Software sales teams in North America are navigating a rapidly shifting landscape. Despite macroeconomic uncertainty, many are exceeding revenue targets by embracing a few key sales trends. These trends not only reshape how deals are closed but also accelerate growth when paired with cloud GTM strategies and programs.
In this post, we’ll break down the three most powerful sales trends driving growth in 2025 and show how sales leaders and frontline sellers can apply them to everyday motions, GTM planning, and partner-led acceleration.
1. Self-Service, Product-Led Growth, and Flexible Pricing
Today’s B2B buyers behave like digital-first consumers. They expect on-demand trials, transparent pricing, and flexible billing that mirrors consumer e-commerce. This shift is fueling the rise of product-led growth (PLG) and usage-based pricing models that lower barriers to entry and drive faster adoption.
Research shows that ISVs embracing consumption-based pricing see growth rates nearly 40% faster than those relying only on fixed subscriptions. Buyers appreciate being able to start small, prove ROI, and expand without lengthy renegotiations.
Equally important is meeting customers in their preferred channels. McKinsey reports that B2B buyers now use an average of 10 touchpoints across digital and human-led interactions. For businesses, that means integrating digital self-service with AWS Marketplace private offers, alongside traditional sales engagement. Buyers increasingly prefer the convenience of transacting through marketplaces where procurement is faster, compliant, and often tied to pre-committed enterprise spend such as AWS PPA/EDP drawdowns.
How ISVs Can Capitalize:
- Launch free trials or freemium tiers to build pipeline organically.
- Publish clear pricing.
- Blend self-service with high-touch support ensuring buyers can transact through the path they prefer.
By reducing friction and leveraging cloud marketplaces, your business can shorten deal cycles and accelerate adoption.
2. AI-Powered Selling and Data-Driven Insights
Artificial Intelligence has moved from hype to execution in sales. In 2025, software companies that embed AI-driven insights into their sales process are pulling ahead with higher conversion rates and better productivity.
AI is reshaping the seller’s day by automating administrative tasks like CRM updates, scheduling, and call transcription. Early adopters are reporting 10–30% improvements in pipeline conversion and seller efficiency. Meanwhile, predictive analytics and AI-based lead scoring are helping teams prioritize accounts most likely to buy or expand.
Generative AI is particularly impactful in personalized outreach and real-time coaching. Tools can now generate industry-specific messaging, surface competitor mentions mid-call, and recommend next best actions. This gives sellers an edge allowing them to personalize at scale while still maintaining authenticity.
When layered with AWS partner acceleration programs, AI insights help sellers identify where to co-sell with AWS, which accounts have active enterprise commitments, and how to position private offers to accelerate procurement.
How You Can Capitalize:
- Automate repetitive tasks to free up more selling time.
- Deploy AI insights for lead scoring and account prioritization.
- Train teams to blend AI-driven recommendations with consultative selling.
AI plus AWS co-sell alignment equals faster deal velocity and smarter customer engagement.
3. Retention, Expansion, and Value Selling
The era of “net-new logos at all costs” is fading. Sustainable growth now comes from Net Revenue Retention (NRR) ensuring customers not only renew but expand. In fact, benchmarks show SaaS companies with 100%+ NRR grow 2x faster than peers.
Leaders are responding by embedding value-based selling and tighter alignment between sales and customer success. The goal is clear: land, deliver measurable outcomes quickly, and expand over time. Expansion revenue now contributes up to 40% of ARR growth for ISVs in the $10M+ range.
For vertical ISVs, customer-centricity also means going deeper into industry expertise. With nearly half of ISVs focusing on verticalized solutions, reps who can “speak the customer’s language” in healthcare, finance, or manufacturing have a competitive advantage.
How ISVs Can Capitalize:
- Make NRR a shared metric across Sales and Customer Success.
- Prioritize onboarding and early ROI delivery.
- Train sellers in consultative, outcome-focused selling.
- Use AWS Marketplace strategy as part of expansion playbooks.
Retention is no longer a defensive measure – it’s the most efficient growth engine for ISVs.
Conclusion: Stay Agile, Stay Aligned
The top three sales trends for 2025: frictionless buying, AI-powered selling, and customer-centric growth are fundamentally changing how businesses compete. Those who adapt quickly, leverage AWS Marketplace listings, and align with co-sell programs like ISV Accelerate will see faster sales cycles, higher win rates, and stronger long-term growth.
In fact, data shows that 38% of ISVs report revenue acceleration after listing on a cloud marketplace. For sellers navigating today’s competitive environment,
👉 Ready to capitalize on 2025’s ISV sales trends? Let’s craft your AWS Marketplace strategy, align your teams for co-sell success, and accelerate your cloud GTM growth today.