Sales in 2026: Trust, Tactics and Picking Up the Phone

As we prepare to close out 2025, the sales landscape looks and feels different – longer conversion cycles, rising buyer hesitancy, and trust at an all-time low. But that doesn’t mean opportunity is gone – it means we need to sell smarter.

In this episode, Nicky unpack the sales trends you can’t afford to ignore and offer five no-fluff strategies to stay visible, valuable and in demand as we enter 2026. 

Whether your pipeline needs a jumpstart or your confidence in sales conversations has taken a hit, this conversation is your reminder that great sales aren’t just about persistence – they’re about relevance, relationships, and real connection.

From building trust in an AI-weary world to picking up the phone again – this episode is your practical pep talk and tactical sales checklist, all rolled into one.

If sustainable, smart growth is your 2026 goal – let's go!

As mentioned in the episode check out these previous poddy eps:

Are Referrals a Real Sales Strategy?

AI and the Future of Sales

Learn more about Nicky at nickymiklos.com

Grab The Growth Code™ here!

Get your a copy of Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business & Life at www.healthyhustle.com.au

Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram

Contact: 0403 191 404 | hello@nickymiklos.com

Music by Jules Miklos-Woodley

Transcript

Speaker: 0:06

All right, team. This week we are going to really get our sales hats on. We love to have conversations in this podcast around how to move away from transactional sales to really embracing sustainable smart growth. And so I thought today we could lean into the sales aspect and really have this conversation around what are the trends that we're seeing and how can you convert more sales as we round up the end of 2025 and go into 2026. Because this has been a pretty bit of a challenging year for a lot of people. Of course, there's so many impacts, economic, political, global. I'm not going to go into that. We all know a lot about the impact of that on businesses and small businesses and how that is also changing the sales landscape. But the reality is that we are facing a time where there has been some businesses that are experiencing peak, which is awesome. And there has been challenges along the way. You know, I'm having conversations with business owners at the moment that are really hoping and wanting 2026 to bring something different. And what we know to be true, the challenges that I'm seeing across the market at the moment, we know that conversion times are taking longer than potentially ever before. There's more decision makers being included in the buying cycle, in the decision-making process. There's also a lot of distrust. Distrust when it comes to, you know, AI and scamming and spamming. And this is really causing a hesitation amongst decision makers or almost this lock and hold to see what's going to happen next. Trust is at an all-time low. We've talked about this in the past from the Gallup surveys, and that is really spread across any kind of area of business, not just the sales landscape. Now, I did a podcast episode on AI and how we can actually use AI and overcome this level of distrust. So I'll pop the link in the show notes below. The other reality is that people are struggling, whether it's we as business owners, as leaders, have our own moments, but also our team members, our colleagues, our clients. There's an information overload, and so much is being thrown at us at any given second. That has a couple of impacts and effects as well. So even just from a point of actually being able to function as a human being, this information overload has a real impact on that. Johan Hari talks about this in his book, Stolen Focus. You know, we don't, the equip, it's the equivalent of reading hundreds of newspapers a day is what our brain is dealing with day to day. And we're just not used to it and equipped. Again, why we have to create moments of space and quiet in order to be able to function properly. But the other flip side of this is that from a sales perspective, is that oftentimes your clients, your prospects, your customers, they know a lot about your product or service before they've even spoken to you. So when we consider the different buying phases of awareness to consideration to decision phase, previously, in times gone past, they would come to you to learn about what your product or service could do, the mechanics, the what. Whereas these days, they can get a lot of information online, even using AI as research, but Google, you know, all the usual channels before they even come to you. So there's this question of what actually is our role as a sales person, as a sales leader? How do we continue to give value when actually it's not just about giving information about the product or service? And I actually think this is quite cool because it's challenging us to think differently as salespeople, sales leaders, and business owners, whatever area we sit in, to actually look at what value do I offer in my role. But it also creates a challenge because we're having to shift around this. And sometimes our prospects, potential clients, and customers think that they know everything about the solution that we're offering. When in fact, we know that a conversation needs to really happen in order to show the value of the outcome. All of these challenges are creating this hesitation where we're naturally becoming more cautious, more hesitant to do some of the sales activities that potentially we've done in the past because we don't want to be, you know, that guy, that cliched stereotype used car salesman, or, you know, that stereotypical push, push, push, you know, die hard on the heel. There's no such thing as a no da-da-da-da-type sales. And there's this hesitance to for the most part to not be like that. And so what happens is we end up pulling back even more. We're not even reaching out for fear of being that burden, being that icky, pushy, fake type of salesperson or sales leader. But here's the thing: what hasn't changed? There's a lot that actually hasn't changed. People still want to feel like they know, like, and trust us when they say yes to a sale. Our customers, our clients, they still have a problem that needs to be solved or a need or a desire or a want that you can fulfill. That hasn't changed. That will always remain the same because this sales conversation is really about finding that win-win. The other thing that hasn't changed is that if you're talking to the right person, i.e. the decision maker, with the right offer or the right message at the right time, all things will equal up to you getting a yes. And also, more than ever, actually, sales is about relationships, smart growth conversations, business growth, sales, it's it's fulfilling a need. And actually, there is a relationship that's needed there. And yes, we know that trust is at an all-time low, but also trust is what people are yearning for. So, how can we flip that script and consider how am I, as a brand, as a product, as a service, as an outcome to my clients and prospects' needs, problems, desires, how am I fulfilling that gap? How am I fulfilling that need for trust, that yearning for