{"id":11196,"date":"2026-02-11T17:53:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T09:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=11196"},"modified":"2026-02-11T17:53:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T09:53:17","slug":"kris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/kris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Talking the Future of Small Business Sales With EVP &amp; GM Kris Billmaier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"key-takeaways wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways\" aria-label=\"Key Takeaways\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways__inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways__header\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways__title\">\n\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways__title-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\tKey Takeaways\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<button \n\t\t\tid=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways-button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways__button\"\n\t\t\taria-controls=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways-content\"\n\t\t\taria-expanded=\"false\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"\n\t\t\tToggle Key Takeaways content\t\t\t\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill=\"url(#a)\" d=\"M17.401 6.445a1.525 1.525 0 0 1 2.153 0 1.517 1.517 0 0 1 0 2.149l-7.977 7.961a1.526 1.526 0 0 1-2.154 0L1.446 8.594a1.517 1.517 0 0 1 0-2.149 1.524 1.524 0 0 1 2.153 0l6.9 6.886z\" \/><defs><linearGradient id=\"a\" x2=\"10.5\" y2=\"17\" gradientUnits=\"userSpaceOnUse\"><stop stop-color=\"#BA01FF\" \/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#0250D9\" \/><\/linearGradient><\/defs><\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways-content\" class=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways__content\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kris Billmaier, the EVP and GM for Sales at Salesforce, shares a look at AI and agentic tools assisting, not replacing, sales teams. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI acts as a great equalizer for SMB sales teams, allowing them to &#8220;do more with less.&#8221; Modern CRMs are giving small teams the efficiency and predictive power to compete with larger enterprises.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For AI adoption to succeed, unify all customer data in one CRM platform \u2014 a necessary first step for deeper insights and automation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"wp-block-salesforce-blog-key-takeaways__footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\tThis summary was created with AI and reviewed by an editor.\t\t\t\t<\/footer>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p>Kris Billmaier knows a thing or two about teams and growth. Now the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/krisbillmaier\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EVP &amp; GM of Agentforce Sales at Salesforce<\/a>, his path to leading the company\u2019s largest cloud has been anything but conventional. From team captain to on-stage keynotes at Dreamforce, Kris runs a team that is making waves for the future of business.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We sat down with Kris to get his unique insights on the future of sales, how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/category\/artificial-intelligence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">artificial intelligence (AI)<\/a> is fundamentally reshaping the landscape for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/small-business\/what-is-an-smb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">small and medium businesses (SMBs)<\/a>, and the strategies they can adopt to leverage new agentic tools. We&#8217;ll dive into his origin story, explore current sales trends, discuss the powerful combination of AI and CRM, and close with his lasting advice for growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-get-to-know-kris-nbsp\">Get to know Kris&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Teams have been a constant throughout Kris Billmaier\u2019s life. In college, he played baseball at the University of Notre Dame, where he was team captain. After graduation, he played right field in the Detroit Tigers organisation. Not long after leaving professional sports, he founded a fantasy sports startup, where he built his product with a small team of employees for four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following his time as a founder and CEO, he spent close to eight years at Microsoft before coming to Salesforce in 2018. He currently resides in the greater Seattle area with his family, continues to be an avid Seahawks fan, and coaches his daughter&#8217;s softball team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Billmaier&#8217;s experience as a startup founder informs his philosophy at Salesforce. One of his key mottos that his team knows well is \u201ceasy by default, advanced by choice.\u201d For him, it\u2019s crucial for products to not only deliver value to customers but to also bring them delight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-current-sales-trends-and-impact-on-small-businesses-nbsp\">Current sales trends and impact on small businesses&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Under Billmaier\u2019s leadership, Sales CRM has evolved to embrace AI-driven transformation, positioning Agentforce Sales at the company\u2019s forefront. <strong>The future of sales is moving fast, with AI and agents leading the charge.