A sales team is the group responsible for generating revenue by identifying prospects, managing opportunities, and closing deals. In 2026, modern sales teams use AI-driven insights, automated workflows, intent signals, and product usage data to prioritize accounts, accelerate deal cycles, and collaborate across the entire customer lifecycle.
Types of Roles on a Sales Team
Sales Development Representatives (SDRs / BDRs)
Create pipeline by qualifying leads and booking meetings.
Account Executives (AEs)
Run discovery, demos, evaluations, and close new business.
Account Managers (AMs)
Manage post-sale relationships, renewals, and upsells.
Customer Success Managers (CSMs)
Drive adoption, retention, and expansion (aligned with sales but not closing-focused).
Sales Engineers (SEs)
Provide technical and product expertise during evaluations.
Sales Operations / RevOps
Oversee systems, data, forecasting, automation, and process optimization.
Sales Leadership
Set strategy, targets, territories, hiring plans, and compensation structures.
What Sales Teams Do
- Prospect and qualify leads
- Conduct discovery calls and product demos
- Manage opportunities and forecast revenue
- Negotiate pricing and close deals
- Maintain CRM hygiene
- Collaborate with marketing and CS throughout the lifecycle
- Support renewals and expansion where roles overlap with AM/CS teams
Modern Sales Team Capabilities (2026)
- AI-powered prioritization of accounts and leads
- Automated and personalized outreach sequences
- Deal health scoring and predictive risk alerts
- Real-time activity capture across email, calls, video, chat, and product usage
- Predictive forecasting and scenario modeling
- AI copilots generating summaries, next steps, and recommended actions
- Automated pipeline hygiene and validation workflows
Key Metrics for Sales Teams
- Pipeline created
- Win rate
- Average deal size
- Sales cycle length
- Quota attainment
- Forecast accuracy
- Expansion and renewal performance
- Activity and buyer engagement metrics
Examples of Sales Teams in Practice
- SDRs use AI-driven intent scoring to prioritize outreach.
- AEs receive alerts when buyer engagement drops on key deals.
- SEs deliver dynamic, AI-assisted demos personalized to the prospect.
- Leadership monitors predictive forecasts adjusting in real time.
Sales Team vs. Related Functions
Sales Team vs. SDR Team
SDRs generate pipeline; the full sales team includes closers and supporting roles.
Sales Team vs. RevOps
RevOps provides systems, insights, and automation that enable sales performance.
Sales Team vs. Customer Success
CS owns onboarding, adoption, retention, and expansion after the initial sale.
Sales Team vs. Marketing
Marketing generates awareness and demand; sales converts qualified interest into revenue.
FAQ
What is the role of a sales team?
To drive revenue through prospecting, opportunity management, negotiation, and closing.
Do PLG companies need sales teams?
Yes—PLG organizations often rely on sales to accelerate adoption and expand accounts.
How has AI transformed sales teams?
AI automates admin work, identifies risks, recommends actions, and improves forecasting accuracy.
What makes a sales team effective?
Clear processes, reliable data, strong coaching, aligned incentives, and modern tooling.
