7 Things Entrepreneurs Should Know About Sales and Marketing Today

Sales and marketing trends entrepreneurs should know

Consider the following seven sales and marketing trends when shaping your customer outreach strategies. Some are industry shifts, while others are customer-focused behavior changes. Paying attention to both and applying what fits your business can help you generate more sales leads and enjoy more successful lead conversions.

1. Data is driving smarter, more targeted marketing strategies.

Today, it’s critical to utilize data analytics in sales and marketing to make informed decisions and provide measurable results. For example, you must know and understand your digital marketing ROI so you can focus on the right strategies and campaigns that actually improve your bottom line.

That said, calculating ROI — especially for social media marketing — isn’t always straightforward. It’s relatively easy to compare ad costs against revenue from social campaigns. But, social media can also drive value in other ways: building brand awareness, creating a sense of community and supporting customer service.

The key is to track the metrics that align with your specific goals. That might include return on ad spend, cost per lead or click-through rate (CTR). Many of these insights are available right in your platform dashboards. However, don’t overlook less obvious costs and benefits, like staff time, content creation, brand reputation and customer loyalty.

2. A smooth, mobile-friendly user experience is no longer optional.

With more businesses selling online than ever before, intuitive, user-friendly websites have become a must. If visitors encounter friction on your e-commerce site — slow load times, confusing navigation or clunky checkout processes — they won’t become customers. Many won’t even make it past your home page.

Too often, marketers focus more on colors and layouts than on the tools that actually drive conversions. Design matters, but even the best-looking site won’t deliver results without a smooth, satisfying user experience.

Today’s e-commerce sites need to be responsive and dynamic. Use smart content to personalize the experience, showing different messages or calls to action based on who’s visiting. A solid content management system (CMS) makes this possible by letting you tailor what users see in real time.

Most importantly, responsive web design means your website must be mobile-friendly. According to Statista, about 98 percent of global users access the internet on a mobile phone, compared to just over 58 percent who use a computer. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you risk losing credibility — and customers.

3. Customers expect personalization.

Today’s customers expect brands to speak directly to them — and they may lose interest if you don’t. According to the 2025 State of Customer Service and CX report, 84 percent of customers prefer working with brands that deliver a personalized experience. Additionally, according to BCG research, 75 percent of U.S. customers are comfortable with companies using publicly available information to create a customized experience for them.

Think about it this way: If you reached out to a prospect, a first-time buyer and a long-time customer, you wouldn’t say the same thing to each. They have different needs and priorities, so your messaging should reflect that.

Here are a few ways to personalize customer and prospect experiences:

• Offer a communication choice: Let customers choose how they engage with you. Some prefer email or chat, while others want a real conversation by phone.
• Get feedback: Ask for customer feedback regularly to determine what’s working and what’s not, and adjust accordingly.
• Send relevant messages: Use purchase and browsing history, birthdays, and other key details to send well-timed, meaningful, and personalized emails. This could include personalized offers, product suggestions or abandoned shopping cart emails that entice them to complete a purchase.

4. AI and automation are transforming how businesses sell and market.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are changing the game in nearly every industry, and sales and marketing are no exception. While AI won’t replace sales reps anytime soon, it’s making sales teams faster, smarter and more effective.

James Frampton, chief revenue officer at SugarCRM, noted that AI in sales is moving from a novelty to a tool with real business value. “This shift aligns with the ongoing trend of sellers having less time with buyers, which will continue to drive the need for maximizing interactions,” Frampton explained. “AI plays a key role in this by mining and surfacing relevant insights, enhancing the overall process.”

Here are a few ways AI and automation are supercharging sales and marketing:

• Smarter lead segmentation: AI helps you group leads based on behavior, demographics, or past actions, and spot trends you might miss on your own.
• Faster content creation: Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can draft landing pages, emails and texts, helping your team move faster without starting from scratch.
• Performance insights: AI can monitor sales team activity and highlight who’s excelling and who might need more support or training.
• Real-time personalization: Paired with big data, AI can track customer behavior and deliver dynamic product recommendations based on browsing activity, location and more.
• Automated lead nurturing: Save time with follow-up email series triggered by actions like submitting a form or joining your list, keeping leads warm without manual effort.
• Proactive customer support: Post-purchase automations can flag unhappy customers early, giving you a chance to resolve issues before complaints go public and negative reviews are published.

5. Integrated platforms are reshaping how sales and marketing teams work together.

Modern sales and marketing platforms now seamlessly integrate to capture, organize and share customer data across teams. Tools like HubSpot and Zoho CRM, for example, combine marketing automation with sales pipeline tracking, giving both teams a shared view of the customer. (We’ll share more examples of sales and marketing platforms below.) This real-time collaboration allows marketers to fine-tune messages, pricing and campaigns based on what sales reps are hearing directly from prospects.

