Why Sales No Longer Drives Growth and What Actually Works in 2026

• 16 Feb 2014|
• Marketing Strategy|
• Posted by Martyn East

Sales has not stopped working. But it no longer drives growth in the way many businesses still expect it to.

I see this repeatedly when working with sales-led companies across construction, manufacturing, fenestration and B2B services. Pipeline slows. Conversion rates drop. Sales teams get blamed. Targets get raised. Activity increases. Results do not.

The problem is not effort, attitude or talent.
The problem is that buyer behaviour has changed, and many businesses are still organised around a model that no longer reflects how decisions are made.

In 2026, most buying decisions are already shaped before sales are involved. The role of sales is still important, but it now sits later in the process. Growth comes from what happens before that first conversation, not during it.

My article explains why the old sales-first model no longer works, what has replaced it, and how businesses that adapt are outperforming competitors who have not.

The Sales Model That Used to Work

For decades, sales sat at the centre of growth.

Salespeople controlled access to information. Product knowledge, pricing, comparisons and options all lived inside the sales process. If a customer wanted answers, they had to speak to someone. That gave sales real leverage.

Trust also sat with individuals. Buyers trusted people more than brands, because brands were distant and opaque. A strong sales conversation could overcome uncertainty, create confidence and close the deal.

In that environment, marketing played a supporting role. It created awareness, generated enquiries and armed sales teams with brochures and presentations. Sales did the heavy lifting.

That model worked because buyers had limited alternatives.

What Changed and Why Sales Lost Its Leverage

The shift did not happen overnight, but it is now complete.

Buyers no longer need salespeople to access information. Research that once took days now takes minutes. Product comparisons, peer reviews, pricing benchmarks and technical details are all available before contact is made.

More importantly, buyers no longer trust what sellers say at face value. They trust what they can verify. They trust what others say. They trust what they see consistently over time.

This has reduced the influence of persuasion and increased the importance of credibility.

Sales did not become less skilled. It simply lost its position at the start of the journey.

The Modern Buyer Journey in 2026

In 2026, the typical buyer journey looks like this:

Awareness happens quietly. A problem emerges. The buyer does not contact suppliers. They search, read, watch and compare. Research follows. Buyers’ shortlist based on familiarity, perceived expertise and visibility. At this stage, many suppliers are already excluded. Internal validation happens next. Decisions are discussed with colleagues, directors or partners. Risk is assessed. Unknown brands are removed. Only then does sales enter the process. By the time a conversation takes place, the buyer has already formed a view. Sales is there to confirm, not convince. This is why many sales conversations feel harder than they used to. The real decision happened earlier.

Why Sales Teams Are Still Being Blamed

When results fall short, sales is the most visible function to blame.

Targets are missed, so pressure increases. More calls are made. More follow-ups happen. Activity rises, but quality does not.

What is often ignored is lead quality. Sales teams are frequently asked to convert prospects who do not trust the brand, do not understand the offer, or are still researching alternatives.

That is not a sales problem. It is a positioning and visibility problem.

Sales is being asked to do work that should already be done.

The 80/20 Shift Revisited

Years ago, the idea that buying had shifted from 80 per cent sales and 20 per cent marketing to the reverse felt radical. Today, it is conservative. In reality, marketing now carries responsibility for belief formation, risk reduction and brand familiarity. Sales carries responsibility for validation, clarification and commercial agreement.

This is not about the volume of output. It is about influence over decision-making.

When marketing fails to build trust, sales inherit doubt. When marketing succeeds, sales become easier, faster and more predictable.

What Marketing Actually Does in 2026

Marketing is often misunderstood, particularly in sales-led industries.

It is not about posting content for the sake of it. It is not about chasing attention. It is about shaping how a business is perceived before contact.

In 2026, effective marketing does three things well.

First, it demonstrates expertise. Not by claiming it, but by showing it consistently through insight, explanation and clarity.

Second, it reduces perceived risk. Buyers feel safer choosing brands they recognise, understand and have seen repeatedly.

Third, it pre-qualifies demand. The right prospects come forward already aligned with what the business does and how it works.

When marketing does this properly, sales conversations change completely.

The Role of Sales in a Modern Growth Model

Sales still matter. In many ways, it matters more.

But its role is different.

Sales now validates decisions. It answers final questions. It confirms suitability. It aligns commercial terms. It reassures buyers they are making the right choice.

What sales no longer does effectively is educate from scratch or overcome distrust created earlier.

When sales are positioned correctly, conversion rates improve, deal cycles shorten, and margins stabilise. When it is not, sales become reactive and exhausting.

Where Most Businesses Still Get This Wrong

The most common mistake I see is over-investment in late-stage activity and under-investment in early influence.

Businesses still expect sales to generate certainty in an uncertain market. They still treat marketing as a support function rather than a growth driver.

Another issue is output without intent. Content is produced, but it does not answer real buyer questions. Websites exist, but they do not build confidence. Visibility is patchy, inconsistent or generic.

The result is familiarity without authority, which does not convert.

What a Joined-Up Sales and Marketing Model Looks Like

High-performing businesses align sales and marketing around a shared understanding of the buyer journey.

Marketing focuses on visibility, credibility and education. Sales focuses on qualification, alignment and closure.

Feedback flows both ways. Sales informs marketing where prospects hesitate. Marketing supports sales by addressing those issues earlier in the journey.

This is not theoretical. It is practical, measurable and repeatable.

Why Visibility Beats Persuasion Now

In crowded markets, familiarity is a deciding factor.

Buyers choose brands they recognise, not necessarily those with the best pitch. Visibility across search, content, industry platforms and peer discussion creates comfort.

In 2026, this extends beyond traditional search. Buyers encounter brands through AI summaries, comparison tools and recommendation engines. These systems reward consistency, clarity and authority.

If your brand does not appear early, it is rarely chosen later.

How Trust Is Built Before Sales Contact

Trust is not created in a single interaction. It is built through repetition.

Buyers trust businesses that explain clearly, share insight openly and show evidence of experience. They trust brands that appear consistently when questions are asked.

This is where expertise matters. Generic messaging blends in. Specific, experience-led insight stands out.

Trust built early reduces friction later.

What This Means for Business Owners and Directors

For leaders, this shift requires a rethink.

Growth no longer comes from pushing sales harder. It comes from supporting sales earlier. That means investing in visibility, positioning and authority.

Budgets should reflect influence, not just activity. Expectations should align with how buyers actually behave.

The businesses that accept this reality grow more steadily than those that resist it.

Adapting Without Breaking Your Sales Team

This is not about replacing sales. It is about supporting it properly.

When marketing carries more of the early load, sales teams deal with better-informed prospects. Conversations improve. Pressure reduces. Performance becomes more consistent.

Sales professionals thrive when they are allowed to do what they do best.

Sales Still Matter, Just Not First

Sales is not broken.
The order is. In 2026, growth is driven by visibility, trust and relevance long before the first call is made. Sales succeed when those foundations are in place. Businesses that understand this do not chase leads. They attract the right ones. Those who do not will continue to push harder for diminishing returns.

About the Author – Martyn East

I wrote this piece on why sales no longer drives growth because I see the same pattern across construction, manufacturing and other sales-led sectors: buyers research first, shortlist early, and speak to sales later. As an SEO Executive at Purplex, I help businesses build search visibility, authority-led content and lead journeys that support sales conversations, not fight them.

Connect with me on LinkedIn or read more of my articles: Martyn East.

Originally published on 16 February 2014 at 20:17. Updated on 3 February 2026 at 15:38.

 

This entry was posted in Marketing Strategy