Sales technology is advancing quickly, making digital tools vital for driving efficiency and results. To explore how sales leaders can succeed in this era of AI and innovation, Raconteur’s creative director for branded content, Tom Watts, interviewed Alyssa Merwin, LinkedIn's VP of Global Sales Solutions. Their discussion highlights strategies for staying ahead in the ever-evolving sales landscape.

To kick us off, Alyssa, what do you think makes a successful sales leader, and how are you driving your team to success in the current environment?

Success in today’s sales environment requires understanding the current landscape and adapting strategies accordingly. Post-pandemic, businesses have transitioned from a “sugar rush” of rapid tech adoption to reevaluating their investments amidst economic pressures. This shift has created a more challenging selling and buying environment, where retaining customers and securing long-term commitments is no longer guaranteed.

Recognizing that previous outreach volumes were insufficient, a “150% mindset” was introduced. This approach involves aiming higher—150% more customer outreach, engagement, and pipeline activity—to surpass targets and adapt to current demands. It encourages embracing an aspirational mindset, increasing efforts, and making necessary changes to behaviors to succeed.

Ultimately, thriving in today’s market means reassessing strategies, adapting to the moment, and intensifying actions to meet evolving challenges.

It’s quite an aspirational approach especially as it’s been quite a challenging environment over the last couple of years. So, I wonder, from a sales success perspective, what do you think it takes to implement more effective sales strategies, and what does that require of leaders, teams and the business? 

The fundamentals of sales remain unchanged, but buying behavior has shifted significantly. Customers now complete 95% of their evaluation before engaging with a salesperson, leveraging online resources, referrals, and personal experience. When salespeople do get involved, they must make a strong impact to validate or influence the customer’s decision.

Revenue teams need to assess their performance across different stages of the sales process. Key questions include: How do we find prospects? How do we engage them effectively? Are we making each opportunity count? Different teams may struggle at various stages, highlighting the need for tailored strategies.

Sales teams must stand out in competitive markets by cutting through the noise. Revenue leaders should prioritize high-value prospects and develop targeted strategies to address them, focusing on opportunities that could drive the most significant results.

Totally - but a lot of those things are often easier said than done. How is LinkedIn looking to better enable sales teams via tools like CRM sync for Sales Navigator?

Sales Navigator leverages LinkedIn's vast network of over a billion professionals to help sales reps identify key individuals and hidden influencers, build relationships, and engage effectively. It equips salespeople to approach prospects with better preparation, ensuring impactful interactions.

One standout feature is Account IQ. Using generative AI, it consolidates information from public filings, press releases, LinkedIn posts, and more, reducing hours of research to seconds. This helps sales reps show up well-informed and ready.

Another popular tool is the Relationship Map, a sophisticated organizational chart that identifies influencers, supporters, and detractors within an organization. It visualizes existing connections and gaps, enabling deeper, wider relationships crucial for team selling.

CRM Sync integrates Sales Navigator insights directly into tools like Salesforce or Dynamics, streamlining workflows. By consolidating intelligence in the platforms sales teams already use, this feature reduces tool-switching and enhances efficiency—a key demand from today’s revenue leaders.

It’s clear that technology is essential in augmenting the success of sales in the modern world. You mentioned genAI there too, Alyssa - how is LinkedIn thinking about genAI and how is that flowing through into your solutions you provide to accelerate sales success for clients?

AI has been central to Sales Navigator from the start, but generative AI is transforming it further. We view automation in three ways: tasks that can be fully automated, those needing some human input, and those remaining manual. In sales, up to two-thirds of the job can be automated, such as replacing hours of account research with a single click using genAI.

Having the tech is one thing but being good at using it is another. Do you think that it requires a mindset shift in how sales think about technology and the role it can play in building accounts and generating the information they need to drive sales?

Sales is both science and art, but a repeatable, standardized process must form its foundation. This includes integrating new skills, technologies, or messages into every step and fostering consistency and accountability across the organization.

Top sales organizations treat sales more as a science, adapting to shifts in buying behavior. With reduced risk tolerance, buyers now prefer pilots before committing fully. The goal, however, is to scale from pilots to broader adoption, not limit purchases to small groups.

This marks a shift from the pandemic’s “sugar rush” of rapid investments to today’s more cautious evaluations, where businesses ask, Do we really need this?

Technology is key, but getting your sales tech stack right is essential. With innovation moving so quickly, and genAI moving to the forefront, what does that mean for sales teams and sales technology?

As an essentialist, I believe sales leaders should focus on a streamlined tech stack. Instead of investing in every tool, prioritize those that work together, like a CRM and Sales Navigator, and avoid overwhelming reps with too many systems.

Even with the right tech, B2B sales will always rely on trust and relationship-building. While genAI can boost productivity and efficiency, it's the human skills—especially soft skills—that will ultimately set companies apart and drive success.

Perhaps one of the unforeseen knock-on effects of AI-powered tools is that it frees up people to focus on developing essential soft skills. So, what do you think are the key soft skills required of sales leaders?

The ability to connect, inspire, and build trust is crucial for both sales leaders and reps, and these qualities can't be replaced by technology. However, they're harder to develop since people either have them naturally or not, much like determination and hard work.

We’ve talked about quite a few aspects of sales strategies, technology, and the value of trust and human relationships. If we look ahead to the next six months of the year, what would your advice be for sales leaders looking to drive sales success and help their business to thrive?

I’d suggest two things for sales leaders. First, assess what’s left to unlock in your sales process—whether it's more high-quality conversations, better customer engagement, or reducing attrition. Depending on the need, tools like Sales Navigator or Account IQ, along with skill development, can help. Focus on the most impactful changes.

Second, rather than asking if genAI means fewer salespeople, consider how many more you can hire to capitalize on increased efficiency. Use genAI to accelerate opportunities and grow your sales force to pursue them faster.