Wondering how to prepare students for what’s next in sales? In a Stukent® webinar, B.J. Allen, assistant professor of marketing at Brigham Young University and coauthor of the Stukent “Professional Selling” courseware, shared the key trends he’s seeing in professional selling for 2025 and beyond.
From unscalable selling to AI and data analytics, B.J.’s insights highlight what future-ready sales education should look like.
1. The Power of Unscalable Selling
In an era dominated by automation, the best salespeople stand out by doing what cannot be automated — building personal, human connections.
B.J. explained that personalization isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a differentiator. He cited an article and a LinkedIn study showing that simply mentioning a shared LinkedIn group in an outreach message increased the likelihood of getting a meeting by 70%.
Creativity also plays a critical role in standing out. B.J. shared examples like personalized video emails, which, according to a Salesloft study, can increase open rates by 16% and reply rates by 26%. Thoughtful, unexpected touches can also create a connection, such as sending a guitar pick to a music-loving prospect. These kinds of “unscalable” actions help sellers break through the noise and leave a lasting impression.
Teach It: Encourage students to think beyond scripts and templates. Assign projects that challenge them to craft personalized outreach and develop creative prospecting strategies. This practice will help them stand out among automated sales messages.
2. AI Support for Human Selling
While unscalable selling focuses on the human element, AI is helping sellers prepare for those human interactions.
B.J. highlighted tools like Crystal and Humantic AI, which analyze a prospect’s online presence and provide personality insights to help sellers tailor their messaging. Platforms like Outreach.io and Salesforce Einstein also streamline lead scoring and prioritize the prospects most likely to convert.
Rather than replacing sellers, AI allows them to focus on what matters most — building relationships. As B.J. explained, “AI should enable the human side of selling, not eliminate it.”
Teach It: Show students how to use AI for research, personalization, and productivity. These tools can help them become more efficient while still focusing on authentic connection. Most importantly, students should understand that while AI is not replacing human insight, those who learn to work with AI will stand out in interviews, outperform expectations, and get hired faster.
3. Data-Driven Sales Skills
Another critical trend B.J. discussed is the importance of analytics in professional selling. According to LinkedIn’s State of Sales study, top-performing sellers spend significantly more time analyzing data in their CRM. By understanding customer behavior, tracking pipeline activity, and using data to identify high-value prospects, sellers can make smarter decisions and close more deals.
B.J. even shared a classroom example: He gives his students mock CRM data and asks them to identify the best customers and pinpoint where deals are lost in the sales funnel. This type of exercise not only builds analytical skills but also helps students see how data drives better sales outcomes.
Teach It: Add data analysis assignments to your courses to give students hands-on experience with one of the most in-demand sales skills today. Whether you’re teaching forecasting, customer segmentation, or churn mitigation, mock data helps bring these skills to life.
You can find free, ready-to-use datasets on platforms like Kaggle and Google Dataset Search. These tools offer a wide variety of data you can adapt into classroom activities that teach critical thinking, decision-making, and data fluency, all within a real-world context.
Preparing Students for the Future of Sales
From creating personal, unscalable experiences to leveraging AI and mastering data-driven selling, these trends are shaping the next generation of sales professionals. With the right tools, educators have a powerful opportunity to bring these insights into their classroom.
The Stukent Sales Suite includes everything you need to teach the future of sales. With comprehensive courseware options and auto-graded Simternships®, the Sales Suite gives your students hands-on experience with:
- Personalization strategies and real-world examples of how top sales reps succeed
- Practical use of AI for prospect research, messaging, and efficiency
- Core and advanced sales analytics, KPIs, and customer data evaluation
- Ready-to-use assignments, quizzes, exams, and simulations
Whether you’re introducing students to the sales process or diving into sales analytics and leadership, the Stukent Sales Suite is designed to save you time and prepare your students for real-world success.
Want to connect with B.J. Allen?
If you’d like to dive deeper into the sales trends discussed in this blog or learn more about B.J.’s approach to sales education, feel free to reach out. Contact him at bj_allen@byu.edu or connect with him on LinkedIn.
