New report reveals widespread public scepticism around sales, but better human connection could fix the image problem, as over 40% say an honest acknowledgement of pros and cons would help
New York, May 18, 2026 – Pipedrive, the easy and intelligent CRM for small and medium-sized businesses, today released its new UK report, Hard sell: How sales teams can reclaim the profession. This examines the gap between public perception and the reality of working in sales in 2026. Most notably, less than a quarter (21%) of the UK public trusts sales professionals, with a third (33%) viewing the profession negatively. At the same time, just 18% say they have a positive opinion of salespeople, compared with 48% who hold mixed views.
This ‘sales shame’ is having a real impact on sales and business performance, becoming a potential drag on UK business health and revenue. Two thirds (67%) of salespeople say negative perceptions of the profession have affected their performance, rising to 82% among young professionals (18-34 year-olds). More than a quarter (27%) say those perceptions have lowered work morale, while 22% say they have rebranded what they do to avoid saying they work in ‘sales’.
The emotional toll also varies by gender, the data shows that women are more likely to feel judged as “only caring about commission” (49%), while men are more concerned about being seen as dishonest (38%) or lacking expertise (34%), highlighting how negative perceptions are not just widespread, but deeply personal in how they shape morale and performance.
Sales: a condemned profession?
Based on data sourced by Sapio Research, the findings reveal a sharp disconnect between UK public perception of salespeople and how sales professionals see their role. While sales remains one of the UK’s most misunderstood professions, there is an opportunity to rebuild trust through empathy, honesty and stronger human connection.
At the same time, the findings highlight a path forward. More than half (53%) of the UK public say they would trust a salesperson more if there were no pressure to make an immediate decision. Others say trust would grow through honest acknowledgement of pros and cons (43%), transparency around pricing (41%) and a clear understanding of customer needs (37%). Together, the results suggest that the future of sales depends less on persuasion and more on empathy, credibility and relationship-building.
Reboot the robots
Unfortunately, the rising prevalence of sales chatbots offers no better solution. A quarter (24%) of AI users are already using an AI shopping assistant, according to Kantar’s Connecting with the AI consumer report 2025. The Pipedrive report also reveals that while AI-driven sales tools are becoming more common, public trust in them remains limited. Of the general public who are not very open to buying AI-driven sales tools, half (55%) say they do not fully trust AI, and 46% say they value human connection. Rather than replacing salespeople, this points to an opportunity for the profession to lean further into the qualities technology cannot replicate: empathy, judgement and authentic communication.
Paulo Cunha, CEO at Pipedrive said: “Most people still picture sales the old way: pushy, transactional and impersonal. That stereotype stuck around far longer than it should, and it doesn’t reflect the reality of what good sales looks like today.
“Trust is the real currency in a buyer's journey. As AI becomes more common, the human side of sales, honesty, empathy and genuine understanding, is what will separate a great business relationship from a bad one. Sales is about partnership, and the profession needs to be recognised for the value it really brings between people exchanging value in a much more connected world. Sales people must learn to work around these real irks that consumers dislike so much, and connect more positively.”
Methodology
Pipedrive’s Hard sell: How sales teams can reclaim the profession report is based on survey data from Sapio Research, exploring public perceptions of salespeople in the UK, attitudes toward AI-driven sales interactions and the impact of negative perceptions on sales professionals themselves. The report examines responses from both the general public and people working in sales roles in 2026. The survey was conducted among 1,500 respondents from the UK aged 18+, including 500 salespeople and 1000 people in the general population. Interviews were conducted online in March 2026 using an email invitation and an online survey. Full methodology and findings are available in the report.
About Pipedrive
Founded in 2010, Pipedrive is an easy and intelligent CRM designed for growing sales teams at small and medium-sized businesses. Built to be easy to adopt and scale, it helps them manage their sales processes and grow revenue. Today, more than 100,000 small and medium-sized businesses worldwide use Pipedrive. The company is headquartered in New York and has offices across Europe and the U.S. Its investors include Vista Equity Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Insight Partners, Atomico, and DTCP. Learn more at www.pipedrive.com.