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/agentforce\/ai-agents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AI agents<\/a> are poised to reshape every phase of the sales cycle, from prospecting and deal management to post-call follow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The core vision is to empower sellers to spend less time on repetitive administrative tasks and more time on what they do best \u2014 building human connections.This shift is especially impactful for small businesses and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/crm\/startup-crm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">startups<\/a>, allowing them to focus on innovation instead of being bogged down by administrative work.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-quote-article\" style=\"\"><div class=\"wp-block-quote-social-wrapper\"><figure class=\"wp-block-quote-article-quote\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>We\u2019re moving rapidly into the agentic future of selling&#8230; allowing sellers and go-to-market individuals to be closer to the customer, and to focus on the things they love doing most \u2014 engaging with the customer.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<span class=\"citation-role\">Kris Billmaier, EVP &amp; GM, Agentforce Sales<\/span>\n<div class=\"post__social post__social--v2 post__social--blockquote\">\n\n\t\n\t<ul class=\"social-nav social-nav-v2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-nav__item\">\n\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new tab)\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.salesforce.com%2Fap%2Fblog%2Fkris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses%2F%3Futm_source%3DLinkedIn%26utm_medium%3Dorganic_social%26utm_campaign%3Dus_cbaw%26utm_content%3Dblog-ctt&#038;title=Talking%20the%20Future%20of%20Small%20Business%20Sales%20With%20EVP%20%26%20GM%20Kris%20Billmaier\"\n\t\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" fill=\"none\"><path fill=\"#032D60\" d=\"M16.625 0H4.375A4.375 4.375 0 0 0 0 4.375v12.25A4.375 4.375 0 0 0 4.375 21h12.25A4.375 4.375 0 0 0 21 16.625V4.375A4.375 4.375 0 0 0 16.625 0M7 16.625H4.375V7H7zM5.687 5.89a1.54 1.54 0 0 1-1.53-1.543c0-.852.685-1.544 1.53-1.544.846 0 1.532.692 1.532 1.544S6.534 5.89 5.687 5.89M17.5 16.625h-2.625v-4.903c0-2.947-3.5-2.724-3.5 0v4.903H8.75V7h2.625v1.544c1.222-2.262 6.125-2.43 6.125 2.167z\" \/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-nav__item\">\n\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Share on Twitter (Opens in a new tab)\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Talking%20the%20Future%20of%20Small%20Business%20Sales%20With%20EVP%20%26%20GM%20Kris%20Billmaier&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.salesforce.com%2Fap%2Fblog%2Fkris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses%2F%3Futm_source%3DTwitter%26utm_medium%3Dorganic_social%26utm_campaign%3Dus_cbaw%26utm_content%3Dblog-ctt&#038;via=salesforce\"\n\t\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" fill=\"#032D60\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path d=\"M17.4 14.8 23 8.3h-1.3L16.8 14 13 8.3H8.5l5.9 8.5-5.9 6.8h1.3l5.1-6 4.1 6h4.5zm-1.8 2.1-.6-.8-4.7-6.8h2l3.8 5.5.6.8 5 7.1h-2z\" \/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-nav__item\">\n\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Share on Facebook (Opens in a new tab)\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.salesforce.com%2Fap%2Fblog%2Fkris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses%2F%3Futm_source%3DFacebook%26utm_medium%3Dorganic_social%26utm_campaign%3Dus_cbaw%26utm_content%3Dblog-ctt\"\n\t\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"19\" height=\"19\" fill=\"none\"><path fill=\"#032D60\" d=\"M19 9.5a9.5 9.5 0 0 0-19 0c0 4.742 3.474 8.672 8.016 9.385v-6.639H5.604V9.5h2.412V7.407c0-2.38 1.418-3.696 3.588-3.696 1.04 0 2.127.185 2.127.185v2.338h-1.198c-1.18 0-1.549.733-1.549 1.484V9.5h2.635l-.421 2.746h-2.214v6.639C15.526 18.172 19 14.242 19 9.5\" \/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"social-nav__item\">\n\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"copy-share js-copy-link\"\n\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Copy link to clipboard\"\n\t\t\t\thref=\"#\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-clipboard-text='\"Talking the Future of Small Business Sales With EVP &amp; GM Kris Billmaier\" https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/kris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses\/'\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"20\" height=\"10\" fill=\"none\"><path fill=\"#032D60\" d=\"M14.586.406h-3.667V2.24h3.667a2.76 2.76 0 0 1 2.75 2.75 2.76 2.76 0 0 1-2.75 2.75h-3.667v1.833h3.667a4.585 4.585 0 0 0 4.583-4.583A4.585 4.585 0 0 0 14.586.406m-5.5 7.334H5.419a2.76 2.76 0 0 1-2.75-2.75 2.76 2.76 0 0 1 2.75-2.75h3.667V.406H5.419A4.585 4.585 0 0 0 .836 4.99a4.585 4.585 0 0 0 4.583 4.583h3.667zm-2.75-3.667h7.333v1.833H6.336z\" \/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e181107a4ec&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e181107a4ec\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"491\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/image_b2b05d.jpeg?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11193\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image_b2b05d.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image_b2b05d.jpeg?w=300&amp;h=184 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image_b2b05d.jpeg?w=768&amp;h=471 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image_b2b05d.jpeg?w=150&amp;h=92 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Preparing for Dreamforce with the Agentforce Sales team. <em>(Source: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/krisbillmaier_df25-activity-7379643921888583681-HPoE?