SALESFORCE RESEARCH What You’ll Find in This Report
For the fourth edition of our “State of Sales” report, Salesforce Research surveyed nearly 6,000 sales professionals worldwide Nearly to discover: North America • How inside and outside reps are adjusting to new Asia Pacific expectations from leaders and customers • The evolving responsibilities and elevated 6,000 Europe importance of sales operations Middle East • New growth strategies and tactics that sales sales professionals leaders are adopting amid a global crisis surveyed worldwide Africa
Methodology
Data in this report is from a double-blind survey conducted from May 13, 2020, through June 30, 2020, that generated 5,951 responses from full-time sales professionals, including sales operations, sales representatives, and sales leadership. Respondents include sellers from B2B and B2B2C companies across North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. All respondents are third-party panelists (not limited to Salesforce customers).
Due to rounding, not all percentage totals in this report equal 100%. All comparison calculations are made from total numbers (not rounded numbers). See page 40 for more details.
Salesforce Research provides data-driven insights to help businesses transform how they drive customer success. Browse all reports at salesforce.com/research. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 3 What You’ll Find in This Report
Terms Used in This Research In this research, we refer to several sample respondent groups, defined as follows: • Sales reps: Quota-carrying sales representatives • Sales operations: Includes sales enablement, revenue ops, and deal desk • Sales leaders: Sales executives and managers • Sales professionals: All salespeople, inclusive of the groups above • Sales organizations: Sales professionals answering on behalf of their teams SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 4
What You’ll Find 9% in This Report Underperformers Slightly or not confident in their ability to close deals Distribution of Sales Performance Levels Throughout this report, we classify respondents across three tiers of sales organization performance. 24% High performers Completely confident in their ability to close deals
68% Moderate performers All other sales organizations SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 5 Contents
Executive Summary ...... 06
01 | Reps Retool Tactics for a New Selling Landscape ...... 07
02 | Sales Operations Gets a Bigger Seat at the Table ...... 12
03 | Leaders Pivot for Recovery and Growth ...... 20
Look Ahead: The Industry-by-Industry Path to Growth ...... 24
Appendix ...... 25
Survey Demographics ...... 39 SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 6
Executive Summary
The art and science of selling Reps Retool Tactics for a New Selling Landscape (See page 07) have never been static, but a 01 Sellers are adapting quickly to changes both inside their companies and outside global pandemic has upped the from customers. High-performing reps recognize the importance of empathy, ante for transformation. trust, and insights in building customer relationships that outlast the current crises. Reps are leaning into their The vast majority of reps — 79% — say they’ve had to adapt roles as strategic relationship quickly to new ways of selling. builders, adapting to buyer needs with empathy and insights. Meanwhile, sales Sales Operations Gets a Bigger Seat at the Table (See page 12) operations teams are growing 02 The back office is stepping into the spotlight as the selling landscape shifts. increasingly strategic, bolstering Teams are working quickly to adapt their people and processes to new leaders as they envision a new challenges and opportunities, elevating the strategic importance of sales future amidst ambiguity. operations. Eighty-five percent of sales professionals agree that sales ops is becoming increasingly strategic. This research covers how sales teams are adapting to recover and grow during a pivotal time. Leaders Pivot for Recovery and Growth (See page 20) 03 Sales leaders are steering their ships toward recovery and growth in a changed world. Despite a future riddled with ambiguity, leaders are quickly adjusting strategies and implementing needed changes. Seventy-seven percent of sales leaders say their digital transformation has accelerated since 2019. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 7 01 Reps Retool Tactics
for a New Adaptation Is Key as Customers Face Selling Landscape Unprecedented Challenges
Since the advent of business, sales Reps Who Report the Following Impacts strategies have evolved in response to of Current Economic Conditions customers’ changing needs. COVID-19 Increased importance of has shaken up customers’ circumstances 86% long-term customer relationships with unprecedented scale and speed. As a result, 79% of sales reps say they’ve had Increased importance of 83% to quickly adapt to new ways of selling . building trust before a sale Increased importance of Building trust has always been important. 80% building trust after a sale However, it’s now even more crucial, as customers and prospects with scarcer 72% Changing sales success metrics resources and foggier outlooks question long-held assumptions. 64% New job responsibilities Meanwhile, reps are contending with a flood of changes themselves. Between new responsibilities, new metrics, and new ways of selling, everything is on the table.
