How Sales Leaders Are Driving Efficiency in 2025

In 2025, the sales landscape across Australia and New Zealand is defined by stabilised hiring, elevated expectations, and an increasingly strategic use of technology. While 74% of sales teams report plans to grow this year, many organisations are achieving business expansion with minimal changes to headcount. Efficiency, enabled by automation and smarter go-to-market tools, is driving productivity without proportional increases in staffing.

Churn in sales teams has decreased, with both SEEK and CarbonInvoice reporting stable tenures. However, the role of the salesperson is evolving. Today’s professionals are expected not only to deliver results but to demonstrate strong personal brands, digital fluency, and a consultative approach. In return, they’re seeking opportunities that go beyond base salary—growth, autonomy, and alignment with modern selling environments.

Learning and development remains a central retention factor, but the way it’s delivered is shifting. Traditional workshops are being replaced with decentralised, self-led approaches that reward curiosity and proactivity. AI is also transforming how insights are delivered and how client expectations are met, prompting teams to adopt new tools while preserving a critical human touch.

In a market where client and candidate expectations are both higher than ever, competitive employers are those that enable growth, champion innovation, and cultivate connected, high-performing teams.

“Soft skills because everything else to me is table stakes now.”

In a conversation hosted by people2people Permanent Senior Consultant Sharna Bryant, SEEK’s Account Director Danny Merrigan and CarbonInvoice General Manager Sam Olorenshaw outlined the key trends transforming sales.

While most sales teams are planning for growth, Olorenshaw offered a nuanced perspective. “I’d put myself in the 26% not looking to grow [headcount],” he said. “We are growing our businesses… just with the same headcount.” Thanks to the efficiency of new tools, his peers are “10x-ing their pipeline” without additional hiring. The focus is on strategic hiring after growth occurs—not before.

Merrigan observed a similar environment at SEEK, where demand and supply trends suggest sales remains strong. “We’re getting 22% more supply into the market, but it’s not affecting the demand,” he said, describing this as a sign of resilience. He noted SEEK’s expansion into eight countries and a growing appetite for new, creative sales roles—especially those enabled by tech.

The pair also examined the evolving nature of learning and development. Olorenshaw described a decentralised approach: “We’re given autonomy, tooling, budget and encouragement to experiment… time to upskill, and weekly forums to share.” He sees this as critical to retention, particularly in tech-aligned sales environments. “It’s not about traditional innovation labs anymore—it’s about decentralising and re-aggregating.”

Merrigan highlighted the challenges in keeping long-tenure staff engaged. “We’re constantly looking at how to keep that person motivated… through upskilling, market knowledge, AI capabilities.” Both agreed that salespeople, even the high performers, want more than just commission—they want growth and relevance.

On essential skills, both speakers pointed to soft skills as the differentiator. “Everything else is table stakes now,” Olorenshaw said, placing emphasis on personal brand. “People buy from people… those who are willing to put themselves out there are doing really well.” Merrigan added that consultative selling and storytelling with data are increasingly expected. “The bar from clients is now higher.”

The conversation also touched on AI’s impact. SEEK has rolled out its own in-house generative AI tool to assist with insights and planning. Merrigan noted, “Client expectations are that you’ve got all the answers… it puts pressure on salespeople to deliver with data.” He warned, however, that AI still requires human oversight: “It’s right a lot of times—it’s not right every single time.”

Olorenshaw echoed the need for quality control but emphasised the upside. “AI is helping us do more with less… the risk is not using it well, not using it at all.” He also pointed to poor examples—such as generic outreach emails—as a reminder that even with automation, authenticity remains king.

Practical Takeaways for Sales Employers in 2025

• Empower sales teams with automation, AI tools, and decentralised learning to drive performance without expanding headcount.

• Invest in soft skills and personal brand development to enhance customer relationships and differentiate your team.

• Create pathways for growth beyond management to retain top-performing salespeople.

• Use AI to support insights and planning—but maintain rigorous human oversight.

• Focus on autonomy and connection to foster team engagement and reduce churn.