To make the most of these tools, your team needs more than just data access; they need modern prospecting features that cut down on preparation time. Instead of piecing together details from LinkedIn business profiles and company websites, reps should spend their time helping leads make confident buying decisions.

The stakes are particularly high for B2B sales. According to the B2B 2024 Buyer Experience report, 85 percent of buyers know what they want before contacting a salesperson, and 81 percent initiate the process themselves. That means your sales reps must be just as informed going into the conversation. If they ask basic questions that the buyer has already figured out from a landing page, all your marketing work could be undermined.

The fix? Sales reps need access to the same insights marketers gather from website visits, social activity and lead forms. With shared data, reps can skip the obvious and focus on adding real value, acting as consultants who move the sale forward.

6. Customers expect marketing and customer service to work together.

It’s not just sales and marketing that need to collaborate — customer service and marketing must be on the same page, too. When these teams work in silos, the customer experience suffers.

For example, if the marketing team makes a promise that the support department can’t deliver on, customers are left frustrated. Poor communication between departments leads to poor experiences, which, in turn, drives down satisfaction and retention — that hits your bottom line.

Customers also expect fast, convenient support through the channels they already use. Many now reach out on social media with service questions, so it’s critical for social media marketers to route those inquiries to the customer service team in real time. If you don’t, you risk losing trust.

Andrew Dyuzhov, marketing director at Selzy, noted that today’s customers want quick results, a personal touch and full transparency — plus fast response times and around-the-clock support. “When it comes to software and apps, [buyers] choose products that save time, are intuitive from the start and deliver value immediately,” Dyuzhov explained. “That’s why companies focus on onboarding and helping users reach first value as fast as possible.”

7. Omnichannel marketing is becoming the standard for customer engagement.

Today’s customers expect a consistent, seamless experience — no matter how they interact with your brand. “Customers increasingly desire a shopping experience that feels consistent whether they’re browsing in-store or online, ensuring they receive the same value and recognition across all touchpoints,” said Eileen Stephens, global marketing director for Valuedynamx.

That means it’s not enough to have a CRM tying sales and marketing together behind the scenes. This integration must also be customer-facing. Data from your website, social platforms and service interactions should work together to inform every message you send — whether it’s by email, phone or social media. This is especially important in social selling, where buyers expect helpful, relevant outreach based on their interactions across platforms.

To make omnichannel marketing work, each channel must also be tracked and measured. Paula Mantle, vice president of marketing at Branch, noted that high-fidelity measurement is now a must-have. “Marketers need to connect the dots across every touchpoint to optimize spend, personalize engagement and prioritize the channels that actually work,” Mantle explained. “The businesses that will win are those that not only show up in AI-driven conversations, but also understand and measure every step of the customer journey so they are not just found but trusted and chosen.”

Best sales and marketing tools to use today

The right software and platforms are crucial for putting today’s sales and marketing trends into action. These tools help teams collaborate, personalize outreach and make smarter, faster decisions. Here are a few must-haves:

• CRM software: CRM platforms are essential for aligning sales, marketing and customer service teams. The best CRM software makes it easier to manage leads, track communications and build personalized campaigns across channels. [Learn how monday CRM helps sales teams manage the customer journey.]
• Email marketing platforms: Email marketing tools make it simple to send personalized messages that drive engagement. The best email marketing services help you build targeted lists, create compelling emails, and run automated email marketing campaigns that nurture leads and reengage past customers.
• Text message marketing platforms: Text messaging has become one of the most effective ways to reach customers and leads in real time. The best text message marketing services help you send personalized texts, set up automated drip campaigns and track performance with detailed analytics.
• Website builders and CMS platforms: A great website is a must-have sales and marketing asset. Look for tools that support responsive design, easy content updates, and built-in integrations with your CRM, email, and analytics platforms. Popular options include WordPress, Wix and Squarespace, all of which offer customizable templates and integrations with marketing tools. Bonus points for CMS platforms that enable smart content or dynamic personalization based on visitor behavior, such as HubSpot CMS or Webflow.
• Marketing automation platforms: While some CRMs and email platforms include automation, standalone tools like ActiveCampaign, Pardot or Marketo go deeper. They help automate lead nurturing, behavior-based follow-ups, and multichannel digital marketing campaign management.
• Social media management and social selling tools: Tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or LinkedIn Sales Navigator help schedule posts, manage engagement, and track leads through social platforms.
• Analytics and reporting tools: Platforms like Google Analytics, Hotjar, or Looker Studio help teams understand what’s working, where leads drop off, and how to refine campaigns. Many social media, CRM, email and e-commerce platforms also include built-in analytics dashboards, but using a dedicated tool can give you deeper insights and more flexible reporting.

Jamie Johnson contributed to this article.