of sales reps expect their role to change 58% permanently. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 8 01 Reps Retool Tactics for a New Selling Landscape New Realities Hit Outside Reps Hardest
Selling during public health and economic Reps Who Agree with the Following crises isn’t easy for anyone, but it’s particularly challenging for outside reps. My manager understands 82% my day-to-day challenges 71% Traditionally reliant on in-person meetings, outside reps now need to build trust I am encouraged by sales through a browser window. Many are leadership to prioritize long- struggling with the transition, and feel that term customer relationships 76% expectations from leadership don’t mesh over short-term wins 68% with their new reality. Expectations from sales leadership match the 72% Inside reps’ jobs haven’t been shaken up in current selling reality 54% the same way. These reps are more likely to feel their customer relationships are My relationships with deepening and, ultimately, have more faith customers are stronger 66% in their ability to close deals. than they were in 2019 46%
Reps Who Are Confident About the Following* Personal ability to close deals in the 71% current environment 54%
Sales organization’s ability to close deals in 67% the current environment 49%
Inside reps Outside reps
* Responses of “completely confident” or “mostly confident.” SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 9 01 Reps Retool Tactics for a New Selling Landscape Organizations Balance Process and Autonomy
How Sales Organizations Encourage Reps to Operate Recognizing there’s no one-size-fits- all approach to selling, many sales With flexibility Through defined organizations allow reps the and autonomy processes and protocols autonomy to work in the most agile 56% 44% and effective manner.
However, this doesn’t mean organizations How Reps Share Progress with Managers are forgoing all defined protocols. Staying Through Through a formal aligned on opportunities is no longer a informal updates reporting mechanism matter of walking over to a colleague’s 37% 63% desk, and many sales organizations are tightening the reins on documentation.
With the line between outside and inside sales blurring, this change is especially noticeable for those who used to work in the field. 67% 63% of salespeople say of reps log more enforcement of activity details about customer of sales teams are logging is stricter than interactions than they in 2019 did in 2019 increasingly monitoring 73% outside reps’ activities.*
* Base: Outside reps, sales operations, and leaders at companies with outside reps. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 10 01 Reps Retool Tactics for a New Selling Landscape Top Performers Automate Repetitive Tasks
Reps have a long list of job responsibilities, Companies Where the Following Is Automated** in addition to simply maintaining customer 69% relationships. In 2018, duties like data entry and paperwork filled so many hours Logging sales data and 59% that reps only spent one-third of their time customer notes 46% actually selling.* 66% Fortunately, as technologies like artificial Managing administrative 55% intelligence (AI) mature, reps are finding tasks 41% some relief in the form of automation. High-performing teams lead the way, 65% enabling reps to spend more time learning Generating quotes/ 52% about and connecting with customers. proposals 37%
* “State of Sales,” Salesforce Research, May 2018. 64% Prioritizing leads/ 51% opportunities 30%
63% Determining what action 46% to take on accounts 27%
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
** Responses of “completely automated” and “mostly automated.” SALESFORCE RESEARCH 11 Spotlight: The Insights That Drive Sales Top Performers Closely Track Deeper Customer Insights
Reps voraciously devour information from Reps Who Monitor the Following Information Sources Daily many sources so they can understand and High performers vs. News Underperformers advise customers — powering a process 58% 59% 61% called insight selling. National news 1.0x more likely 54% 57% 63% Local news 1.2x of reps say current economic more likely conditions make it important 44% 46% 48% % to anticipate customers’ needs. Industry news 1.1x 88 more likely 35% 41% 48% International news 1.2x Reps are generally aligned on how more likely frequently to monitor publicly available Insights High performers vs. information sources — such as macro Underperformers developments in national and international Customer 22% 24% 36% communication history 1.5x news, and micro trends in trade magazines, more likely industry podcasts, and more. Customer 14% 18% 34% purchase history 2.4x However, an interesting split emerges more likely when it comes to the kinds of customer- 11% 18% 32% specific insights often revealed in sales Competitor activity 2.9x conversations and documented privately, more likely like staffing changes. Across the board, Customer 6% 14% 26% high-performing organizations track these staffing changes 4.5x more likely insights much more closely, using them to flesh out a holistic picture of who High performers Moderate performers Underperformers customers are and what they need. See more detail on monitoring frequency on page 27. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 12 02 Sales Operations Gets a Bigger Seat at the Table
The operations role has been the unsung hero of sales for quite some time, but Sales Operations Becomes Increasingly Strategic colleagues now acknowledge the seat at the table it has deserved all along. Scope of Sales Operations Teams’ Work
of sales professionals Limited to sales Includes sales strategy execution strategy definition agree that sales ops is 85% increasingly strategic. 44% 56%
During a time of upheaval in which norms don’t apply, operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making take on special importance.
