In 2025, Speed Is King—How Can You Accelerate Sales? 

Running a small business successfully requires adapting to modern challenges. While not much about the actual function of sales within the business landscape has changed, how sales leaders drive teams to deliver meaningful sales experiences has. 

Today, the pace of business (and life) has accelerated tremendously. In fact, the World Economic Forum named speed as one of the most important shifts in the world of business in 2025. Underpinned by profound innovation across sectors, the accelerating potential of AI, and increasing levels of education and young populations in countries that are innovation hubs—the speed of business is picking up. 

Yet, sales is unpredictable in terms of pace. And even in relatively short sales cycles, there is still space for more efficiency. With every other operation speeding up (customer expecting speed, too), how can sales catch up? We’ve got some thoughts on how to accelerate the sales cycle to meet the demands of an evolving business landscape. 

Invest in AI 

It can be easy to jump on hype trains as they emerge in the business landscape, but artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay. This technology is already revolutionizing many traditionally human tasks—from analysis and forecasting to customer service and marketing. 

Working with AI can be uncomfortable for traditional, service-based businesses operating in areas like HVAC and roofing. Yet, there are many opportunities for these businesses to leverage AI for sales functions without major investment, upskilling of employees, or completely redesigning sales processes. 

Opportunities that small businesses might consider to use AI to accelerate sales include enhancing customer experience, automating aspects of marketing, and for sales coaching. These interventions are user friendly and are easy to integrate into the tech stack. Despite the easy lift, they have the power to create new data-driven insights, enhance sales rep performance, save time and effort, and create scalability and consistency. 

Adapt Selling Strategies as Necessary

A lot has changed this year that has made buying harder this year, which in turn makes selling harder. Some have observed specific buying groups expanding, while others have noticed a general shortening of buyer time and attention (emphasizing the need for speed). 

Adapting training, coaching, and selling to this changing landscape is important. The ways people consume information has changed dramatically, and that means meeting people where they are at. 

Embedding learning tools can go a long way to personalize training for sellers in the field, as can tools that are easy for reps to carry with them—that is, available on their work phone or tablet. Simultaneously, buyers might appreciate more visual aids, including demonstrative videos and other supportive information that can be shared with technology that is easy for reps to tote from in-home sales call to in-home sales call. 

Connect Work Culture to Sales Execution

Sales teams can only move as fast as company culture allows. When leaders connect broader strategy and work culture to sales execution, speed naturally follows. 

An overall culture that values agility, accountability, and collaboration creates alignment between strategy and action. Instead of creating friction through silos, unnecessary meetings, or irrelevant technology, leaders must assess overall culture, strategize around speed and agility, and connect those values to sales. 

Embedding speed into culture means equipping sellers to go into the field with confidence, things that AI, adaptive selling training and coaching, and other tools promote. When culture supports speed, sales teams are more like to meet the pace of business today. 

Set the Pace in 2025

Speed isn’t just an advantage in 2025—it’s an expectation. From leveraging AI to adapting selling strategies and aligning culture with execution, businesses that move faster will win. 

The good news? You don’t have to do this alone. Explore how SPCloser helps small businesses accelerate sales cycles with smart tools and proven strategies by booking your free trial today.