In today’s B2B sales landscape, expectations are higher, budgets are tighter, and the bar for buyer experience keeps rising. So what does it really take to succeed in 2025?

In this episode, Charlene Thompson is joined by Michael Akinle, a senior sales leader at the UK’s largest private equity–backed software company, for a grounded and insightful conversation about the changing shape of sales, from hiring and headcount to AI and executive engagement.

Together, they explore:

• How the shift from “growth at all costs” to sustainable, efficient growth is reshaping teams

• The real skills modern AEs need to thrive (hint: it’s more than quota-chasing)

• Why sales cycles are lengthening — and how that changes how we define success

• The rising importance of business acumen, technical fluency, and executive presence

• Where AI fits into prospecting, and what it can’t replace

• What a standout customer experience really looks like from first touch to close

  
  

Whether you're leading a team, carrying a quota, or shaping go-to-market strategy, this conversation offers a clear, honest look at what sales success demands now — and how to build for the future without burning people out.

Want to get the inside scoop on your sales metrics?

Check out my Analytics Services today

https://charlenethompson.com/analyticsservices

You can follow Charlene Thompson on LinkedIn -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlene-thompson-salesops/

Follow Michael Akinle on Linked -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ranmi-akinl%C3%A9-0ab96780/