Many companies are taking advantage of sales ops’ skill set, with these employees 75% 64% not just supporting sales strategy but also of sales ops professionals of sales ops helping define it. The general sentiment say they have new professionals expect is that this is not just a temporary, responsibilities their roles to change opportune shift. at work permanently
Base: Company has sales operations. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 13 02 Sales Operations Gets a Bigger Seat at the Table
Sales ops professionals have a distinctive vantage point, with one foot in the The Sales Operations Job Description Is Expanding here and now and another in the future.
Change in Sales Ops Involvement Since 2019 Since 2019, their responsibilities have increased across a broad terrain, ranging Sales strategy 56% 38% 6% from coordination duties like setting up planning territories to high-level planning such as revenue strategy. Sales performance 55% 38% 7% analysis From training and technology to performance analysis, sales ops wears Sales strategy 55% 39% 7% coordination many different hats these days, and colleagues recognize the ops team’s vital Sales technology contributions to both keeping the lights 52% 42% 7% management on and strategizing for growth.
Sales training 49% 41% 10% management of sales professionals say Cross-functional 48% 43% 9% sales ops plays a critical role workstream management 89% in growing the business. Increased involvement No change Decreased involvement
Base: Company has sales operations. See more details on sales operations involvement across these activities on page 29. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 14 02 Sales Operations Gets a Bigger Seat at the Table
Acting as a connector between different revenue-influencing players is an Siloed Departments Yield Disconnected important task. When disconnected Customer Experiences processes exist inside the sales organization or the company at large, customers can sense it.
Customer-facing teams operating in silos can lead to jarring experiences, with impersonal or conflicting communications % and time-consuming barriers to getting 59 things done. 78% of customers say it of customers expect generally feels like consistent interactions they’re communicating across departments with separate departments, not one company
Source: “State of the Connected Customer,” Salesforce Research, June 2019. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 15 02 Sales Operations Gets a Bigger Seat at the Table
In high-performing organizations, sales ops is not just a connector between Top Sales Ops Teams Bridge the Cross-Functional Gap different people and processes within the sales team; it’s also a bridge to important contacts on other teams, like account- based marketers, customer service leaders, and more.
In this capacity, sales ops can tighten relationships to create greater efficiency.
% 48 High Performers vs. Underperformers of sales ops teams have increased their involvement more likely to increase in cross-functional 29% sales ops’ cross-functional workstream management work management. 67% 2.3X
43%
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
Base: At companies with sales ops. See more details on sales ops responsibilities on page 29. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 16 02 Sales Operations Gets a Bigger Seat at the Table
A primary focus for sales ops continues to be the organization’s sales technology Digital Transformation Is Accelerating needs — which are evolving rapidly.
