The sales landscape is undergoing a transformation, similar to other industries. This evolution is driven by changing customer expectations, buying behaviors, market volatility, emerging trends, economic uncertainty and technological advancements. According to Gartner’s ‘The Future of Sales in 2025: A Gartner Trend Insight Report,’ 80% of B2B sales interactions will be digital by 2025. Automation and digital disruption have further accelerated this sales revolution, pushing organizations to revamp their sales processes and strategies to ensure long-term success. In the same report, Gartner reveals another insight, saying that 60% of B2B sales organizations will shift from experience and intuition-based selling to data-driven selling,info integrating their sales process, applications, data and analytics into a single operational practice. Consequently, sales training has emerged as a key factor in enabling teams to adapt quickly and drive performance in a competitive environment.
As we approach 2025, organizations must reconsider how they connect with their customers. Whether it’s a complete overhaul of strategies or minor adjustments to existing techniques, the key is to adapt. Research by leading brands has shown that a comprehensive transformation of strategies, processes, and resource allocation is not just necessary but crucial for survival in this evolving sales landscape. This includes moving from analog to hyper-automation, transactional to consultative selling, product-centric to buyer-centric approaches, and prioritizing digital-first customer engagement.
This blog will discuss automation in the sales function and explore the intricacies of how automation will shape sales strategies for 2025 and beyond.
Automation is Sales – The What and The Why
Time is one of the significant factors in engaging new and existing customers and closing more deals. Sales professionals always crave more time to make more sales. However, we all have only 24 hours in a day, and assuming 8-9 hours of work, everything must be accomplished within that timeframe. If your reps do everything manually, from sending emails for outreach to cold calling, their plate is overflowing. That is where automation of sales processes, popularly known as sales automation, can be of big help to your sales reps, freeing up their time for more strategic tasks and relieving them of the burden of repetitive, time-consuming activities. With automation, the potential for growth and success in the evolving sales landscape is a dream and a tangible reality.
You can consider automation in sales as a digital assistant, providing an extra hand to your sales reps to manage their repetitive and mundane tasks, ensuring a smooth and organized workflow. Furthermore, it saves sales professionals significant time, creating a win-win for everyone. According to HubSpot research, here are a few tasks that sales reps automate.
- 40% for prospect outreach.
- 34% for data analysis.
- 30% automating manual processes.
In addition to the tasks mentioned above, these tools automate various aspects of the complete sales process, thus leaving more time for reps to do revenue-generating tasks. The statistics below highlight the benefits of automation in sales.
- Sales reps save 15 minutes to 2 hours daily using AI or automation tools.
- 25% of sales reps say using automation helps them give more time in actual selling.
- 70% of sales professionals using AI tools experience a high customer response rate.
- 73% of sales reps say AI and automation in cold calling significantly improve conversation quality.
- 90% of sellers in Asia-Pacific achieved a 150% higher quota using sales tech once a week, compared to just 79% of other sellers.
These statistics affirm that regardless of the industry or how you have structured your sales team within your organization, using automation can give your organization a competitive edge.
So now that we have covered the basics of automation and its benefits, the next section will discuss how automation and other disruptive technologies are reshaping sales strategies in 2025 and beyond.
Automation and the Future of Sales: Strategic Shifts for 2025
As technology continues to disrupt the sales department in your organization, trends such as voice integration, subscription-based models, human-centric skills, personalized training programs, and continuous, lifelong learning will take center stage.
Companies like Infopro Learning offer innovative solutions to navigate the evolving sales landscape, including the REAL sales model, consultative selling, and comprehensive sales training. Listed below are a few trends and predictions for sales in 2025:
Omnichannel Interaction
Customers’ desire to have everything at their fingertips and convenience drives a need for seamless omnichannel interactions to keep them hooked. This can be done by creating multiple checkpoints online, offline or via social media. Organizations that offer multiple channels of integration will be able to meet the expectations of their head-on. And software or a tool personalized to your customer’s requirements will be your savior.
Big Data for Insights
Data is crucial to gauge the current sales status and plan future strategies. Leveraging advanced data analytics tools and software gives businesses detailed insights into what works for them and what does not. Thus, it empowers sales teams to make informed decisions, identify potential opportunities, and optimize sales.
Advanced CRM Systems Adoption
Treating new or existing customers as VIPs is vital to acquiring new customers or building long-term relationships. A customer relationship management (CRM) system is your buddy to streamline sales processes, enhance customer interactions and drive revenue growth. Furthermore, this software helps your sales teams track data, predict customer behaviors and personalize interactions at a scale.
Routine Tasks Automation
We have already discussed sales teams automating routine and manual tasks such as data entry, follow-ups, etc., which saves valuable time. With these saved hours in hand, sales professionals can build meaningful relationships with new and existing customers by delivering a more personalized and engaging sales experience.
Digital Skills and Tech Training
Training your sales reps in advanced technology will be critical for organizations in the long run. Your sales teams can sell effectively along digital channels and dynamically adapt to these changes in the buying environment. For instance, upsell and cross-sell automation with advanced technology will make your sales rep promote complementary products to your customers during their purchase journey.
Conclusion
Evolving customer expectations, market dynamics, and technological advancements are reshaping the future of sales. Automation, data-driven strategies, and digital tools are central to this transformation, helping organizations optimize processes, enhance customer experiences, and stay competitive. Companies like Infopro Learning utilize automation to streamline their sales processes, giving them a competitive advantage.
As we approach 2025, businesses must adapt to these changes by embracing automation, leveraging big data, adopting advanced CRM systems, and training sales teams in digital skills. By doing so, they can thrive in the increasingly digital and customer-centric sales landscape.
