Over 56 percent of respondents in the study on sales education and its importance in business believe that sales skills will be emphasized as key for every job in the future. This is part of the results of the first research of its kind in Croatia, conducted by the Sales Mindset Academy on a sample of 200 respondents during the second quarter of this year, on the occasion of the largest gathering of sales professionals in Croatia and the region, the Sales4Future conference.
The aim was to find out how much the importance of sales skills and the need for continuous learning in this area are recognized in Croatia, as well as what attitudes people hold about salespeople in general, as a very common but sometimes undervalued profession. It was shown that more than 70 percent of respondents have invested in some form of sales education (course, workshop, book, coaching…) over the past five years. Almost half of the respondents invested the most in live workshops.
Every second respondent claims that their employer has provided them with some form of sales education in the past five years. About 25 percent say that they or their employer have spent more than 1,500 euros on sales education in the past five years, while almost the same number spent no money at all during that period. More than 80 percent believe that sales skills are useful not only for salespeople. The same percentage believes that people underestimate the importance of sales skills.
As many as 90 percent of respondents believe that advanced sales skills ensure long-term relationships with customers and sustainable competitive advantage. Over 90 percent believe that monitoring and analyzing key sales indicators enables better business decisions and growth. More than 90 percent believe that the sales profession requires continuous education and adaptation to market changes. About 60 percent believe that sales professionals are not sufficiently valued within organizations because their work is seen as simple and replaceable.
As many as 61 percent of respondents believe that everyone who wants to communicate and negotiate better should invest in sales education. Almost 62 percent believe that in the IT and technology services sector, male salespeople perform better, and 60 percent think the same for the logistics and transportation sector. Even more respondents believe that male salespeople perform better in the automotive industry (over 72 percent) and in heavy industry and engineering (almost 80 percent). Women perform better in two sectors, fashion and luxury goods (almost 70 percent) and beauty and wellness (almost 69 percent).
In several sectors, respondents believe that male and female salespeople perform equally well, and these are: the financial sector (investments, insurance) (almost 53 percent), healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry (almost 55 percent), marketing, PR services, and media (over 59 percent), real estate (almost 73 percent), sports and fitness equipment (over 74 percent), education and coaching (almost 77 percent), tourism (almost 80 percent), retail, and customer support (almost 79 percent).
Half of the respondents are ready to adapt to future changes in sales and the market. Only one in four considers themselves very ready for the future of sales in the digital age with AI (artificial intelligence). Over 56 percent of respondents believe that sales skills will be emphasized as key for every job in the future, and only three percent believe that sales will lose importance.
The research is part of the activities within the education and networking platform Sales Mindset, which, since its founding five years ago, has been focused on the professionalization and strengthening of sales standards. Behind the project are experienced entrepreneurs Vedran Sorić and Ognjen Bagatin, along with Bojana Simić, Operations Director of Sales Mindset. The Sales4Future conference, which also served as the occasion for the research, will be held on November 20, 2025, at Zagreb’s Mozaik Event Center.
