Your Sales Tech Stack Is Growing. Sales Capability Isn’t Keeping Up.
AI Summary
Sales technology adoption has expanded significantly, yet effectiveness has not followed. Average scores for Leveraging Sales Technology have remainedlow and flat, while proficiency has declined to just 16% of salespeople. Over the same period, Hunting competency has also slipped. The data points to a widening gap between access to tools and the ability to use them in ways that support performance.
Heavy Investment, Limited Return
Sales organizations have spent years building out their tech stacks.
CRMs, sequencing platforms, intent data tools, AI-driven prospecting solutions, and forecasting systems are now standard. The expectation has been straightforward. More technology should improve efficiency, strengthen pipeline, and support better execution.
That progress is not reflected in the data.
From 2020 to 2025, the average score for Leveraging Sales Technology has remained within a narrow range:
2021: 45%
2022: 44%
2023: 45%
2024: 42%
2025: 42%
There has been no sustained improvement.1
The percent of salespeople who are proficient at using sales technology tells a similar story:
2021: 20%
2022: 20%
2023: 20%
2024: 17%
2025: 16%2
Only a small percentage of salespeople are using technology in ways that meaningfully support their role.
Knowledge Does Not Equal Effective Use
Leveraging Sales Technology is often reduced to familiarity with systems. That misses the point.
This competency reflects judgment. It shows up in how salespeople decide when to use a tool, how they apply it within the sales process, and whether it helps move an opportunity forward.
Many sellers know where to click. Fewer know when a tool adds value or when it creates friction.
Research from CSO Insights supports this distinction. Sales enablement technology delivers value when it is embedded into the sales process and aligned with how sellers actually work.3
Without that alignment, usage remains surface-level.
Complexity Is Slowing Sellers Down
As tech stacks expand, so does the burden on the salesperson.
More systems to update. More dashboards to review. More steps required to complete basic tasks.
This adds friction throughout the day.
According to Gartner, increasing complexity in sales technology environments can reduce seller productivity, particularly when tools are not well integrated or clearly defined within the workflow.4
Instead of creating time, many tools compete for it.
Prospecting Capability Is Slipping
Sales technology is often positioned as a solution for pipeline generation.
The data does not support that assumption.
The average Hunting competency has declined over the same period:
2021: 59%
2022: 57%
2023: 59%
2024: 56%
2025: 55%5
Outreach platforms, data providers, and AI-driven insights are designed to help sellers identify and engage new opportunities more effectively.
That improvement has not materialized.
Research from McKinsey & Company points to a similar pattern. Many B2B organizations continue to invest in digital capabilities, yet struggle to translate those investments into measurable growth due to gaps in adoption and execution.6
Where the Breakdown Happens
The gap shows up in how the tools are applied. Several patterns appear consistently:
Tool Proliferation Without Direction
New tools are added faster than clear use cases are defined.
Training Focused on Features
Salespeople learn system functionality, but not how to apply it in real selling situations.
One-Size-Fits-All Deployment
Technology is rolled out the same way across roles that require very different approaches.
Activity Over Effectiveness
Automation increases volume, but not necessarily quality.
What High Performers Do Differently
Salespeople who excel in this competency take a more selective approach:
They focus on using the right tools at the right moment.
They align technology with their sales process rather than adjusting their process to fit the tools.
They use technology to support preparation and insight, then shift their attention to conversations that move opportunities forward.
Efficiency comes from clarity, not volume.
The Role Technology Should Play
Sales technology has a clear purpose.
It should reduce administrative burden, improve visibility, and support better decision-making. When used well, it creates space for salespeople to focus on conversations, relationships, and advancing opportunities. When used poorly, it adds another layer of work.
The data suggests many organizations are still working through that gap.
What Sales Leaders Should Take Away
Improvement in this area does not come from expanding the tech stack.
It comes from tightening how tools are used.
Sales leaders should focus on:
- Defining where each tool fits within the sales process
- Setting expectations for how and when tools should be used
- Training for application in real scenarios
- Reducing unnecessary complexity
Clarity and consistency tend to produce stronger adoption than adding more options.
Final Thought
Sales technology continues to expand across organizations. Proficiency in leveraging it remains low and largely unchanged. The opportunity is in how tools are applied within the sales process, when they are used, and whether they are helping salespeople work more efficiently so they can focus on the conversations that move opportunities forward.
Sources
- Objective Management Group: Finding Statistics Tool: Average competency scores for Sales Technology from 1/1/20-12/31/2020, 1/1/2021-12/31/2021, 1/1/2022-12/31/2022, 1/1/2023-12/31/2023, 1/1/2024-12/31/2024, and 1/1/2025-12/31/2025. Internal Dataset.
- Objective Management Group: Finding Statistics Tool: Competency scores for those Proficient in Sales Technology from 1/1/20-12/31/2020, 1/1/2021-12/31/2021, 1/1/2022-12/31/2022, 1/1/2023-12/31/2023, 1/1/2024-12/31/2024, and 1/1/2025-12/31/2025. Internal Dataset.
- CSO Insights – Sales Enablement Study (archived via Miller Heiman Group)
https://www.millerheimangroup.com/resources/research/ - Gartner – Sales Technology & Seller Productivity Research (overview page)
https://www.gartner.com/en/sales - Objective Management Group: Finding Statistics Tool: Average competency scores for Hunting from 1/1/20-12/31/2020, 1/1/2021-12/31/2021, 1/1/2022-12/31/2022, 1/1/2023-12/31/2023, 1/1/2024-12/31/2024, and 1/1/2025-12/31/2025. Internal Dataset.
- McKinsey & Company – The new B2B growth equation
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-new-b2b-growth-equation