Back in early 2020, sales teams were already beginning to adapt to change, but then the pandemic hit, accelerating a complete shift in how selling works.
Before the lockdowns, B2B sales often centered around:
One primary decision-maker with clear budget authority
A linear sales process: pain → pitch → proposal → close
In-person meetings when possible, and tightly managed buying timelines
Once COVID changed the game, video calls, committee-based decisions, and invisible stakeholders became the new norm.
Today, if you’re still using the same approach from 2020, you’re not just outdated. You’re invisible.
Today, buyers are:
Remote, distributed, and harder to reach
Informed and skeptical
Consensus-driven rather than top-down
If your team is still selling like it’s 2020, you're not just outdated. You're invisible.
Your buyers are more informed. Their expectations are higher. And sales teams that still rely on old scripts, bloated demos, and aggressive follow-ups are falling behind.
At Sandler Summit 2026, hundreds of founders, sales leaders, and CEOs will gather to solve one thing: how to sell and scale in a changed world.
Why This Blog Matters
Understand what’s changed in buyer behavior post-2020
Preview key insights from Sandler Summit 2026
Get actionable next steps to modernize your team
Selling in 2025 Requires Process AND Presence
Featured Insight from Summit 2025: From Emily Yepes’ session, "Why Most Sales Teams Have No Idea What the Buying Criteria Are":
“Persuading a single individual is no longer a sound strategic objective. We are now talking about a model closer to that of a jury.”
Modern selling means understanding the full decision-making landscape, not just hunting for one decision-maker.
Buyers today don’t want information—they want insights.
Here’s what you’ll learn at Summit:
How to lead with questions, not pitches (Sandler's questioning model)
How to avoid premature proposals and misalignment
How to set Up-Front Contracts that reduce ghosting and friction
Selling in 2025 means aligning to how buyers buy, not just how you sell.
Sales Is Now a Mindset Game
Featured Insight from Summit 2025: From Troy Elmore’s "Battle of Beliefs":
"You can only perform consistently with how you see yourself conceptually." — David Mattson
Belief drives performance. When sellers' internal self-concept doesn't align with success, no playbook will stick.
Scripts and templates only work if the rep believes in the process.
At Summit, you’ll learn how:
Salespeople overcome their internal “head trash”
Managers coach mindset, not just skill
Belief, conviction, and tonality drive trust more than product knowledge
If your team isn’t winning hearts and heads, they’re getting commoditized.
Tactical Strategy for Founders and Sales Leaders
Featured Insight from Summit 2025: From Karen Meracle’s session "Unlock Your Mentoring Superpower":
“Sales reps who rate their coaching and mentoring as excellent are 50% more likely to achieve quota.”
She introduced the Four Hats of Management—Supervisor, Trainer, Coach, and Mentor—and explained when and how to wear each.
Summit is more than a motivation fest.
You’ll walk away with:
A restructured pipeline plan that fits your growth stage
Tools to coach your managers on what actually drives results
A framework for onboarding new hires that shortens ramp time
And you’ll hear from people who’ve done it—across industries, deal sizes, and sales cycles.
Related Blog Posts from the Summit Series
If you're interested in how Summit 2026 can elevate your leadership and sales strategy, don’t miss these:
To Call or Not to Call? Why That Shouldn’t Even Be a Question in 2025
Hear Top SUMMIT25 Takeaways: What Sales Pros, Managers, and Executives Learned in the Room
Explode Your Sales: The Proven Playbook for Scalable Growth in 2025
Don’t Just Adapt—Advance
Most teams react to change. The best teams lead it.
If you’re ready to:
Reinvent your sales motion
Build a coaching culture
Design a process that scales without constant intervention...
Then Sandler Summit 2026 is where it starts.