trust? And if we can really think about that and align that with everything that we do, we're gonna get the right types of clients and customers on board. And it's it's gonna feel great and our business will grow. A quick interruption to this podcast episode. I'm really curious, do you want to close more sales in less time? If the answer is yes, which I hope that it is, then you need to get your hands on the growth code. It is going to give you three proven frameworks and tools that will help future-proof your business and scale with clarity. All you have to do is head down to the show notes and click the link below. So, this is what I want you to consider as we go into 2026. From a tactical point of view, I also want to give you a few things that you can focus on. So if you're finding that actually pipeline is drying up a little bit or it's a little bit low, or even if your pipeline is where you want it to be, we can never take our foot completely off the pedal. When we do that and we don't do any sales activity, guaranteed there'll be a point where we're, you know, we're we're driving that car, it's going on all cylinders, but then actually there'll be a moment when we realize pipeline isn't where we want it to be. And it's almost like then there's this chasm and we're we're full speed ahead, but we need to build the bridge to keep going across. Pipeline is that bridge that will future-proof and secure your business. So no matter how busy you are right now with current clients, prospects, customers, always make sure that you also have some sales activity to build that bridge. So it's ahead of you. The bridge is at the road is ahead of you as you're driving. So here's five things you can do. One is always remember to re-engage with your past clients and keep engaging with your existing clients. Don't let that fall off the wagon when things get too busy and times are really good. Don't let the only time you re-engage with past clients be when you're desperate to build the pipeline. And also engaging with your current clients from a view of how else you can help them. So that's number one. Are you doing that? And if not, there's an opportunity. Number two is to make sure that you nurture your network like it really, really matters. I'm super excited to get Janine Garner, who is the absolute pro in this space. She'll be coming and joining us for uh the new year. We'll be releasing that episode. So if you're kind of stuck and thinking, hang on, I don't really know how to network, how to nurture my network, stay tuned for that episode. And in the meantime, actually, she wrote a book called It's Who You Know. There you go. So you can get started with this and stay tuned for that. But you know, start to think about who's in your network, write a list. It's not just about your actual clients, it's about your A players are your clients, but B players are people that can be connected to your ideal client and it's worth building that relationship and network with them. So start thinking about how that could look. The third thing is make sure you're asking for referrals clearly and confidently. And I recorded a whole episode on that. So I'm going to drop the show note, drop the link to that in the show notes as well. If you're like, ooh, I could be doing that better. And then the fourth thing I want you to think about is really tailor how are you nurturing and showing up to cold, warm, and hot leads. Warm leads are all about understanding how to uncover what their current reality is, what their future ideal is, and how you can close the gap, how you can help them close the gap with your ideal service product, and how you can do that. So it's about getting curious and doing some discovery before you have the conversion. And for your hot leads, it's about making it as easy as possible for them to buy from you, as easy as possible for then for them to say yes, because they're ready to buy. Make their decision feel safe, comfortable, and easy. And here's tip number five, my friends. And I really want you to listen to this because tip number five is for all of this sales activity that I've just spoken about, whether it's you doing it or your team, pick up the phone. Pick up the phone. If it's a hot lead, ask for the sale. If it's a nurture of re-engaging past clients or nurturing warm referrals, pick up the phone and have a conversation. It actually amazes me these days in this modern day landscape, moving into 2026, how there is such an aversion to picking up the phone. And that's actually cross-generational for different reasons. I think there's different reasons driving different generations to not want to pick up the phone. But think about what we talked about before. Trust is at an all-time low. People want to feel like they know you, trust you, like you. We really need to build the relationships. Picking up the phone and having a conversation is the shortest way, the quickest way to get there, to build that trust, to have that conversation. And actually, it is incredible what can come out of that. Remember, if they don't want to talk to you, they won't pick up the phone. And if that's the case, okay, fine, send them an email. Or even better, send them a voice note, send them a quick video, try to phone them again. This is really a strong message to those of you that are like, oh, I wouldn't have thought to pick up the phone, or if you get a bit of an awkward, uncomfortable feeling. If that's not you, all good, amazing, keep going. I actually was listening to a podcast the other day that talked about the fact that uh some salespeople who have been really like, oh, I don't want to pick up the phone, they've started picking up the phone and the response has been amazing because people are actually open to talking. Now you're probably going to get that more with your warm contact. So if it's someone you know, hands down, try and give them a call. Again, if they don't want to talk to you or if they'd prefer another form of communication, they won't answer and they'll message. But most of the times they actually do pick up. I've had so many conversations about this recently. And I love it when the person I'm talking to, and there's been a few instances where they're like, all right, I'm just gonna do it. And they make the call and they come back to me and say, wow, I've got meetings booked. Wow, I've booked a couple of coaching days. Wow, like this is what comes out of actually picking up the phone. So to summarize, we want to re-engage with past clients and existing clients. Make sure you're nurturing and having really cool quality conversations with them. Nurture your network like it matters. They're really linked. Ask for referrals. Again, this is where you can find your sales activity from. Tailor how you rock up to, how you show, how you nurture cold, warm, and hot leads. And most importantly, pick up that damn phone, have those conversations because that is where you can truly have the biggest impact. And of course, if you have a team, make sure you share this with them and get on the phone with them. Do some hour of powers and just bang out those calls. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and I'd love to hear what you action. And until next time, I'll see you then.