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAACgBnfUBY_TVajzou1vXzZWg-jFIbnhd0aU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Kris Billmaier LinkedIn, San Francisco, Salesforce HQ<\/em><\/a><em>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI, CRM, and customer insights with Kris<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>AI has been and will continue to be groundbreaking for all businesses. It allows companies to do more with less, shifting time spent on menial tasks to connecting with customers and innovating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When people think of Salesforce, they often think of an enterprise company. However, about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/growing-smbs-survived-the-pandemic-by-going-digital\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">70% of Salesforce customers are small or medium businesses<\/a>. The wide range of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/crm\/what-is-crm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">customer relationship management (CRM)<\/a> offerings ensures that businesses never have to worry about outgrowing their platform as they scale. Salesforce\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/small-business\/starter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Starter Suite<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/small-business\/pro-suite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pro Suite<\/a> offerings make it easy to start and grow, and Kris and team launched Salesforce\u2019s first-ever free CRM, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/crm\/free-crm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Free Suite<\/a>. In fact, many companies that have since IPOed have been using Salesforce since their early startup days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/sales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Agentforce Sales<\/a> provides growing businesses with a comprehensive platform to simplify their sales processes and fuel growth. By unifying sales, service, and marketing data, it offers a true 360-degree view of every customer, enabling startups to personalise interactions and build stronger relationships. This integrated approach simplifies lead management, automates routine tasks, and provides valuable insights through AI-powered analytics, helping smaller teams operate more efficiently.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Kris puts it, \u201c[we\u2019re] building a connected platform to solve for all aspects of the sales cycle so that our customers can come in, start with a CRM, and grow up with our company, and at every step of the process, be engaged with their customer with the right data, at the right time, with the right AI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kris believes that AI will augment the sales cycle \u2013 and the next generation of sellers in the best way possible. <strong>\u201cWhat if we were to move to a world where every phase of the sales cycle became agentified?\u201d <\/strong>he asks. \u201cYou have tools out there that allow you to prospect 24\/7, so that your SDRs or your salespeople wake up with a full lead funnel without having to do all the manual searching through third-party applications to fill and to start a pipe-qualifying process. <strong>What if you had an agent that looked at those prospects, had conversations with them, and turned those conversations into meetings of significance, where you had all the data at your fingertips to have the great conversation as a human?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"layout-nine wp-block-salesforce-blog-offer\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-offer__wrapper\">\n\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-offer__content\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"wp-block-offer__title\">Build your limitless sales team.<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-offer__description\">Learn more about Agentforce Sales for your growing business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/sales\/\">Learn more<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-offer__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-offer__graphics wp-block-offer__contour\"><\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<!-- Standard Illustration -->\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-offer__graphics wp-block-offer__illustration\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/salesforce-blog\/dist\/images\/offer-block\/offer-illustration-layout-nine.png\" alt=\"\">\n\n\t\t<!-- Small Accent Illustration -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<!-- Left Side Illustration -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<!