of sales ops professionals say digital transformation has 81% 81% 84% accelerated since 2019. of sales ops say sales of sales ops say technology needs have they implement changed significantly changes faster since 2019 than in 2019 Insight selling, video conferencing, and other tech-intensive sales tactics have taken hold. Video conferencing leads the roster of increasingly valuable sales tools — something that will come as no surprise in Top 5 Sales Tools That Have Become the midst of a pandemic. AI mobile sales More Valuable Since 2019 apps and CRM systems have also earned more prominent roles in sales toolkits – as 1 Video conferencing sales ops seeks to provide teams with both on-the-go and data-driven tools 2 Artificial intelligence (AI) to do their jobs. 3 Mobile sales app(s) for employees 4 Customer relationship management (CRM) system 5 Sales prospecting tools
Base: Sales ops and sales leadership at companies that use the tool. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 17 02 Sales Operations Gets a Bigger Seat at the Table
A particularly fast-growing technology in sales is AI. While AI is not yet as prevalent AI Reaches Critical Mass with Top Performers in sales as in marketing (where 84% use it), its adoption in sales has shot up Sales Organizations Reporting AI Use in recent years.*
Already, a majority of high-performing 37% sales organizations (57%) are using the technology to improve internal processes and customer experiences. 21% 76% * Source: “State of Marketing,” Salesforce Research, May 2020. increase
2018 This year
AI Adoption by Sales Performance Level High performers vs. Underperformers
57%
31%
20% 2.8x more likely to use AI
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
Base: Sales leaders SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 18 02 Sales Operations Gets a Bigger Seat at the Table
Use cases for AI extend across many of sales’ major areas of responsibility. A Surge in AI Adoption Makes Its Mark However, the technology’s most significant impact, according to salespeople, is on understanding customer needs. Ranking of AI Impacts Tapping into these is core to selling under 1 Understanding customer needs any circumstances, but when customer needs evolve as rapidly as they are now, 2 Forecasting the task takes on particular resonance. Visibility into rep activity AI’s second-largest impact is on 3 improving forecasting accuracy — in Competitive intelligence other words, understanding opportunities — 4 and in so doing, helping organizations Lead prioritization make informed decisions even as the 5 norms change. 6 Use of reps’ time 7 Personalization for customers
Base: Sales ops and sales leadership at companies using AI. Ranked by percentage who say the improvements have been “major.” See full breakdown on page 35. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 19 Spotlight: AI and Sales Hiring AI and Hiring Go Hand in Hand
Despite some fears, AI isn’t displacing Headcount Changes Since 2019 by Sales Organization AI Use human talent in sales. Using AI AI-fueled sales teams are adding headcount 57% 32% 11% at a faster pace than their peers, continuing Inside sales a trend we first observed in our 2018 survey.* Sales organizations using AI are 55% 25% 20% Outside sales also less likely to be decreasing rep headcount. Planning to Use AI This pattern holds true across all sales roles we examined, including inside and 43% 40% 17% Inside sales outside reps, leadership, sales support, and sales operations.** 37% 38% 25% Outside sales The growth of AI in sales thus represents an extension of human capability, not a replacement of it, as reps are tasked with Not Planning to Use AI more complex mandates. 18% 56% 26% Inside sales
15% 51% 34% Outside sales
* “State of Sales,” Salesforce Research, May 2018. Increased headcount No change Decreased headcount
** See page 35 for data on AI and headcount for additional sales roles. Base: Sales leadership at companies with inside reps and outside reps, respectively. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 20 03 Leaders Pivot for
Recovery and Growth Sales Leaders Are Cautiously Optimistic About the Future
As reps keep an ear to the ground and ops Sales Leaders Confident About the Following realign processes, sales leaders are in the tricky position of steering the ship toward an uncertain future. Organization’s current ability to close deals
While projecting confidence is part of their 27% 42% 24% 6% 1% Sales VP+ role, many leaders are genuinely optimistic about the state of things. Sales manager 20% 40% 29% 8% 2% That said, there’s a noticeable confidence or director gap between upper management at the top of the organization and those who work Organization’s agility closer to the ground level with reps and
