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After three days and thousands of retail leaders descending on Las Vegas, ShopTalk Spring 2025 wrapped with one clear message: the pressure on revenue teams is only increasing.
With over 900 sponsors and exhibitors showcasing new solutions, and networking happening at speed through curated meetups, this was the place where innovation met urgency. We were on the ground as Hive Perform, speaking to sales reps and leaders from some of the world’s most recognised brands.
If you’re leading a sales team right now, you don’t need another buzzy trend report. You need clarity. You need to know what’s actually happening on the ground, what your peers are dealing with, what’s working and where things are breaking down.
One thing was clear, revenue teams are operating in a pressure cooker. Deals are slower, buying teams are messier, and even the tools we’ve come to rely on, like CRMs, aren’t doing enough to keep up.
Here’s what’s top of mind for your peers right now and what you might want to think about next.
1. Pipeline isn’t just under pressure. It’s cracking.
Every sales leader we spoke to brought up the same thing: pipeline is the pain point. But it’s not just about having enough leads, it’s about getting the right ones and converting them quickly.
It only takes one weak link in the funnel to cause serious damage. For example, if your demo-to-proposal conversion rate drops from 40% to 30%, that could mean a loss of $800K annually for a company running 1,000 opportunities per quarter at a $20K average deal size. That’s just one stage.
What came up over and over was the need for “speed to alignment.” Not just between Marketing and Sales, but inside the buying team itself. Deals are slowing down because sellers aren’t helping buyers get clear on what they need, or who needs to sign off, early enough. If your team is still waiting for leads to show intent before jumping in, you’re already behind.
A bloated pipeline full of low-intent leads is more risk than reward. Smart teams are focusing on targeting better, not more and getting ahead of the blockages before they snowball into missed targets.
2. Reps who understand the buying process, not just the sales process, are closing more.
There’s a shift happening. High-performing reps aren’t just hitting their numbers, they’re acting like internal consultants for the buyer.
They know how buying decisions are made. They anticipate where friction will arise. And they help navigate a committee that rarely agrees on anything.
The best reps today guide rather than pitch. They show buyers what’s coming next, what’s slowing them down, and how to get internal alignment. That’s the new edge and it’s widening the gap between top performers and everyone else.
3. The CRM isn’t showing the full picture and sales leaders know it.
This came up in almost every conversation: traditional CRMs aren’t cutting it. Yes, it tracks rep activity. But what about the buyer?
Are they engaging with your proposals? Re-reading your pricing page at 11pm on a Thursday? Ghosting you, or just stuck in procurement hell?
Two-way CRM integration and better visibility into buyer signals is quickly moving from nice-to-have to deal-critical. Even with meticulously logged sales activity, most leaders are still left piecing together what’s actually going on behind the scenes.
And let’s not forget the bigger picture: 91% of companies use CRM software, but over 40% say they’re planning to invest more in AI to make those systems smarter. Why? Because logging activity isn’t enough anymore, you need to see what your buyer’s actually doing.
4. The buyer’s journey is non-linear and it’s only getting messier.
Forget the neat funnel. Today’s buyer is moving sideways, looping back, and disappearing for weeks before returning with a new stakeholder in tow.
LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity are changing how buyers research. Your brand’s visibility in these tools is becoming as important as SEO, especially now that Millennials and Gen Z make up the majority of B2B decision-makers.
On top of that, visual content is becoming mission-critical. Buyers want to see how your product works, not read three pages of copy about it. And with AI now being used to compare product visuals for feature breakdowns, visual differentiation is no longer just a design task, it’s a sales necessity.
The number of touchpoints needed to close a deal has skyrocketed. The journey isn’t linear. It’s chaotic. And you need to be present throughout not just at the start or finish line.
5. Sales and marketing need to align. Not in theory. In practice.
One of the most consistent themes from ShopTalk was urgency: urgency to connect dots faster, move quicker, and close alignment gaps across the board.
And that’s not just within the buying team, it’s internal, too. Sales and marketing misalignment costs companies 10% or more in annual revenue. When those teams are synced? Win rates go up by 38%. Deal closure speed increases by 67%.
But alignment doesn’t happen on good intentions alone. It needs to be built into your tech, your process, and your pipeline reviews. The most effective teams are using shared insights, shared goals, and integrated platforms to make collaboration feel like second nature, not a quarterly fix.
TL;DR: What to take back to your team
Pipeline issues aren’t always a volume problem—they’re usually a focus problem. Fix the leaks before chasing more leads.
Equip reps to guide, not just pitch. They need to lead buyers through the internal mess, not just deliver demos.
CRM data without buyer signals is noise. Visibility into buyer behaviour is what separates accurate forecasts from wishful thinking.
Adapt to the new buyer reality. Visuals, LLMs, and erratic journeys are your new normal. Build for it.
Sales–marketing alignment isn’t a strategy deck—it’s a revenue lever. The faster you align, the faster you close.
