“I'm good with people” — this sentence has been enough as a qualification for sales for decades. But as we talk to sales teams every day at Scalantec, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: This approach alone will no longer work in 2025.

The truth is uncomfortable: sales professionals who ignore technological change will increasingly fall behind. At the same time, completely new opportunities are opening up for those who are ready to expand their skills. The modern salesperson must be both salesperson and technologist — a true “technical seller.”

The three pillars of modern B2B sales

1. Technology as a real game changer

The days when Excel lists and manual emails were enough are finally over. If you want to be successful in B2B sales today, you not only have to use technological tools, but also master them.

The key technology levers:

• No-code platforms: With tools like Clay, even less tech-savvy salespeople can create complex data workflows that would have required entire development teams in the past
• Process automation: Make.com and similar tools eliminate repetitive tasks and create space for value-adding activities
• AI integration: GPT, Claude and specialized AI tools such as Claygent enable deeper research to find information that is not in databases, as well as personalized communication in seconds (important: never have the entire email written with AI!)

Practical example: By implementing a clay-based workflow, one of our customers from the real estate sector was able to spend time researching lead by Reduce 78% — while simultaneously Doubling relevance and personalization.

2. AI and data orchestration are fundamentally changing everyday sales

AI and modern data orchestration are no longer just buzzwords, but practical tools that are already transforming everyday sales.

How modern salespeople are actually using AI and data orchestration:

• Automated research: Comprehensive procurement of all relevant information about potential partners and buyer personas without manual effort — which fundamentally changes daily work with tools such as Clay
• Deeper personalization: Instead of superficial “hello {first name}” personalization, AI enables contextual speeches based on detailed insights
• Increasing efficiency in content creation: Prepare personalized presentations and offers in a fraction of the time
• More accurate opportunity assessment: AI-powered analysis of behavior patterns and engagement data for better prioritization

What we see time and time again: The combination of human empathy and AI-supported efficiency creates a new form of sales excellence, which neither man nor machine could reach alone. In fact, thanks to AI and cutting-edge tools, purely human skills such as empathy and interpersonal understanding will become even more important in the future — because all tasks that a machine can perform better should also be performed by a machine, while humans remain irreplaceable for evaluation and personal interaction.

3. The new must-have skills of modern sales

The successful B2B salesperson of 2025 needs a wider set of skills than ever before. In addition to traditional sales skills, technical skills are becoming indispensable.

The most important skills:

• Building trust: Remains the basis of all sales — even in the technological age
• Strategic messaging: The ability to tailor complex solutions precisely and relevant to the specific target company and individual contact person
• Technical understanding: Not just superficial tool knowledge, but real understanding of the underlying concepts
• No-code expertise: The ability to automate complex processes without programming
• Data analysis: Basic skills in interpreting performance data and deriving measures

The new formula: 50% sales expertise + 50% technical hacker = The modern B2B salesperson

Find the perfect balance

It's not about salespeople having to become programmers. Rather, it is about the interface between technology and human interaction. The ideal modern salesperson combines:

• The empathy to truly understand customer issues
• The technical expertise to develop innovative solutions
• The strategic vision to build long-term partnerships

This combination creates a decisive competitive advantage: While most salespeople are either too technical or too saleswise, true “technical sellers” can navigate both worlds with confidence.

From theory to practice: How we implement this approach at Scalantec

An example from our daily work: For a SaaS provider, we have developed a hybrid outbound process that combines classic sales strengths with modern technology:

• Clay-based lead research: In-depth, automated analyses of target customers
• AI-powered personalization: Tailored, relevant messages based on collected insights — using AI only for parts of the message, never for the full email
• Human expertise: Strategic evaluation and refinement of campaigns by experienced salespeople, with the majority of relevant email copies and messages being created by people — because in messaging, excellent salespeople can still achieve better results than AI

The result? A tripling of the response rate while reducing time by 65% for one of our LogisticTech customers.

The path to the future of B2B sales

The evolution to a technical seller is not a nice-to-have, but a necessity. Companies that ignore this development will find it increasingly difficult to survive in the competitive B2B environment.

Our forecast: In the next 2-3 years, the gap between tech-savvy sales teams and traditional sellers will widen even further. The good news is that it is not too late to actively shape this change.

Conclusion: The technical seller is the key to success

Are there already technical sellers on your team who combine both worlds? Or is there a gap here that needs to be filled?

At Scalantec, we not only help companies optimize their outbound processes, but also prepare their teams for the requirements of modern B2B sales — with the right mix of technological know-how and sales excellence.

Want to know how your sales team can benefit from this approach? Schedule a non-binding consultation. We'll show you in concrete terms what the path to technical selling can look like for your company.

Moritz Heininger is co-founder of Scalantec. He has extensive experience in strategic consulting and managing global tech companies. Moritz previously worked as Managing Director at Tink Labs (Softbank Venture), Chief Operating Officer at Anchanto (e-commerce SaaS), Managing Director at foodpanda (Rocket Internet) and founder of DIDIT (VC-financed payment company). His expertise in application-related AI solutions and strategic business management helps Scalantec customers transform their go-to-market strategies.

‍