40 Sales Statistics that Reveal How Teams Can Succeed in 2026

Sales teams have been trying to achieve two impossible goals at the same time: build meaningful connections on one hand, and scale to handle a ton of accounts on the other hand. It’s been near impossible. Thankfully, AI agents have arrived to help. Below, I’m sharing 20 sales statistics that show how.

Most of the sales statistics below come from our fresh 2026 State of Sales report. They reveal how most sales teams are still growing revenue despite the challenges like changing customer demands. It’s all part of the transformation we shared at Dreamforce this year, with a reinvented sales cycle giving reps the chance to do what they do best: connect with customers. Read on to discover trends and tactics from sales pros on driving growth in 2026.

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Learn how top sellers are driving growth in 2026 — from AI agent use cases to revenue strategies.

The fact is that sales teams don’t have unlimited money and time. Agents help us sell more without burning out. Here’s what our report revealed about agents supporting the sales process:

1. Sales teams say investing in AI is the #1 tactic for growth. Companies that will win deals in 2027 are using AI to help reps sell more without hitting a wall.

2. Revenue gains from AI are most commonly reported from use cases within marketing and sales. This confirms that revenue leaders are the biggest immediate beneficiaries of AI.*

3. 94% of sales leaders with agents say they’re essential for meeting business demands. This confirms that sales teams with AI agents are fully bought in on the gains.

4. The top 3 use cases for sales agents are fulfilling orders, tracking product usage, and creating sales quotes. This reveals that sales teams are deploying sales agents from one end of the sales process to the other.

5. The top 3 sales agent benefits are improving data accuracy, sales planning, and customer retention. Sales pros also say AI agents boost win rates, shorten sales cycles, and save costs.

6. 88% of reps with agents say the technology increases their odds of hitting sales targets. This is what it all comes down to: agents helping reps hit their aggressive quotas. When agents handle the friction, reps feel more confident in their ability to close.

7. High performers are 1.7x more likely than underperformers to use prospecting agents. This is the secret weapon for elite teams. For example, at Salesforce, we used an SDR agent to sweep up the "sawdust"—the millions of low-score leads we historically couldn't afford to work—and created 3,200 opportunities in four months. See the power of prospecting agents in action.

*Source: McKinsey State of AI in 2025 Report .

An agent is only as good as the context you give it. If your data is trapped in silos — spread across collaboration apps, email, and documents — your agents will fail. These sales statistics show that leaders are waking up to this reality and prioritizing the foundational work of cleaning up their data.

8. 84% of data and analytics leaders agree AI's outputs are only as good as its data inputs. If we feed our agents incomplete context, we get error-ridden feedback. Accuracy is the new currency of trust.*

9. 70% of data and analytics leaders believe the most valuable insights for their organizations are trapped in unstructured data. Think about the gold mine in your emails, call transcripts, and PDF contracts. Tapping into this context is key to delivering the highly personalized outreach customers now demand.*

10. 87% of data and analytics leaders believe unified data is key for meeting customer expectations. Customers expect us to know them instantly. We can only do that if our data isn't stuck in silos.*

11. Sales leaders estimate 19% of their company’s data is inaccessible, limiting visibility and personalization. Inaccessible data is the hidden enemy of the unified customer view, costing us revenue and slowing down deals.*

12. 51% of sales pros say data security concerns halt AI initiatives. We are seeing a move toward sales software with built-in security and privacy controls that allow us to mine customer data for insights, while protecting it at the same time.

13. 51% of sales leaders with AI say tech silos delay or limit AI initiatives. If an agent can't see the full customer history because it's in a different app, it can't provide a relevant point of view.

14. 74% of sales teams with AI are prioritizing data hygiene to support it. With AI outcomes hanging in the balance, clean data isn't just an IT concern anymore. It’s a growth driver.

*Source: Salesforce State of Data and Analytics.

These sales statistics show how sales teams are using AI and agents to take manual work off rep’s plates, driving them to more sophisticated and rewarding work.

15. 57% of sales professionals now say the sales cycle is getting longer. This is the critical headwind we are fighting. We need agents to maintain sales velocity and prevent opportunities from stalling.

16. 73% of B2B buyers actively avoid sellers who send irrelevant outreach. This highlights the pressure that sellers are under to deliver personalized experiences to customers. Thankfully, agents are uniquely positioned to deliver this personalized outreach — provided they have secure access to customer data.*

17. Sales reps spend 60% of their time on non-selling tasks. That means hours spent on stuff like hunting for the right sales pitch deck, manually entering customer notes into the CRM, or chasing down internal approvals—instead of talking to a customer. At Salesforce, we’re bringing on agents to take on this admin and rigor, so our reps can get back to building relationships.

18. 72% of sellers feel overwhelmed by the number of skills required for their job. This directly supports the capacity crisis messaging. Sellers are drowning in complexity, and they need help simplifying their daily work.**

19. Sellers who partner with AI sales tools are 3.7 times more likely to meet their quota. This is why I’m encouraging my reps to carve out time every day to experiment with AI and discover the best use cases for them personally to become more productive and successful in their jobs.**

20. 82% of reps say AI provides opportunities for career growth. This is telling. Maybe some folks are scared that AI will take their jobs, but we’re actually seeing that AI is giving reps opportunities and supporting them in their careers. The State of Sales Report reveals that reps with agents have more opportunities to mentor colleagues, pursue leadership opportunities, and work on cross-functional projects.

