Fewer Tools, Stronger Selling: The Skills That Matter in 2026
Dirk Schuran’s provocative 2023 thesis became more relevant in the AI era: when tools accelerate almost every activity, genuine sales skill becomes more visible, not less important.
The short answer
Software improves research, sequences, documentation and analysis. It cannot repair a vague ICP, weak conversations or missing customer value. Before buying another tool, define the behavior it should improve and the business metric that proves it.
Five skills gaining value
1. Business problem understanding
AI can find information. A seller still has to connect it to the customer’s business model, priorities and current situation.
2. Conversation leadership
Good questions are not enough. Strong sellers listen, follow up precisely, create productive tension and refuse to leave a comfortable but vague answer untested.
3. Commercial thinking
Reps need to understand how the customer makes money, controls cost, evaluates risk and allocates resources. Without that logic, value selling remains abstract.
4. Judgment
AI can score an opportunity. The rep must decide whether the champion is acting, whether the deadline is real and whether the deal is progressing or merely staying polite.
5. Relationships and network
As digital outreach becomes easier to produce, recommendations, reputation and repeated genuine interaction become more valuable. A network does not replace performance, but it lowers the trust barrier.
The failure pattern behind tool sprawl
Teams often buy software to treat symptoms: too little pipeline, weak data, inconsistent follow-up or unreliable forecasts. Activity then rises without necessarily improving customer relevance. Effectiveness is replaced by volume, frameworks replace judgment, dashboards replace customer proximity and fragmented tools create more handoffs.
Dirk’s criticism is not directed at software itself. He rejects the idea that selling can be fully represented in tools and controlled through activity data. A CRM can document contacts and progress. It does not own the rep’s network or understand the quality of a relationship.
Freedom needs guardrails
Dirk uses the image of a four-lane motorway. Sellers should be able to choose their route within a clear frame, but they cannot drive off into the field. In practice, contacts belong in the CRM, expected outcomes are explicit and legal and operational standards apply to everyone. That does not mean every email, call and communication channel must be prescribed centrally.
Experienced top performers need more freedom because part of their value sits in relationships, timing and situational judgment. Junior reps need more guidance, feedback and shared working practices. Treating both groups identically is not automatically fair or effective.
“Sales is also a results business.”
- DIRK SCHURAN
A network cannot be measured daily
Dirk describes relationships where the commercial payoff appeared three years later. This is not an argument against measurement. It is an argument against expecting every relationship to create pipeline the next day.
Events, referrals and personal meetings need different measurement windows than outbound sequences. Useful signals include relevant new relationships, follow-up conversations, referrals, influenced opportunities and revenue created over time.
“Sometimes the payday comes three years later.”
- DIRK SCHURAN
The tool test
Ask what exact problem the tool solves, which behavior changes, which outcome improves, what it replaces and who owns adoption. “More productivity” without a workflow or business result is not a sufficient case.
| Question | Strong answer | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| What problem are we solving? | a specific process constraint | “more productivity” |
| Which behavior changes? | a defined user workflow | another dashboard |
| Which outcome improves? | conversion, cycle time, quality or time saved | more activity |
| What does it replace? | a named tool or manual step | the stack only grows |
| Who owns adoption? | one owner and a review rhythm | vendor onboarding |
AI does not automatically mean fewer tools
AI can become another fragmented layer. A better architecture has one reliable system of record, a small number of explicit workflows and AI focused on research, preparation, notes, CRM hygiene and pattern detection. Reinvest the saved time in customer conversations, coaching and deal strategy.
A 30-day skill reset
- Week 1: Map every tool to a real job and identify duplication.
- Week 2: Review calls for problem depth, listening and commitment.
- Week 3: Train one observable behavior rather than ten topics.
- Week 4: Measure conversion, cycle time or conversation quality, not logins.
Dirk’s thesis is even more uncomfortable today
“There are only good tool users left, but no real salespeople” was already the episode’s provocative thesis in 2023. AI adds another layer: a rep can automate research, outreach and follow-up, appear extremely busy and still fail to lead a single customer conversation better.
The real test is not output volume. It is whether the rep understands problems more precisely, asks better questions, builds trust and helps the customer make a clear decision. Technology amplifies those abilities, or exposes their absence faster.
Dominic’s take
I would not demand less technology in general. I would demand less redundant technology and far more clarity. AI is powerful when it removes low-value work. It is dangerous when leaders believe talent, coaching and customer proximity can be automated.
Conclusion
The modern stack should amplify skill, not hide its absence. Clarify process and behavior first, then automate.
The original episode
Dirk Schuran · Founder of Rainmaker Society
Original episode published July 1, 2023