In 2025, productivity, longevity, and revenue remained critical KPIs. But with cautious buyers, AI-powered workflows, and tighter competition, the best teams aren’t doubling down on old, tired habits. Instead, they’re redefining culture around trust and adaptability.
Drawing on insights from HubSpot’s 2025 State of Sales report, here’s how sales culture is evolving — and what leaders need to prioritize heading into 2026 (and beyond).
Table of Contents
HubSpot's 2025 Sales Trends Report
This in-depth report includes sections, covering:
- How buyers are becoming more self-informed
- How sales teams are using AI and automation
- Adapting to tighter budgets
- And more!
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What is sales culture?
The culture of your organization defines not only what you do, but also the who, where, when, how, and why of it all. Understanding sales culture is the first step to figuring out how to define yours. A company culture, good or bad, is an all-inclusive element that you develop, grow, and maintain over time with certain standards and practices in place. It is effectively the sum of the attitudes, values, and habits that characterize your team.
Some words that could be used to describe a culture are:
- Competitive.
- Intense.
- Independent.
- Merit-based.
- Supportive.
- Transparent.
- Democratic.
- Social.
- “Work Hard, Play Hard.”
While those descriptors are all at least somewhat positive, not every sales culture embodies them. And in many cases, a sales culture can be characterized by words like stressful, cutthroat, drab, or unprofessional.
There’s no definitive blueprint for a successful sales culture — they come in various shapes and sizes. But while the ingredients of a healthy, productive culture might vary by company, the indicators of one are relatively consistent.
Our data shows that the top motivators for a strong sales culture are trust in leadership (30%), healthy competition (30%), and career development opportunities (28%). The biggest cultural blockers? Lack of collaboration (29%), toxic competition (28%), and low recognition (28%)
Let’s take a look at what you should strive for.
What makes a good sales culture?
In 2025, 65% of the sales pros we surveyed said sales culture plays a very (40%) or extremely (25%) important role in their job satisfaction.
It goes without saying that the stakes have never been higher to develop a sales culture that creates positive outcomes for your organization. It will take work on all levels.
Each facet and team needs to not only understand the nature of the culture they are participating in but also agree with it. It needs to be universally beneficial or else it won’t stick. A successful sales culture brings out the best in your salespeople. That means:
- Healthy competition.
- Low rep turnover.
- The ability to quickly identify problems in the sales process and adjust as needed.
- Collaboration and knowledge sharing.
- Trust and communication (both within the team and the greater organization).
- A common vision.
- Continual learning and development.
- Accountability.
- Fair compensation.
What does a toxic sales culture look like?
A negative culture will result in the opposite of everything that is positive about good sales culture. Some common toxic elements could be high turnover, mistrust, individualism, low motivation, and other factors that contribute to an unhealthy work environment.
A toxic sales culture will also be very difficult to change once it has been established, as new employees are unfortunately more likely to assimilate than to work against it.
What is a high-performance sales culture?
Sales is often a fast-paced, competitive environment. It’s important that your reps can keep up. A high-performance sales culture will demand the effort, execution, and growth required to be successful. It focuses on clear goals, researched strategies, concise actions, and impactful feedback. This type of culture also features trust and respect that prevents competition and authority from becoming toxic or judgmental.
How to Build a Sales Culture
- Foster friendly competition.
- Combat high rep turnover.
- Commit to agility.
- Collaborate and share knowledge.
- Build trust and communication.
- Share a common vision.
- Encourage ongoing learning and development.
- Maintain accountability.
- Highlight individual accomplishments and talents.
The strongest sales cultures are built intentionally. Because our data shows that the top three drivers in a healthy culture are trust in leadership, healthy competition, and career development, leaders should prioritize practices that promote them — while avoiding habits that undermine success.
1. Foster friendly competition.
Most salespeople thrive on competition. The key is keeping it in check — if you let “competitive” turn into “cutthroat,” you risk creating exactly the kind of toxic environment that 28% of reps flagged as a top blocker.
In addition to negativity all around, your reps might begin withholding useful suggestions and information from each other, trash-talking one another, or trying to steal opportunities.
So how do you keep a spirit of healthy competition alive without turning your reps on each other?
- Create external rivalries to help them work together and grow closer, while setting out to beat another team or your biggest competitors.
- Encourage reps to beat their own records instead of one another. By shifting competitive energy toward individual benchmarks, you build a stronger team.
- Pair newer reps with experienced mentors to make competition developmental, accelerate the ramp-up period, and give new hires a sense of security and belonging.
- Run varied contests and incentives so the same people don’t always win.
Looking for ideas?
