The 7 Sales Skills That Will Matter Most in FY26

Quick quiz:

Are your sellers prepared for:

• Gen Z buyers?

• AI collaboration?

• Multithreaded selling?

Spoiler alert: most aren’t.But that’s good news for those ready to level up. Here are the 7 must-have sales skills for FY26, backed by research from Gartner, LinkedIn and Salesforce.

1. Tactical Flexibility

Gartner says sellers with this skill are 3.4x more likely to hit quota. Think: adjusting your approach on the fly, tailoring to complex buying teams, adapting to sudden changes.

💡 Action tip: Run scenario-based roleplays monthly—not just once a quarter.

2. AI Partnership

It’s not about using AI—it’s about using it well. Those who embrace AI properly are 3.7x more likely to exceed quota (Gartner). This means prompt engineering, smart automation, and AI-powered outreach.

💡 Action tip: Run a team prompt challenge. Winner gets bragging rights and more meetings.

3. Mentalising

This is the secret sauce of deep sellers. It’s about understanding buyer emotion, motivation, objections—before they’re voiced. It’s empathy, active listening, and strategic questioning rolled into one.

💡 Action tip: Add “mentalising moments” to every debrief: “What do you think they were feeling?”

4. Data-Driven Decision-Making

Top sellers are now part-analysts. If your team isn’t using insights from CRM, LinkedIn Sales Nav or Gong, they’re falling behind.

💡 Action tip: Start every pipeline meeting with 1 insight pulled from data, not gut feel.

5. Attention-Grabbing Storytelling

In a world of shrinking attention spans, sellers need to pitch like creators. Hook fast. Be visual. Tell a story.

💡 Action tip: Get your team to rework their elevator pitch into a 15-second TikTok script. No, really.

6. Multithreaded Relationship Building

It’s no longer “the decision maker”. It’s the decision team.Sellers who build wider relationships within accounts close 2.3x bigger deals (LinkedIn Deep Sales Playbook).

💡 Action tip: Every seller should know three names inside every deal. No solo-path selling.

7. Continuous Learning

Sellers who consistently learn are 50% more productive. And 76% of millennials expect it from employers.

💡Action tip: Implement a “Friday AI Learning” session where one rep shares a lesson, prompt, or tool they used during the week to work smarter, close faster, or solve a real problem. Keep it sharp, informal, and focused on real wins.

Want to upskill your sales team in these 7 areas? Join REV UP our monthly expert-led sessions packed with practical strategies, AI tools, and real-world sales coaching that your team will actually use.