Staffing CEOs Are All Saying the Same Thing, and It’s Not Just About Sales

This is not about adjusting a sales strategy or launching another digital tool or campaign. This is about rewiring how staffing companies sell, lead, grow, and sustain performance in a more complex market. 

Leaders answered, and these six rose to the top.

1. Change Fatigue and Tech Whiplash

From virtual recruiters to AI sourcing tools, staffing firms are adopting new technology at a rapid pace. But adoption without enablement is creating internal friction.

Bullhorn’s GRID 2025 report found that while 66% of staffing firms have implemented AI tools, fewer than half believe they are using them effectively!! In addition, Salesforce’s “State of Sales” report reveals that sellers now spend just 28 to 34% of their time in actual selling conversations. The rest of their time is spent on administrative work, internal meetings, and navigating disconnected systems. (tool overload!)

Technology is not the problem. Change management is. Successful adoption depends on thoughtful rollout strategies, effective communication, and ensuring the tools solve real business problems, especially when teams are already stretched thin.

2. Motivation Has Changed, and Many Are Not Ready

Many executives described a generational and cultural shift. Today’s workforce wants more than compensation and incentives. They want clarity, purpose, flexibility, and leaders who listen and coach.

The data backs this up. According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends, purpose-driven companies see 29% higher job satisfaction and 40% greater retention. Employees are increasingly seeking meaning in their work, not just a paycheck.

In response, leaders are rethinking onboarding processes, using personality assessments, and implementing structured goal-setting early in the employee lifecycle. It is not about being rigid, it is about providing a framework that connects company expectations with personal motivation.

3. Sales Teams Need Support and Standards

Nearly every executive in the roundtable acknowledged the same issue: sales performance is inconsistent and often depends on individual heroics.

Some firms are experiencing low activity levels, poor follow-up, and general inconsistency across the funnel. Others are struggling with long ramp-up times and hanging on to underperformers for too long.

What is working? Structured onboarding, written sales agreements, defined prospecting cadences, and more frequent coaching.

Salesforce data shows that 72% of high-performing sales managers spend more time coaching than on administrative tasks.

As one CEO put it,

4. Marketing and Sales Are Still Out of Sync

Many staffing firms are struggling to see a return on their marketing investments, particularly digital advertising, SEO, and brand campaigns.

Why? Because sales and marketing are often working from different assumptions. Leaders shared frustrations about vague messaging, unclear value propositions, and marketing leads that do not match the Ideal Client Profile.

The firms seeing improvement are those investing in alignment. They have clearly defined client personas, shared messaging, and omnichannel outreach strategies that reflect how buyers actually engage.

According to HubSpot, companies with tightly aligned sales and marketing teams experience 36% higher customer retention and 38% higher win rates.

5. AI Cannot work without Trust

AI tools are no longer optional. They are already here. The question is whether your team trusts them.

Many firms are learning that the key to successful AI implementation is positioning. The most effective message must clearly speak to your producers in their Operating Reality (WIIFM) and you must  be able to share how "This AI tool will help you do more of what you do best."

Bullhorn’s GRID 2025 found that firms using AI tools effectively were nearly twice as likely to grow revenue in 2024. In firms where AI was introduced as a solution to a specific problem, rather than a vague innovation mandate, adoption was far higher and results were more tangible.

6. Leadership Misalignment Is the Quiet Threat

Inconsistent leadership behaviors remain one of the most overlooked threats to performance. When senior leaders operate with different standards or communication styles, it creates confusion, weakens accountability, and erodes culture from within.

This is not a personality issue; it is a performance issue. As Patrick Lencioni puts it, 

The most effective companies ensure their leadership teams are aligned in both direction and behavior, modeling the consistency they expect from others. Leadership alignment is not optional. It is essential.

So, What Does This Mean for You?

These challenges are not unique. They are shared. And more importantly, they are solvable.

The executives who left ASA’s CEO Roundtable with renewed focus did not walk away with a new product or a turnkey solution. They walked away with perspective. They saw their own challenges reflected in others. They realized they were not falling behind, they were simply seeing the truth more clearly.

The firms that succeed in 2026 will not be those who try to push harder through the noise. They will be the ones who pause, realign, and reframe.

They will build coaching into their leadership rhythms. They will align marketing with sales. They will onboard with purpose, not assumption. And they will use AI to remove friction, not add it.

If you are still thinking about these issues, you are not alone.

At Butler Street, we help staffing leaders simplify the complex, align their people and processes, and focus on the things that move the needle.

If you would like to continue the conversation, we are here. Not with a pitch, but with perspective.

Because growth in staffing has never been easy. But with clarity and structure, it does not have to feel this hard.