Try something like hosting a contest for the rep who can book the most meetings during the first month. Then, reward the person with the fastest average sales cycle the next. The month after that, give a bonus to the rep who signs the most deals with a specific type of prospect.
By consistently shaking things up, you’ll give everyone a chance to win and keep things interesting.
You can also run team-wide contests. For instance, you might challenge the entire team to hit a quota for your latest product launch or ramp up activity by a specific percentage.
2. Combat high rep turnover.
Constantly losing salespeople is a major red flag for prospective candidates. Plus, finding and training new ones is extremely expensive — and an ever-changing “roster” is bad for morale.
To decrease rep turnover, carefully choose the best salespeople. Being selective will inevitably extend your hiring process, but you’ll save money in the long run.
Your reps should have plenty of coaching support from their managers — not just when they first begin, but throughout their tenure at your company. Implement a structured coaching routine, and consistently poll your salespeople to see if they’re getting the training and management they need.
Although money isn’t the sole reason reps leave, paying a below-market rate is bound to take a toll on your retention. Keep your on-target earnings (OTE) in line with — or better than — typical pay for the role, industry, and region.
Finally, feeling stuck is a huge factor in sales turnover. Ensure you have a defined promotion path in place. For example, you might want to have a clearly articulated career trajectory from BDR to AE to Senior AE. That way, salespeople can move up as they gain more experience and skills.
3. Commit to agility.
Adaptability is one of the defining traits of top-performing teams, with 67% of sales orgs describing themselves as “very” or “extremely” adaptable.
Why does that matter? In sales, a team’s ability to move fast is crucial. When leadership decides they want to move into a new vertical, everyone within its sales org needs to quickly familiarize themselves with a new base, learn industry-specific terminology to help build credibility with prospects, collectively adjust their sales messaging, and take several other steps to better approach its new target prospects.
If the team is agile, this process will be feasible. If it’s unable to experiment, learn from its mistakes, and adapt, it’s bound to fail.
How do you promote agility? Borrow principles from the agile philosophy, such as holding a daily 10-minute stand-up — a team-wide meeting where everyone stands to encourage sticking to the time limit.
Have every member answer the same three questions and nothing else:
- “What did you achieve yesterday?”
- “What will you achieve today?”
- “What do you need to adjust to be more effective?”
Give your reps access to the information they need. Individual and team-wide performance should be available to all. Good decisions don’t happen without good data.
Finally, encourage a “fail fast” culture. Salespeople should take risks — from trying a new prospecting technique to using different negotiation strategies. As long as they document their results and share them widely, it’s okay if they don’t succeed. The results will help everyone learn and improve.
4. Collaborate and share knowledge.
Lack of collaboration is the #1 cultural blocker (29%). This is your opportunity to turn that around and build a culture of openness where salespeople collaborate, communicate, and freely pass along tips and strategies.
Easier said than done, I know, but here are a few strategies that go a long way beyond water cooler conversations:
- Implement platforms like Slack so that announcing something like, “Hey, this new combo of CRM filters is turning up some fire prospects!” is as easy as, well, typing it.
- Create contests that promote collaboration.
- Reward knowledge sharing by focusing on the quality of ideas, not their sources, by rewarding people for bringing ideas to the table.
- Encourage honesty by being open to constructive criticism and productive conversations.
HubSpot's 2025 Sales Trends Report
This in-depth report includes sections, covering:
- How buyers are becoming more self-informed
- How sales teams are using AI and automation
- Adapting to tighter budgets
- And more!
Download Free
All fields are required.
5. Build trust and communication.
Trust in leadership is a top motivator for sales culture (30%) with trust between reps ranked next at 28%. It falls on sales managers to establish it. There are three main steps to making that happen:
Accept and incorporate feedback.
A great manager listens to their reps — and more importantly, reacts to their feedback. Are they frustrated with the way training is currently delivered? A good manager tries to find a better format.
Do they want less interference with their deals? A good manager takes a step back — within reason. Would they like more transparency with upper management? A good manager works to provide that.
Even if sales managers can’t follow through on everything, showing effort will win them a lot of trust.
Don’t micromanage.
Building trust is a two-way street. If you can prove to your team that you trust them, they’ll be inclined to reciprocate. Unless a specific rep is struggling and needs more attention, sales managers should steer clear of micromanaging.
That means managing results instead of activities, letting reps work from wherever they’re most successful instead of requiring them to be at the office, and not asking them to spend precious hours filling out pointless reports.
Keep your word.
When you, as a manager, commit to doing something, always keep your word. Reliability is a pillar of trust — and once your reps know you’re dependable, they’ll become more loyal.
It’s easy to keep track of the larger promises you make — such as, “I’ll take you all to a steak dinner at Harry’s if everyone shows up to the weekly sales meeting the entire month.”
