If you manage a sales or real estate team, you’ve probably felt it lately: the market’s changing fast, competition is tighter than ever, and your team’s old playbook just doesn’t seem to hit like it used to.
On paper, your people are confident. They’re motivated. They’re experienced.
So why does it still feel like deals are taking longer to close and momentum is harder to maintain?

A recent Salesloft 2025 report sheds light on what’s really going on beneath the surface and it’s not just about hard work or effort. It’s about hidden skill gaps that even the most seasoned sales professionals often overlook.

Let’s unpack what the data shows, why it matters, and how local teams can turn these insights into an edge.

The Confidence Gap: When Belief Outpaces Ability

The study found that 85% of sellers think they’re great at prospecting, but only 48% of managers actually trust their reps to run deals independently.

That’s a pretty big confidence gap and it’s not just a numbers issue. It’s a perception issue.

What this means is that many teams are operating on self-assurance rather than measurable performance. Confidence isn’t a bad thing, but when it replaces structure, feedback, and skill development, it can quietly stall growth.

In real estate, this shows up when agents say things like,

“I know what works for me,”
but can’t clearly explain why it works or how to teach it to the next hire.

And when everyone’s working from instinct instead of a process, consistency disappears.

The Coaching Illusion: Why Support Feels Scarce

Another big finding: 94% of managers say they coach, but 53% of reps say they only get coaching quarterly or less.

That gap isn’t just about time it’s about quality.

Many managers believe they’re coaching because they give feedback during team meetings, respond to DMs, or review numbers. But real coaching is proactive, personalized, and skill-specific.

It’s not “good job, let’s hit your targets.”
It’s “let’s work on how you handle objections during listing presentations this week.”

In today’s fast-moving real estate scene, this kind of focused coaching is what separates the top-producing teams from the ones that burn out chasing trends.

The Tech Divide: Tools Without Training

Here’s another stat that might surprise you:
Only 6% of sellers use AI for task prioritization, and 55% say they don’t have the right tools for their job.

The truth? Most teams have the tools they just aren’t using effectively.

From CRMs to email automation to AI-powered lead scoring, technology is meant to simplify decision-making. But without a clear process and ongoing training, tech becomes clutter instead of clarity.

Think about your own workflow.
Are your tools helping your team focus or just giving them more to click through?

The Process Problem: When Gut Instinct Gets in the Way

Salesloft also found that 40% of reps frequently ignore their sales process and go with gut instinct.

Sound familiar?

In real estate, this often looks like skipping key steps in follow-up, jumping straight to price before building value, or relying on “what worked last time” instead of what the data shows works now.

Gut instinct can be great but process is what keeps performance repeatable.

The most consistent teams don’t wing it. They document, test, and refine.
That’s how they build trust not just with clients, but within the team itself.

What This Means for Local Teams

Buyer behavior has changed. Sellers expect more transparency. And competition is fierce not just from local brokerages, but from national teams bringing polished systems and tech to every client conversation.

The opportunity here isn’t just to work harder it’s to work smarter.

For sales and real estate leaders, 2025 isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s about tightening the bolts on the ones you already have:

• Personalize your coaching: Pick one skill, one rep, and one week at a time. Small, consistent coaching adds up.
  
  
• Standardize your process: Make your playbook visible, repeatable, and measurable.
  
  
• Adopt AI tools that guide daily actions: Not just CRMs that store data, but platforms that prioritize and prompt the right tasks at the right time.
  
  
• Train adaptability: Markets shift. Tech evolves. The best teams train for change, not just performance.

The Bottom Line: Confidence Isn’t a Strategy

What this data really highlights is a disconnect between belief and behavior.
Confidence without process doesn’t scale.
Coaching without structure doesn’t stick.
Technology without clarity doesn’t help.

If you’re leading a team especially in a relationship-driven industry like real estate your greatest growth opportunity might not be “more leads” or “better ads.” It might be developing consistency across your people, systems, and skills.

Ready to Close Your Own Skill Gaps?

At Real Estate Growth Network, we help teams move from chaos to clarity through systems, structure, and the kind of personalized coaching that drives real results.

That’s why we’re offering a FREE 1-Month Group Coaching experience to help leaders identify and close their team’s biggest skill gaps in real time.

If you’re ready to lead with structure (not just hustle), we’d love to have you join us.

Follow @RealEstateGrowthNetwork for more leadership insights and coaching opportunities that actually move the needle.

Because in 2025, the best teams won’t just sell more they’ll operate smarter.