sales ops. 31% 40% 20% 8% 1% Sales VP+
VP+ vs. Managers/Directors Sales manager 23% 39% 25% 11% 2% more likely to be completely or director confident in their organization’s ability 1.3X to close deals. Company’s growth strategy for the next 12 months
24% 40% 22% 11% 3% Sales VP+
Sales manager 22% 36% 25% 13% 5% or director
Completely confident Mostly confident Moderately confident
Slightly confident Not at all confident SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 21 03 Leaders Pivot for
Recovery and Growth Sales Leaders Reassess Their Organizations’ Needs
Seismic economic and social shifts are Sales Leaders Who Say They’re Completely Capable prompting sales leaders to reevaluate of Adapting the Following to Changing Conditions* their needs. For instance, few could High performers vs. have anticipated such a radical shake-up Average Underperformers 52% of business as usual while establishing 17% budgets at the start of the fiscal year. % Budget 4.1x 25 12% more likely
Many leaders admit they’re not completely 49%
ready to map key business priorities to 20% % Culture 5.6x changing conditions. For instance, only 26 9% more likely 26% feel completely capable of adapting 56% team culture, and 28% say the same about Organizational 20% staff skills. % structure 5.7x 27 10% more likely
However, across the board, top performers 54%
feel much better positioned to tackle the 21% % Staff skills 3.7x challenges ahead — particularly when it 28 15% more likely comes to technology and sales strategy. 55%
23% % Strategy 6.3x 29 9% more likely of sales leaders say their digital transformation has 56% accelerated since 2019. 26% % % Technology 6.7x 77 31 8% more likely
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
* See page 37 for more information on sales leaders’ capability levels. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 22 03 Leaders Pivot for
Recovery and Growth Sales Leaders Reassess Their Organization’s Needs
Rather than shaking up their teams’ Planned Tactics for Addressing Staffing Needs* foundations, where possible, leadership is adjusting to new staffing needs by 64% Reskilling existing employees reskilling employees for new or changed roles in the organization. 47% Hiring new employees While it’s unsurprising top sellers lead in these efforts, the gap is vast: High 33% Laying off existing employees performers are 4 .8x more confident in their training abilities than their underperforming peers .
As selling shifts away from the field, a 88% major focus of reskilling efforts is on the outside sales team. Seventy percent of organizations are now retraining field reps to sell from home, where they’re braving new technologies and ways of 18% engaging customers. 63% of sales professionals are confident in their organization’s ability to train/reskill reps**
60% High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
* Base: Sales leadership. ** Responses of “completely confident” or “mostly confident.” SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 23 03 Leaders Pivot for
Recovery and Growth Flexibility and Data Point the Way Forward
Beyond reskilling, sales leaders have many Sales Leaders’ Top 5 Tactics for Success other tools at their disposal to steer their over the Next 12 Months sales organizations toward success. As always, the first priority is adapting 1 Increased flexibility with customers to the customer. Rigid deal terms that worked historically may need revision 2 Improved data quality and accessibility as customers buy more cautiously. Leaders recognize that flexibility is key, 3 Simplified sales processes rating it as their top tactic for success over the next 12 months. 4 Personalized outreach High-quality, accessible data — the linchpin Improved cross-functional partnerships of informed decision-making — is also 5 viewed as critical.
Fortunately for sales leaders, the rank and file on the ground with customers are aligned with them on which tactics will carry the business forward.*
* See page 38 for full lists for each role of ranked tactics. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 24 Look Ahead: The Industry-by-Industry Path to Growth
Sales leaders across different industries need to address distinct customer pain points. How will sales teams in each industry propel growth? Many sales leaders are looking to experiment with new routes to market — like direct-to-consumer — and growing their geographic footprint.
Go to salesforce com/stateofsales/tableau. to segment more data by industry and country.
