Most people begin the new year fresh. Not sales organizations. In 2026, they’re carrying forward economic uncertainty, aggressive growth expectations and a wave of AI that has already reshaped how sellers work.
“The new norm is uncertainty,” said Erik Fowler, chief revenue officer at Allego, provider of a sales enablement platform, during a recent webinar on the state of sales. “We still have aggressive growth expectations, we still have economic pressures and budget concerns, and we have AI that we all need to rapidly adopt and figure out how it changes our business.”
AI has raised the bar across sales organizations. Buyers arrive more informed thanks to increased use of AI engines. And sellers are expected to respond faster, personalize outreach, and demonstrate value earlier in the cycle.
AI has helped sellers with that, improving productivity and efficiency. However, performance gains have been uneven. The reason, according to both sales leaders and new research, is straightforward: Technology can scale activity, but people still determine outcomes.
AI Has Changed Expectations for Everyone
Sales leaders largely agree that AI is already influencing day-to-day execution. In live polling during the webinar, about half of participants said AI had improved efficiency or increased sales activity, while a smaller share said it had elevated seller performance.
That gap reflects what many organizations are experiencing. AI tools can draft emails, analyze calls and surface insights faster than any human team ever could. But higher activity doesn’t automatically translate into better selling.
“With AI, sales cycles and self-paced buying are increasing. The customer can get further and faster” on their own now, said Lauren Bailey, founder of the sales training company Factor 8, during the discussion. As a result, she noted that sellers are being held to a higher standard much earlier in the sales process. What used to be entry-level selling has shifted up a level, putting pressure on organizations to upskill their teams faster.
The result is pressure at every level of the sales organization. Sellers must add value beyond what AI can provide, managers are expected to coach more effectively, and leaders must prove ROI from increasingly complex tech stacks.
Efficiency Is Up. Effectiveness Is Not.
Despite record investment in sales technology, Fowler and Bailey described growing frustration with results. Training programs are in place, but adoption is inconsistent. Tools are deployed, but meaningful behavior change has been harder to achieve.
That frustration, Bailey noted, stems from a lack of impact. When training doesn’t stick or translate into behavior change, organizations struggle to justify continued investment.
Part of the challenge is structural. Frontline managers are being asked to do more coaching, enforce process discipline, and support skill development. Often, they must do that without receiving formal training themselves. At the same time, hybrid work has reduced informal learning. When sellers work remotely, they can’t see and learn from one another. That makes coaching even more critical, but at the same time more difficult.
AI promises to help, but understanding how it helps matters. That’s where recent neuroscience research offers some clarity.
What Neuroscience Reveals About Coaching
In a 2025 neuroscience study, neuroscientist Dr. Carmen Simon examined how sellers responded to feedback delivered by either an AI coach or a human coach following simulated sales conversations. The findings were instructive. Sellers who received feedback from an AI coach remembered 50% more information after 48 hours than those who received human feedback. The structured, written nature of AI feedback appeared to improve memory retention and consistency.
At the same time, sellers who expected human coaching experienced greater relaxation, motivation and emotional well-being during training. They spoke more during simulations – an indicator of engagement – though that increased verbal activity did not translate into stronger recall.
Fowler emphasized that the takeaway isn’t about choosing one approach over the other. AI excels at delivering consistent reinforcement at scale, while human coaching plays a critical role in motivation, trust and development.
The research underscores a critical point for 2026: Learning is both cognitive and emotional. AI excels at reinforcing structure and consistency. Humans excel at motivation, trust and confidence, all of which drive behavior change over time.
Why People Still Win
As AI becomes embedded across sales workflows, the differentiator is shifting. Tools can raise the floor by standardizing best practices and accelerating learning. But they can’t replace the human elements that define great selling.
Bailey emphasized that customer experience is ultimately shaped by people. As buyers rely more heavily on AI-driven research, sellers must be able to deliver insight, judgment and empathy that technology cannot provide.
The same principle applies internally. While AI can analyze calls, identify trends and suggest coaching priorities, it cannot replace the manager’s role in developing people.
“Let your AI coach the deal. Let your manager coach the rep,” Bailey said. “Rep coaching is about engagement, skill development and career growth. It’s the human side. AI isn’t going to do that very well.”
The neuroscience research reinforces this division of labor. AI reduces social pressure and supports recall. Human coaching provides emotional resonance and connection. Together, they create more durable learning.
The Winning Model for 2026
Sales leaders heading into this year face a clear choice: They can continue to layer tools onto already stretched teams, or they can redesign how people, process and technology work together.
The most effective organizations are doing the latter. They use AI to scale insight and consistency, analyzing conversations, reinforcing frameworks, and shortening ramp time. At the same time, they invest in human coaching to ensure those insights translate into behavior change.
Leadership ownership is critical to making that happen, Fowler noted. Adoption, he said, starts with visible commitment from senior leaders.
“If leaders don’t sponsor it … it’s going to fail,” Fowler said. You can have the best technology in the world, but if leadership doesn’t show it’s a priority, it won’t stick, he added.
Looking Ahead
AI has become table stakes in sales, as with other areas of business. But in 2026, the organizations that stand out won’t be the ones that simply use it or the ones with the most AI-powered tools. They will be the teams that use technology to elevate their people.
The science is clear: AI improves memory and consistency. Humans drive motivation, trust and performance. Sales leaders who design for both will be better positioned to meet rising expectations, both internally and with customers.
Bailey summed it up simply: “The winning team will not just have the best systems. Their people will be the differentiator.”