But you can’t forget about the smaller ones, like, “I’ll send you my feedback by tomorrow night,” or “I’ll put in a request for new presentation software this afternoon.”
These are just as important and contribute equally to the sales manager’s reputation for being trustworthy.
6. Share a common vision.
Salespeople are looking for a bigger reason to show up and work hard every day beyond simply making money. Although a common vision isn’t a prerequisite for success, it keeps reps motivated when times are tough and encourages them to work together.
The mission should be specific, unique, and measurable. For example, it might be, “Become the most successful team within the company,” or, “Improve retention by X percentage.”
You also want a vision that the team is excited about, so consider including them in the planning process.
Regularly bring up your team’s progress and reference individual contributors. Doing so reinforces the vision and keeps it top-of-mind for your reps. To give you an idea, imagine one of the tenets of your sales vision is, “Become industry thought leaders.”
When one of your reps launches their own podcast, you bring it up in the team meeting by saying, “Way to go, Vincent, for starting a podcast — everyone should download it. This will help our company gain recognition as thought leaders.”
When another rep publishes a LinkedIn Pulse post that receives 500+ likes, drop a line in the team Slack room, like, “Congrats, Julia, on the awesome LinkedIn article that’s taking off. Can everyone like it when they have a chance? Love seeing our reps establish themselves as domain experts.”
Not only will this make the people you recognize feel good, it’ll also inspire the others to follow suit.
7. Encourage ongoing learning and development.
Reps want to grow. Career development was cited as a motivator by 28% of sellers. From an organizational perspective, it’s important to have salespeople who want to pick up fresh skills and strategies to meet changing buyer behaviors and new technologies.
The best way to encourage their participation is to avoid interruptive, one-off, and one-size-fits-all trainings by making your opportunities:
- Integrated and ongoing. Coaching should be a part of the sales manager’s weekly check-ins with reps. They should also regularly do call reviews and win-loss analyses.
- Skills- and product-focused. While product training is important, sales skills usually trump product knowledge. Make sure you’re spending enough time teaching reps how to sell.
- Customized. Whether you hire a training firm or use in-house specialists, the program should be specific to your product, market, and company values.
8. Maintain accountability.
Keeping people accountable is an important aspect of a healthy team. If reps see poor performance go unchecked, quotas will start feeling more like suggested targets than hard ones.
Even worse, if a manager doesn’t communicate that a salesperson is in danger of being fired or reprimanded for their disappointing results, the sudden, seemingly unexpected termination will hurt morale and cause team members to wonder if they’re next.
To address this, clearly define your expectations. Then, if you see someone struggling, step in to find out what’s going on and do what you can to address it whether through added support or a performance improvement plan (PIP).
And accountability isn’t just for reps. Willingness to be “in the field” with their team (27.7%) ranked as the third most important trait in an effective sales leader. When leaders actively participate alongside their teams, they demonstrate accountability from the top down and reinforce that standards apply to everyone.
Other common accountability pitfalls sales managers fall into include trying too hard to be their reps’ friends, rather than their boss (which makes it harder to get the necessary results and crack down on mediocrity), and never accepting responsibility themselves (which causes their team to ignore them when they try to manage).
9. Highlight individual accomplishments and talents.
Recognition matters. In fact, low recognition is one of the top cultural blockers (28%).
A positive sales culture should reward being a team player and focus on working together for a common goal, but rewarding individuals is an important motivator. Take notice whenever someone reaches a big goal, comes up with an impactful idea, or excels in a certain area. Those are moments to make reps feel valued and seen. Celebrating individuals encourages everyone to continue striving for greater.
How to Build Sales Culture at a Startup
Building a sales culture from scratch can be exhausting. To help give you clarity on the process, I asked sales leaders how to do it right — and how their advice aligns with what today’s data shows about thriving cultures.
1. Lead with empathy for the customer.
Karim Bouras, founder of Nile, recommends startups build their sales cultures around their customers. He says, “Focus on the customer and start to build a culture of customer-centricity and transparency.
“Rather than consuming time for developing a sales pitch with a sales deck or going after the latest growth hack, meet your prospective customers, record and document the conversations you have with them, identify the most frequently asked questions, and train your first sales hires to genuinely answer all of them. Train them to show empathy and to listen rather than selling.”
This advice matches our 2025 report data. Perceived value (35%) or product fit (37%) were cited as the most common reasons deals don’t close. Listening and responding to customer needs is essential for early wins.
2. Focus on a specialty.
Fundraise Up CEO Salvatore Salpietro recommends startups try to thrive via specialization. He says, “Focus on what you do well and only focus on that.