Industries’ Sales Leaders Point to Areas for Growth Top 3 Ways to Drive Company Growth over Next 12 Months* Healthcare, life sciences Automotive Consumer goods Financial services & biotechnology Manufacturing
Expanding into Expanding Expanding inside Expanding Expanding into 1 1 1 1 1 new geographies routes to market key accounts routes to market new geographies
Expanding into Expanding into Expanding routes Expanding into Expanding routes 2 2 2 2 2 new verticals new geographies to market new verticals to market tie Packaging our Expanding into new Expanding into new Packaging our Obtaining net 3 3 2 3 3 products differently verticals verticals products differently new logos
Media, entertainment Professional & Transportation & communications business services Retail Technology & hospitality
1 Expanding into 1 Expanding 1 Expanding 1 Expanding into 1 Expanding inside new geographies routes to market routes to market new geographies key accounts
2 Expanding into 2 Expanding into 2 Expanding inside 2 Expanding inside 2 Expanding into new verticals new geographies key accounts key accounts new geographies tie Expanding inside Packaging our Expanding into Expanding routes Expanding routes 3 2 3 3 3 key accounts products differently new geographies to market to market
* Ranked by percentage who say tactic is “critically important.” Base: sales leadership.
SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 26
Sales Professionals Who Agree with the Following
74 75 76 69 63
50 49 50 46 45 72% 48% I’ve been productive at work amid I’m less productive at work the COVID-19 pandemic than I used to be
Sales leaders Inside reps Outside reps Sales ops Sales support
93%
83% 85%
78% % % 74% 75 86 of reps connect to of reps say they care customers on a about the challenges 67% personal level customers are facing
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 27
Frequency with Which Reps Monitor Information Sources to Inform Their Selling
News
59% 26% 10% 4% 2% National news
58% 26% 10% 4% 2% Local news
46% 38% 13% 3% 1% Industry news
38% 35% 15% 6% 6% International news
Insights
25% 40% 25% 8% 2% Customer communication history
21% 42% 29% 6% 2% Customer purchase history
20% 40% 28% 9% 3% Competitor activity
15% 29% 30% 18% 8% Customer staffing changes
At least daily At least weekly At least monthly Less than monthly Never SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 28
Degree of Challenge Reps Face When Seeking Customer Insights Major/Moderate Challenge
32% 44% Having enough time 77%
26% 49% Figuring out what’s most valuable 75%
Having capabilities to extract 24% 49% meaning from data 72%
Knowing how to 23% 42% access the information 64%
Major challenge Moderate challenge Base: Sales reps.
Reps Who Say They Spend Too Much Time Doing the Following
Discovering a customer’s/ 40% Creating 40% prospect’s needs follow-up tasks 42% 45% 41% 47%
Researching competitive 40% Reviewing 34% activity pipeline 41% 46% 38% 43%
When sales ops is a key player defining strategy When sales ops only supports execution of strategy SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 29
Extent to Which Sales Ops Is Involved in the Following
37% 40% 21% 2% Sales performance analysis
36% 40% 22% 2% Sales strategy planning
35% 41% 21% 2% Sales strategy coordination
34% 37% 24% 5% Sales training management
34% 38% 24% 4% Sales technology management
Cross-functional 29% 40% 27% 4% workstream management
Owns exclusively Co-owns Contributes Not involved
Base: Company has sales operations. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 30
Sales Organizations Using the Following Tools
79% Account and 70% Email/CRM integration* 61% contact management 65%
67% Customer relationship 65% Sales reporting/analytics 70% management (CRM) system 59%
64% Sales coaching 62% Sales forecasting tools 57% and training solution 55%
Compensation/incentive 58% 58% management 48% Sales prospecting tools 45%
Mobile sales app(s) 57% 53% for employees 45% Sales process automation 41%
51% 51% Customer insight tool 44% Opportunity management 40%
49% 49% Marketing automation 34% Competitive intelligence 48%
Configure-price-quote 48% Partner relationship 48% (CPQ) solution 38% management (PRM) solution 35%
This year 2018
Base: Sales operations and sales leadership. 2018’s “sales leadership” category has been modified to exclude C-level executives, to match this year’s data.
