7 Sales Trends Over the Next 7 Years: Here’s What’s Coming Folks

I’ve been on planet Earth for 46 years and I’ve never seen the rate of change happening like it is right now.

Nothing compares to it.

I’m sure you’d likely agree.

For businesses, this means a small group—certainly less than 10% in most industries—will push innovation and adjust to this rate of change.

Most, though, will get left behind.

This isn’t a new phenomenon. It always occurs with massive shifts in the marketplace. This time, though, it will be more pronounced.

In the coming weeks, I’ll release more “prediction” style posts, as it’s a great exercise that forces me to put a stake in the ground and declare openly what I believe is coming.

Hopefully, it will give readers like you the ideas, information, and inspiration necessary to be in that elite 10% of your industry.

So today, let’s start with the sales world and the seven big trends/shifts I expect to see over the next seven years.

I’m sure I’ll miss on some of these, but I’d rather take some swings and miss than never swing at all. Here goes:

7 Sales Trends Over the Next 7 Years

1.??????? The “Seller-Free” Economy:

This one is a slam dunk. Gartner has stated that 75% of all buyers would prefer to have a seller-free sales experience. This number will only grow, forcing businesses to lean much more into “self-service” tools on their websites and online platforms so that buyers can engage digitally before being forced to speak with a salesperson.

This means tools like assessments, configurators, calculators, etc. will become mainstream.

Probability: 99%

2.??????? AI-Powered Sales Automation:

As AI gets better and better, its ability to replace typical human-driven sales activities will greatly increase. I see the biggest ones here as follow-up and outreach, but customer service will undoubtedly be affected as well. Of course, many organizations and sales pros will do this one terribly wrong (due to laziness, a lack of training, a lack of knowledge, etc.) but it will still become mainstream.

Probability: 99%?

3.??????? Subscription Based Selling:

The world of SAAS has taught businesses everywhere that subscription-based selling can be the ultimate means of predictable cash flow and business growth. It’s for this reason you’re seeing so many new industries (car washes, apparel, pet care, beauty/grooming, entertainment, etc.) focus on how they, too, can get a piece of this TRILLION dollar industry.

Probability: 99%

4.??????? Virtual Sales Avatars/Humans:

Imagine a world where you come to my website, my digital avatar greets you (it looks, sounds, acts just like me, so much so that you can’t tell the difference) and it then answers every question you have about my product/service, even giving you a real-time estimate or quote as well.

Well, this world is coming sooner than most think. In fact, digital sales avatars aren’t even on most companies’ radars, but you better believe I’m thinking about them and can’t wait to deploy the technology when ready. My sense is we are 18-30 months away from seeing some truly world-class examples of this, but it’s coming.

One key to remember, though, is that companies should never use these avatars to “trick” consumers into thinking they’re talking to an actual human. In fact, I think it should become a law that companies must admit when the customer is communicating with a non-human.

Probability (within 7 years): 85%

5.??????? Blockchain for Sales:

Verification will be a big deal in the future when it comes to sales, especially as the “trust deficit” continues to grow. Therefore, anything that helps buyers/consumers feel better about a purchase (and trust it more) is a good thing. The Blockchain is a natural answer for this, although it will take years for most consumers to understand its value and significance.

Probability (at scale): (40%)

6.??????? VR/AR for Sales:

Just a few years ago I would have said this would be a slam dunk. Heck, Facebook even changed their name to Meta just to get ahead of this curve. But the truth is, augmented and virtual reality have come along much slower than most would have predicted.

To give you an example of a potential application, as someone who owns a swimming pool company, I would like to be able to give my customers a virtual tour of what their new swimming pool will look like in their backyard (as a full, 4-D immersive experience). Currently, though, my team can only create a 3D rendering of the pool and home—something that is nice to see, but certainly not the endgame when it comes to an enhanced sales experience.

Probability: 30%

7.??????? AI-Based Sales Training:

I am STOKED at the possibilities of using AI for enhanced sales training. In fact, I already have a team working on a role-play tool that will replicate a true, human-to-human sales interaction. This tool will allow sales teams to train at the most difficult levels, mimicking a real human (or set of humans) as the buyers.

What this essentially means is that sales teams, in the near future, will stop practicing on customers (and losing deals) and start practicing on AI customers (who will make real customers seem like a walk in the park).?

Companies that take advantage of these types of training tools will make massive leaps in skill levels, leaving their competition well behind.

Probability: 90%

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Well, there are my 7 sales predictions friends. There are certainly more you could add to the list, so if you’re on LinkedIn reading this, I’d love to hear your thoughts/comments below.

And if you’re looking for someone to speak at your event or to your organization about these sales trends (and more), reach out today.

BTW, I'm giving a free AI training next week: 7 Ways to Create the Most "Human" Content You've Ever Produced...with AI. Make sure you join LIVE, as it will show some pretty cool tips and tricks with your content that you've likely not experienced or seen.