-- Cloud Illustration -->\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adoption and best practices for SMBs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The foundation of great AI is great <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">data<\/a>. Many businesses struggle because their customer information is scattered or inconsistent. Kris recommends ensuring that business data across teams like sales, service, and marketing is organised in one place, before implementing AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal is to leverage AI tools and agents to multiply your workforce and automate repeatable processes, allowing your people to focus on innovation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/category\/customer-relationships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">customer relationships<\/a>, and strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-walking-the-agentic-walk\">Walking the agentic walk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>AI can help boost seller productivity by engaging with leads around the clock, surfacing insights, guiding next steps, and automating administrative tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking to the power of the right tools, Kris notes how Salesforce has transformed its own sales processes with <a href=\"https:\/\/salesforce.vidyard.com\/watch\/n7GzdX1Nu2hNHuyBt5fhxw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Agentforce\u2019s Engagement Agent<\/a> which nurtures leads with personalised outreach and books meetings with sales teams when they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Previously, Salesforce <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/blog\/sales-development-representative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sales development representatives (SDRs)<\/a> could only follow up with one in four leads due to the large inbound volume the team received. <strong>\u201cWe faced capacity issues, but solved them by partnering our human SDRs with a digital workforce to unlock massive productivity.\u201d<\/strong> By grounding the Engagement Agent in its own sales CRM data, Salesforce has been able to extend the expertise of its sellers, so no leads were left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e181107b32e&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e181107b32e\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" height=\"576\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image.png 1920w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image.png?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image.png?w=768&amp;h=432 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image.png?w=1024&amp;h=576 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image.png?w=1536&amp;h=864 1536w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image.png?w=150&amp;h=84 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lasting sales advice for growing businesses in the agentic era<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kris\u2019s final advice reinforces the human-centric future of sales: &#8220;The agentic era isn\u2019t taking the human out of sales, it&#8217;s arming sellers with the data, context, and insights they need to make every human moment count.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The future of sales isn&#8217;t about selling sales technology; it&#8217;s about selling sales teams, surrounding an individual with all the adjacent support they need to do their job efficiently. And, the future is now.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-quote-article\" style=\"\"><div class=\"wp-block-quote-social-wrapper\"><figure class=\"wp-block-quote-article-quote\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;The agentic era isn\u2019t taking the human out of sales, it&#8217;s arming sellers with the data, context, and insights they need to make every human moment count.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<span class=\"citation-role\">&#8211; Kris Billmaier, EVP &amp; GM, Agentforce Sales<\/span>\n<div class=\"post__social post__social--v2 post__social--blockquote\">\n\n\t\n\t<ul class=\"social-nav social-nav-v2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-nav__item\">\n\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new tab)\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.salesforce.com%2Fap%2Fblog%2Fkris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses%2F%3Futm_source%3DLinkedIn%26utm_medium%3Dorganic_social%26utm_campaign%3Dus_cbaw%26utm_content%3Dblog-ctt&#038;title=Talking%20the%20Future%20of%20Small%20Business%20Sales%20With%20EVP%20%26%20GM%20Kris%20Billmaier\"\n\t\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" fill=\"none\"><path fill=\"#032D60\" d=\"M16.625 0H4.375A4.375 4.375 0 0 0 0 4.375v12.25A4.375 4.375 0 0 0 4.375 21h12.25A4.375 4.375 0 0 0 21 16.625V4.375A4.375 4.375 0 0 0 16.625 0M7 16.625H4.375V7H7zM5.687 5.89a1.54 1.54 0 0 1-1.53-1.543c0-.852.685-1.544 1.53-1.544.846 0 1.532.692 1.532 1.544S6.534 5.89 5.687 5.89M17.5 16.625h-2.625v-4.903c0-2.947-3.5-2.724-3.5 0v4.903H8.75V7h2.625v1.544c1.222-2.262 6.125-2.43 6.125 2.167z\" \/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-nav__item\">\n\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Share on Twitter (Opens in a new tab)\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Talking%20the%20Future%20of%20Small%20Business%20Sales%20With%20EVP%20%26%20GM%20Kris%20Billmaier&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.salesforce.com%2Fap%2Fblog%2Fkris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses%2F%3Futm_source%3DTwitter%26utm_medium%3Dorganic_social%26utm_campaign%3Dus_cbaw%26utm_content%3Dblog-ctt&#038;via=salesforce\"\n\t\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" fill=\"#032D60\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path d=\"M17.4 14.8 23 8.3h-1.3L16.8 14 13 8.3H8.5l5.9 8.5-5.9 6.8h1.3l5.1-6 4.1 6h4.5zm-1.8 2.1-.6-.8-4.7-6.8h2l3.8 5.5.6.8 5 7.1h-2z\" \/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-nav__item\">\n\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Share on Facebook (Opens in a new tab)\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.salesforce.com%2Fap%2Fblog%2Fkris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses%2F%3Futm_source%3DFacebook%26utm_medium%3Dorganic_social%26utm_campaign%3Dus_cbaw%26utm_content%3Dblog-ctt\"\n\t\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"19\" height=\"19\" fill=\"none\"><path