Hey Croners! Welcome to Crono Talks, a series of interviews with projects and people that have blown our minds. We aim to inspire and give deserved credit to those working hard and with great ideas.
In this article, we interviewed Gianluca Manitto, CEO and Co-founder of Sales Valley.
He shares the story behind SalesValley, a boutique consultancy dedicated to helping Italian SMEs and startups hire, train, and scale high-performing sales teams.
Gianluca also explores the evolving skills that will define top sales professionals in 2026, and how AI, coaching, and entrepreneurial thinking are reshaping the world of sales.
Crono Talks ep.10 - Sales Valley
1. For those who don’t know SalesValley yet: how would you describe what you do in one sentence?
SalesValley is a high-performance HR and sales boutique consultancy that specializes in building, training, and scaling sales teams for Italian SMEs, startups, and scale-ups, helping them achieve sustained growth through talent acquisition, customized training programs, and strategic sales leadership.
2. SalesValley was born to solve one of the toughest challenges companies face: finding the right sales talent. Where did the initial idea come from?
The idea behind SalesValley emerged from the frustration many companies face when hiring sales talent.
Both my business partner and I managed several businesses over the years, and we realized that hiring for sales departments was incredibly difficult.
Traditional recruitment methods often failed to meet the needs of high-growth companies, particularly in industries where scalability and adaptability are essential.
It became clear that generic hiring practices were no longer effective in finding top-tier sales talent. This gap led us to develop an almost scientific approach to hiring, tailored specifically to the sales function.
We combined advanced HR techniques with practical role-playing and testing, creating a method that reflects real-world sales challenges.
We also wanted to offer something we wish we had during our own entrepreneurial journeys: methods that not only help recruit the best talent but also train and equip teams with the skills and mindset needed to thrive in today’s competitive environment.
This is why we focus on coaching, providing our clients with not just hires but also strategic guidance to improve sales operations and performance.
3. The sales world is evolving fast. Which skills are becoming non-negotiable for high-performing sales professionals in 2025?
In 2025, high-performing sales professionals will need a strong mix of digital fluency and critical thinking.
As reliance on technology increases, salespeople must be comfortable with advanced CRM systems, data analytics tools, and AI-driven insights that support prospecting, sales strategies, and performance tracking.
However, the human element will remain essential: communication, empathy, and relationship-building skills will continue to set top performers apart.
The ability to leverage data to anticipate customer needs and tailor solutions will be critical for staying ahead.
Additionally, adaptability to rapidly changing markets and the continuous learning of new tools and methods will be key differentiators for top salespeople.
4. AI is reshaping almost every business process, including recruiting. How do you see AI transforming the way companies identify and evaluate sales talent?
AI is already revolutionizing talent acquisition processes.
ATS systems do a decent job of evaluating candidates during the initial screening (although we always manually review all candidates to ensure no diamonds are missed).
New solutions and startups are continuously innovating ways to use AI in recruiting, such as evaluating not only resumes but also behavior patterns, communication styles, and even emotional intelligence, offering deeper insights into a candidate’s potential to succeed in sales.
However, I believe many of these solutions will eventually fade away. The tools that truly help HR professionals save time and reduce operational stress are the ones most likely to remain in business.
In the near future, AI and agentic solutions could also play a larger role in training and evaluation, simulating sales scenarios, and assessing performance through role-playing exercises that mirror real-world challenges.
5. What skills do you think salespeople will need in the future that most teams aren’t training for yet?
As the future of sales continues to evolve, salespeople will need to be more well-rounded, developing a mix of technical and soft skills that allow them to work across different departments and thrive in increasingly dynamic environments.
The future salesperson will be a “T-shaped” professional- broadly skilled in areas such as data analysis, marketing collaboration, and basic product knowledge, while also maintaining deep expertise in their core area, such as relationship-building or closing deals.
Additionally, as technology and AI play a more significant role, salespeople will need to adopt an increasingly entrepreneurial mindset.
They will need to be builders: versatile, proactive individuals who take ownership of their work and drive solutions in collaboration with other teams, coordinating people and technology to drive better outcomes.
As businesses, encouraging entrepreneurial behavior and adaptability within sales teams will be crucial for fostering innovation and retaining top talent in a rapidly changing market.