21. 85% of sales reps with agents say AI frees them to focus on higher-value work. With AI and agents doing the heavy-lifting on tasks like prospecting and drafting call summaries, human reps get to spend more time connecting with customers — the reason most got into sales in the first place.

22. 75% of sales reps say they’re more likely to hit their targets with a coach or mentor. We know coaching works, but managers are often too stretched to do it effectively for every rep, on every call. So it’s no wonder sales teams are tapping agents to help. In fact…

23. 36% of sales teams with agents use them for coaching. This is an elegant solution. Agents can facilitate roleplays and provide real-time feedback, acting as an always-on mentor. Watch a demo of agents coaching reps.

*Source: Gartner Sales Survey, 2025 .
**Source: Gartner Sales Survey, 2024 .

The biggest drag on productivity right now is complexity. These sales statistics show why we need to aggressively consolidate the tech stack and provide reps with a single streamlined experience as they go through their day.

24. Sellers use an average of 8 tools to close deals. Consolidate their work onto a unified platform so reps can get alerts, guidance, and access to data in the flow of their work.

25. 42% of sales reps feel overwhelmed by too many tools. It’s no wonder the reps are dizzy from swiveling their chairs as the sell.

26. Overwhelmed sellers are 45% less likely to attain quota. Our job as leaders is clear: We’ve got to consolidate our tech to simplify the workflow and remove complexity, or we risk undermining the productivity of our entire sales force.*

27. 84% of sales teams without an all-in-one platform plan to consolidate their technology. Given the challenges above, from disconnected data to overwhelmed reps, sales leaders know that centralizing tools is the path to better AI and faster growth.

*Source: Gartner Sales Survey, 2024 .

The State of Sales data shows that growth isn't just about generating sales pipeline and closing deals. It’s also about how we go to market. We are seeing a rising emphasis on usage-based models, partner selling, and sales planning.

28. 76% of sales leaders say usage pricing is more important to customers now than last year. It’s clear why. Customers want to understand and see value quickly. One-off pricing doesn’t always deliver that.

29. Usage pricing has become the #1 revenue model contributing to growth. Sales pros with usage say it’s easier to show ROI, retain customers, and close deals. But taking advantage of usage revenue models is easier said than done. Get our free guide on billing for usage the easy way.

30. 40% of sales professionals with usage pricing say forecasting revenue is a top challenge. This highlights the complexity of delivering usage pricing, which requires tracking usage.

31. 94% of sales teams currently use partner selling (up from 86% last year). We know partners are a must-have. The key is how we engage them. To scale efficiently, we must treat partners as an extension of our own team. Learn 6 ways to scale your partner ecosystem with CRM data and AI.

32. 90% of sales pros with partners use dedicated tools to support them. This widespread adoption of partner ecosystems underscores the need for a partner relationship management software that gives partners the tools they need to be successful.

33. 40% of partners have full access to company AI tools. This is how we treat partners like extensions of our own sales team, giving them the same context and intelligence our internal reps receive. It’s also critical to boosting the efficiency of channel managers, who can use AI to tackle ongoing support requests.

34. Sales planning is the #2 growth tactic across industries, right after investing in AI. This is exactly what it sounds like: a return to fundamentals. In a tight market, pre-work and strategy are essential.

35. 91% of sales pros say AI benefits sales planning. Sales leaders are leaning on technology to create models of revenue strategies and test "what-if" scenarios, transforming a time-consuming exercise into a strategic advantage. Discover how sales planning software can help.

For too long, the sales professional experience was secondary to process. The data is clear: to retain top talent, leaders must prioritize career growth, pay transparency, and community.

36. 76% of reps wish there were more transparency in how their sales compensation is calculated. This is a big issue because it comes down to trust. We must use technology to automate calculations and improve visibility into pay.

37. 32% of sales leaders say their tech stacks lack compensation management capabilities. Despite its importance, providing transparency in pay is easier said than done. Thankfully, incentive compensation management software makes it possible to show up-to-date commission calculations to reps as they sell.

38. Lack of career advancement is the #1 reason sales reps want to change jobs. This is the single biggest threat to retention. We must focus on building a clear career path, and AI is helping by freeing reps to pursue strategic projects.

39. High performers are 3.2x more likely to participate in a sales community outside their company compared to underperformers. Belonging to a sales community gives reps an edge by providing them with opportunities to learn, connect, and grow. Become a Salesblazer to discover the power of community for yourself.

40. 81% of sales reps say participating in a sales community improves their performance. I believe that belonging to a community is one of the biggest changes a seller can make, not only to develop their career but also to get more meaning out of their work.

We are empowering our sales teams with the best tools and the deepest data foundation in the industry. Our focus now is simple: automate the heavy-lifting, augment the rep, and put the customer in the center of it all.

This is just a glimpse of the sales statistics and narrative from this year’s State of Sales. The full report offers a comprehensive look at how 4,000+ sales professionals are navigating this shift. Download the full Seventh Edition State of Sales Report to see all the data, and set yourself up for success in 2026.