fill=\"#032D60\" d=\"M19 9.5a9.5 9.5 0 0 0-19 0c0 4.742 3.474 8.672 8.016 9.385v-6.639H5.604V9.5h2.412V7.407c0-2.38 1.418-3.696 3.588-3.696 1.04 0 2.127.185 2.127.185v2.338h-1.198c-1.18 0-1.549.733-1.549 1.484V9.5h2.635l-.421 2.746h-2.214v6.639C15.526 18.172 19 14.242 19 9.5\" \/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\n\t\t<li class=\"social-nav__item\">\n\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"copy-share js-copy-link\"\n\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Copy link to clipboard\"\n\t\t\t\thref=\"#\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-clipboard-text='\"Talking the Future of Small Business Sales With EVP &amp; GM Kris Billmaier\" https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/kris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses\/'\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"20\" height=\"10\" fill=\"none\"><path fill=\"#032D60\" d=\"M14.586.406h-3.667V2.24h3.667a2.76 2.76 0 0 1 2.75 2.75 2.76 2.76 0 0 1-2.75 2.75h-3.667v1.833h3.667a4.585 4.585 0 0 0 4.583-4.583A4.585 4.585 0 0 0 14.586.406m-5.5 7.334H5.419a2.76 2.76 0 0 1-2.75-2.75 2.76 2.76 0 0 1 2.75-2.75h3.667V.406H5.419A4.585 4.585 0 0 0 .836 4.99a4.585 4.585 0 0 0 4.583 4.583h3.667zm-2.75-3.667h7.333v1.833H6.336z\" \/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e181107c4ab&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e181107c4ab\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/image_557801.jpeg?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image_557801.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image_557801.jpeg?w=300&amp;h=200 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image_557801.jpeg?w=768&amp;h=512 768w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image_557801.jpeg?w=1024&amp;h=682 1024w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image_557801.jpeg?w=1536&amp;h=1023 1536w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/image_557801.jpeg?w=150&amp;h=100 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>(Source: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/plus\/experience\/dreamforce_2025\/series\/sales_at_dreamforce_2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Dreamforce Sales, 2025<\/em><\/a><em>)\u00a0<\/em><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Explore your AI CRM journey to more sales today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ready to put AI to work for your sales teams? Check out Salesforce\u2019s SMB offerings to start your journey with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/small-business\/pricing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Free Suite or a free trial of Starter Suite<\/a> or learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/sales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Agentforce Sales<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not sure where to start? Fill out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/form\/contact\/contactme-sales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this form<\/a> for an expert to contact you with more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>AI supported the writers and editors who created this article.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kris shares how AI is reshaping the sales landscape, offering small businesses the power to scale and build deeper customer relationships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":11195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sf_justforyou_enable_alt":true,"optimizely_content_id":"690a56f8a5b1f64d86ba20a2AP","post_meta_title":"","ai_synopsis":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"sf_topic":[36,15,214,26,43],"sf_content_type":[707],"coauthors":[583,828],"class_list":["post-11196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sf_topic-sales-cloud","sf_topic-sales","sf_topic-startups","sf_topic-small-business","sf_topic-thought-leadership","sf_content_type-blog"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Talking the Future of Sales With EVP &amp; GM Kris Billmaier - Salesforce<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kris Billmaier, Salesforce EVP &amp; GM, discusses how AI and agentic tools are revolutionizing sales for small businesses.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/kris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Talking the Future of Small Business Sales With EVP &amp; GM Kris Billmaier\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kris Billmaier, Salesforce EVP &amp; GM, discusses how AI and agentic tools are revolutionizing sales for small businesses.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/kris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Salesforce\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-11T09:53:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-11T09:53:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/12\/krisheader.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1365\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Caylin White, Cordelia Hsiao\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Caylin White and Cordelia Hsiao\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/kris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/kris-billmaier-sales-advice-for-small-businesses\/\"},\"author\":[{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/04c66be88f1284ed6ad46149859e77bf\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/52eabab2f89dc81a500db33a316068cc\"}],\"headline\":\"Talking the Future of Small Business Sales With EVP &amp; 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