams struggle with consultative selling skills and sales processes that don’t encourage the right behaviors or lead to the right outcomes.
If sellers lack the ability to think critically about the customer’s industry, company dynamics, and stakeholders—or if they struggle to ask great questions, build rapport, and read buyer signals—then AI will only make these deficiencies more apparent.
Now is the time to develop the capability that will differentiate and future-proof your salespeople.
Sales Performance Trend 1: Seller Performance Is Inconsistent
Our survey found organizations are hitting (and exceeding) their revenue targets, but individual performance is inconsistent.
- 93% of organizations expected to meet or exceed their 2025 revenue targets
- But 56% of respondents indicated that fewer than 60% of their individual sellers were on track to hit target in 2025.
Takeaway: Organizations rely on a small number of over-performers to carry the team.
Even when hitting the overall target, teams are performing under potential and leaving many capable sellers behind.
Hitting organizational revenue targets may not be a reliable indicator of a resilient, healthy sales team. In fact, revenue attainment may mask underlying performance and capability issues across the sales team.
Relying on a few sellers is not a sustainable or scalable strategy. As organizational sales targets grow (as they typically do year over year), it will become harder for sales teams to hit their numbers if they don’t identify and address potential roadblocks.
Sales Performance Trend 2: Developing Sales Talent Is a Challenge
The sales leaders we surveyed admit they face obstacles to hitting their 2026 goals. Achieving sales targets, managing sales talent, and implementing a consistent sales process are sales leaders’ biggest challenges this year.
Takeaway: Sales organizations are prioritizing current team members over hiring new sellers.
Sales leaders’ challenges indicate that organizations may be less focused on expanding their sales teams in 2026. They’re hoping to do more with the teams they already have.
Even though a majority of sales teams saw significant turnover last year, only 13% of respondents indicated that reducing sales turnover was a top challenge, ranking it ninth out of 10 on our list. This means most organizations are keeping top performers and are either actively or passively cycling out those they don’t want to retain.
To do this properly, they should seek to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their existing talent and to develop these team members to achieve organizational goals.
Sales Performance Trend 3: Sales Process Adherence Is High, But Not All Sales Processes Are Equal
A vast majority of sales leaders report their teams have a sales process and follow it.
- 94% of respondents indicate their company has a well-defined sales process
- 98% of those respondents have integrated their process into CRM
- 78% of respondents say their teams follow the sales process all or most of the time
As we saw in our previous two research reports, adherence to sales process (and not just having a process) correlates with sales success. In general, sales teams that have, embed, and follow a process perform better than those that don’t.
But this year, these same sales leaders report that consultative selling skills are among their top sales training priorities and their top sales management challenges.
- 38% of respondents reported consultative selling skills are in their top three sales training priorities
- 40% of respondents say implementing a consistent sales process is a challenge they want to resolve in 2026
This raises an interesting question: Is simply having a sales process and following that process enough to drive results? Or does the type of sales process matter—whether or not it leads to the type of customer experience that builds trust and demonstrates value?
Takeaway: Most sales processes don’t drive the right behaviors to win customers.
Even though most teams indicate they follow a consistent sales process, sales leaders list “qualifying opportunities” and “consultative/value-based selling approaches” as their top two sales training priorities.
This indicates that the process may not provide enough guidance in those critical areas. Organizations should make sure their process and methodology reinforce sales skills and the right behavior.
98% of our respondents who have a well-defined process also have their sales process built into their CRM. While this is certainly a best practice for consistent adherence, organizations should evaluate whether their process is driving a less-effective “seller-centric” focus rather than a “customer-centric” one.
Seller-centric processes primarily track basic seller activity (calls, quotes, etc.), deal progress, and forecasting. This can drive a more transactional sales approach and it risks a subjective seller opportunity qualification. As a result, sellers may waste time on unqualified deals, end up in a features comparison, and resort to discounting to close sales.
Customer-centric processes drive deeper customer understanding and alignment with buyer decision making, and objective opportunity qualification. This ultimately results in higher sale amounts, improved conversion rates, and more accurate forecasting.
Sales Performance Trend 4: Seller Skill Gaps and Challenges Signal the Need for Greater Intention
The top sales skill gaps and challenges going into 2026 are qualifying opportunities, differentiating against competitive offerings, and pre-call planning/preparation. These are the building blocks of a consultative sales process.
Qualifying opportunities and differentiating against competitive offerings have been the top two skill gaps for the past two years, but 2026 marks the first year that survey respondents have identified pre-call planning/preparation as being among the top three gaps.
Takeaway: Sellers must approach opportunities with greater intention, planning, and purpose.
Intentional sellers qualify more effectively because they prioritize where to spend their time in pursuit of winnable, profitable opportunities.
Intentional sellers differentiate more effectively because, through effective questioning, they are able to focus on understanding what the customer perceives as value. They shape buyer perceptions of value and avoid apples-to-apples competitive comparisons based on price or features.
Intentional sellers pre-call plan with the intention to begin each call with a clear direction and goal. This enables them to stay aligned with the customer and move opportunities forward more effectively.
Sales Performance Trend 5: Sales Training Plans Don’t Reflect Current Needs
Of the gap areas, only “qualifying opportunities” appears as both a top area for sales teams as well as an area on which organizations intend to provide training in 2026. While sales leaders report that pre-call planning is their #3 challenge, it ranks #5 in training priorities. This begs the question, “Are we training on the right things?”
Takeaway: Sales leaders must align training needs and plans.
Sales training programs must align with the development needs of team members. A common reason training programs fail to produce results is they’re not based on real seller needs. Just as doctors run tests before prescribing treatment, sales organizations need comprehensive diagnostics to match their training needs to skill gaps. Generic programs may feel good in the moment but often fail to deliver measurable impact.
Get your complete copy of the 2026 Sales Leader Report: 5 Strategies for Consultative Selling in the Age of AI
Drive Performance With Sales Training
Whether you have a team of seasoned pros or new talent in need of guidance, sales training that provides the foundation for consultative selling will give your team the ability to engage customers where they are today.
Sales skills training takes the guesswork out of sales and lets your team control the sales process from start to finish. It’s a proven methodology that ensures long-term improvement and consistent performance across your entire sales organization.
Visit The Brooks Group to learn about our award-winning IMPACT sales process and skills training programs.
