Are your sales lagging behind? Is the market getting tough? Well, it’s not going to get any easier with AI and new tech coming out.
The competition in the SaaS sector is getting more cutthroat by the day, but the potential sales are there for those who take advantage.
Here at Seamless.AI, we want to help you generate more sales. And with so many companies in the SaaS space (roughly 17,000) doing sales outreach, we wanted to ask the question that’s on every sales pro’s mind: Which sales channel is the most effective today?
And more importantly, how are sales reps finding the clients who genuinely need their product?
Is cold calling still the goldmine that the sales playbook says it is? Or are there new channels getting steady responses from prospects?
In the 2025 Sales Channel Effectiveness Report, we surveyed dozens of pros, from sales development reps to account executives (AE) and sales managers, to learn what’s working and what’s not.
Here are 5 things the data taught us that can help you get seen, get heard, and fuel higher sales growth with more closed deals.
Finding #1: The numbers don’t lie: The ROI on content collabs isn’t paying off.
41% of survey respondents said content collabs (webinars, guest articles, social posts, etc.) take too much effort with low ROI and less control over content compared to other channels. Plus, the small returns you get are hard to track to see what’s really resonating with your audience.
1st Quick Fix
To drive higher ROI and maintain growth, prioritize healthy channels (where you're already seeing traction) while being strategic with content collaboration efforts.
- Build new audiences with newsletters, podcasts, and social posts to expand reach.
- Use tools like Seamless.AI to find collaboration partners in your target industry with a similar audience and similar goals.
Related: 20 Strategies to Boost Sales Revenue
Finding #2: Say no to “Spray and Pray,” and personalize your outreach.
Only 1 in 5 sales pros personalize their outreach. The rest opt for basic customization.
If you’re looking to stand out, it’s not rocket science. Just take a few minutes to personalize your messaging.
Start using AI tools to automate your sales process and do the big lift of messaging! Seamless.AI provides data on everything from recent company news to new hires. You can even draft a fully personalized message with the insights you find in seconds.
2nd Quick Fix
Personalizing outreach gives a better impression to prospects, increases open rates, and warms leads to generate better interest.
- Customize subject lines and opening statements to grab attention
- Tools like data enrichment can help you fill in data gaps and understand prospects’ pain points.
Finding #3: Looking to build trust with prospects? They’re all on social media.
Social media is good for more than just vanity projects and personal brand-building. In fact, 36% prefer social selling as the most effective sales channel for engaging with prospects on a more authentic one-on-one level. The majority of respondents also mentioned LinkedIn and Facebook as their go-to platforms.
3rd Quick Fix
Social media has been a staple for years, but many don’t know how to use it as a sales tool. If you’re looking to build a community of like-minded people trying to solve similar pain points, you must be consistent and reliable.
- LinkedIn and Facebook are the most used, but don’t forget about Reddit (it's a fast-growing platform that gets you on the ground, speaking with real people. Plus, it's a way to help control the narrative around your solution).
- Want to know the secret formula to powerful social selling and meaningful connections? It’s networking + accurate contact and intent data from Seamless.AI.
Related: Driving Engagement On Social Media
Finding #4: The dialer no longer leads the pack in sales outreach. Low conversion rates and stress are to blame.
While cold calling has always been lauded as the top sales channel, our survey results reveal that the dialer is losing steam. Only 1 in 6 respondents rated cold calling as their top response driver.
Why are people moving away from cold calls? Low success rate (24%), high stress (21%), and rejection fatigue (21%) were the top 3 issues people identified.
People may not be using cold calling as much. But we think this is still a great channel for rapport-building and instant feedback. Plus, with less people making cold calls, that can be an opportunity for you to distinguish yourself from competitors. Take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Cold Calling.
4th Quick Fix
If you want to improve the results you get from cold calling, write personalized scripts (and practice them ahead of a call), and use call tracking history to test strategies and optimize.
- Picking random numbers to call is a recipe for disaster. If you’re going to hop on the dialer, go after high-intent prospects, and use prospecting platforms like Seamless.AI to get direct dials that get you past the gatekeepers.
- If no one picks up, please leave a voicemail to improve your chances of getting a callback.
Finding #5: Texting can be a part of a successful multichannel outreach strategy that actually closes.
Think texting is too personal for sales outreach? Think again. 55% of respondents integrate texting into multi-channel campaigns. But instead of using texting as a first touch point, respondents warm up leads first with more traditional channels like email and cold calling.
5th Quick Fix
Consider building up a texting list and be sure to have opt-ins and opt-outs in place so you’re always following compliance measures.
- Don’t assume that every client wants to talk to you. Most don’t. Shockingly, younger generations (Millennials, Gen Z, etc.) prefer texting.
- Use push alerts and deal notifications to keep users coming back.
The Bottom Line
If there’s one lesson our 2025 Sales Channel Effectiveness Report taught us, it’s that SaaS sales prospecting is evolving fast, and the old playbooks no longer guarantee results.
From the surge in the popularity of social selling to the speed at which professionals are abandoning cold calling, one thing is clear: If you want to get your brand seen, you have to be more strategic than ever, more personalized, and more human in your outreach.
But these five lessons are just the tip of the iceberg.
For a complete breakdown of which channels are outperforming, how sales teams are adapting, and what trends are shaping the future of outreach, download the full 2025 Sales Channel Effectiveness Report. Get the insights you need to sell smarter, not harder.
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