“You should go a mile deep on an inch-wide problem. The world lacks ‘best in class’ solutions but is flooded with ‘jack of all trades’ toolboxes. Focus the product on a single core competency, and do it better than any other solution on the market.”
3. Set an example, and sell the dream.
Rakefet Yacoby From, CMO at Mayple, tells startup founders and leadership, “Everything starts with your personal example as a leader. Personally make good on all the expectations you have, and give feedback to your team members if they don’t.”
She also recommends that you lead with a vision and encourage buy-in from your team on your brand identity. By her account, “Your team members will have to sell your brand all day long. They won’t do it right without passion. Keep manifesting your brand to them. When they dream with you, customers will buy.”
And it’s not just theory. Our 2025 report lists trust in leadership (30%) as the top cultural motivator.
4. Build company-wide esteem via recognition and openness.
Sales Leader Nathan Niebergall stresses the importance of building company-wide self-esteem. He says, “Focus on recognizing people. Your team wants to work hard and make a difference — so acknowledge the hard work and good things they are doing.
“Do this relentlessly. Be as transparent as possible with company and team numbers. Everyone likes to know how the new company is doing and how they are contributing to the success.”
The data backs this up, too. Low recognition (28%) is one of the biggest cultural blockers
5. Have fun — don’t just work.
Niebergall also recommends that startup leadership prioritize some degree of fun within a sales culture. He says, “Find ways here and there to engage with your team that don’t have to do with work. That can be as simple as a quick stroll outside to grab a drink and talk.”
Fun builds camaraderie, which feeds collaboration, a lack of which is the top blocker in unhealthy sales cultures (29%).
6. Foster continual learning and development.
According to Jarrod Glandt, president at Cardone Enterprises, encouraging ongoing professional development is essential to building a successful sales culture.
He says of his personal experience, “No matter how long you’ve been [at my company], we require everybody to train the same way. It’s about 45 minutes a day of training in the office — plus probably 20 minutes that they’re required to do on their own with our online programs. We want them to be masters of the product.”
That echoes what reps say they want most, career development opportunities (28%).
7. Forge your own path.
As a startup, you’re new to the game and often following the lead of your successful predecessors. Be mindful, however, of your unique journey. A good sales culture involves innovation, which can often feel risky if you’re trying something different. So, don’t be afraid to try and try again until you find what works best.
How to Scale Sales Culture as Your Brand Grows
It’s one thing to establish a sales culture — it’s another to ensure that you sustain those values as your business grows. Scaling requires intention, because what works with 10 reps won’t automatically hold with 100. Here’s how to do it right.
1. Have leadership set the tone.
Trust in leadership is the #1 cultural motivator. That means having company leadership support is essential to scaling your sales team. A brand’s culture comes from the top, and you can’t lose sight of the company values as your business grows.
2. Communicate effectively.
Successfully scaling your sales culture as your brand expands requires clear and accessible communication throughout your organization. Make sure your employees can easily connect with one another to create and sustain a cohesive, communicative culture that embodies your values.
Investing in company-wide communication resources like Slack or Teams, encouraging camaraderie between employees outside the context of the workplace, and having managers routinely meet with their direct reports are all ways to help this cause.
3. Maintain a base of accessible, company-specific content.
Your ability to scale your sales culture as you grow rests on your ability to convey your values and brand identity to members of your organization.
A resource like a company wiki can provide a forum for collecting and displaying customer testimonials, mission statements, exemplary employee stories, accounts of company history, and other valuable reference points to bolster your sales culture.
4. Bring the right people with you.
Scaling culture sometimes means letting go. If someone consistently resists participating in the culture you’re building, they won’t be a positive force as you grow.
Career development (28%) is one of the top motivators for salespeople and can be a powerful tool for keeping people engaged. Offering growth paths can re-engage reps who feel stuck, but if they’re unwilling to align with the evolving culture, it’s a signal to part ways.
Building Your Sales Team With Culture in Mind
As you begin forming your sales dream team, consider the culture you want it to embody. I’ve found this is especially relevant as you are recruiting salespeople. Skill set and experience are important, but how is their attitude? Are they passionate? A team player or an inspiring leader? Presenting your team as one with a positive, healthy culture will also attract the best of the best in sales.
Building and maintaining a strong sales culture isn’t easy, but it can have a tremendous impact on your employee satisfaction and bottom line. You’ll be able to recruit and train great reps, get your desired results, and make everyone on the team happy to work for your company.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in September 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
HubSpot's 2025 Sales Trends Report
This in-depth report includes sections, covering:
- How buyers are becoming more self-informed
- How sales teams are using AI and automation
- Adapting to tighter budgets
- And more!
Download Free
All fields are required.
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