Evolution of Selling in the Modern Age

Selling has fundamentally transformed over the past two decades due to two main shifts in how work is conducted. First, research indicates that a significant portion of employees' time—approximately 40%—is now spent on persuasive tasks, which means that almost every role involves elements of selling, whether internally with team members or externally with clients. This is a shift from a more traditional view of sales as a separate profession, reflecting the integration of persuasive skills across all job functions. Second, the balance of information has shifted dramatically, with buyers now possessing equal access to information, forcing sellers to adapt to a more transparent marketplace where they can no longer rely on information asymmetry to gain advantages.