*Base: Sales operations and sales leadership at companies that use a CRM. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 31
Sales Professionals Who Are Confident About the Following
67% 63%
60% 60%
72% Company’s 71% Future of role 67% 68% long-term resiliency 64% 66%
65% 62%
58% Sales organization’s 56% 74% ability to 71% Company’s agility 65% 68% train/reskill reps 63% 66%
65% 59%
58% Company’s growth 54% Sales 72% strategy for the next 70% organization’s agility 65% 67% 12 months 60% 61%
63% Sales organization’s ability to close deals in 58% the current economic 73% environment 65% 67%
Sales leaders Reps Sales operations Sales support
Responses of “completely confident” or “mostly confident.” SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 32
91%
88% 73% of sales leaders say sales technology needs have changed significantly 88% since 2019 73% of sales professionals say their manager has clearly communicated business priorities
71% of sales leaders say they implement changes High performers Moderate performers Underperformers faster than in 2019 SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 33
Headcount Changes Since 2019 By Sales Organization AI Use
Using AI 57% 32% 11% Sales ops
53% 33% 14% Channel/partner sales
54% 31% 15% Sales support
Planning to Use AI 43% 40% 17% Sales ops
40% 40% 20% Channel/partner sales
43% 39% 18% Sales support
Not Planning to Use AI 15% 54% 30% Sales ops
15% 57% 27% Channel/partner sales
15% 57% 28% Sales support
Increased headcount No change Decreased headcount
Base: Sales leadership at companies with sales ops, channel/partner sales, and sales support, respectively. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 34
Changes in Headcount Across Sales Roles Since 2019
Inside sales 41% 41% 17%
Sales operations 40% 42% 18%
Channel/partner sales reps 39% 42% 19%
39% 42% 20% Sales support
Outside sales 36% 38% 26%
Increased headcount Maintained change Decreased headcount Base: Sales leadership.
Sales Leaders Who Say They Will Adjust Staffing in the Following Ways
Reskill existing employees Hire new employees Lay off existing employees
23%
65% 30% 37% 65% 56%
60% 46% 42%
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 35
Degree of Improvement to the Following From Artificial Intelligence
52% 32% 13% 2% Understanding customer needs
47% 38% 12% 2% Forecasting
46% 38% 13% 2% Visibility into rep activity
46% 37% 14% 2% Competitive intelligence
46% 38% 13% 2% Lead prioritization
45% 36% 16% 2% Use of reps’ time
45% 40% 13% 2% Personalization for customers
Major improvement Moderate improvement Minor improvement No improvement
Base: Sales operations and sales leadership at companies using AI. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 36
Importance of the Following to Driving Company Growth over Next 12 Months
28% 45% 19% 6% 3% Expanding routes to market
26% 46% 21% 5% 1% Expanding inside key accounts
26% 43% 21% 7% 4% Expanding into new verticals
28% 40% 21% 6% 4% Expanding into new geographies
23% 35% 23% 10% 9% Obtaining net new logos
22% 34% 23% 10% 11% Packaging our products differently
Critically important Very important Moderately important Slightly important Not at all important
Base: Sales leadership. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 37
Capability of Sales Organizations to Adapt the Following to Change
31% 40% 21% 7% 1% Technology
29% 44% 21% 6% 1% Strategy
28% 41% 23% 7% 1% Staff skills
27% 40% 24% 8% 1% Organizational structure
26% 37% 27% 9% 1% Culture
25% 39% 27% 8% 2% Budget
Completely capable Mostly capable Moderately capable Slightly capable Not at all capable
Base: Sales leadership. SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 38
Sales Teams’ Top-Ranked Tactics for Success over the Next 12 Months
Sales Leaders Outside Reps Inside Reps Sales Operations
1 Increased flexibility with customers Increased flexibility with customers Increased flexibility with customers Increased flexibility with customers
Improved data quality and Improved data quality and Improved data quality and Personalized outreach 2 accessibility accessibility accessibility
3 Simplified sales processes Simplified sales processes Personalized outreach Personalized outreach
Improved cross-functional Personalized outreach Simplified sales processes Simplified sales processes 4 partnerships
Improved cross-functional Improved data quality and Improved cross-functional Improved cross-functional 5 partnerships accessibility partnerships partnerships
6 Revised KPIs Revised KPIs Revised KPIs Revised KPIs
7 Revised sales staff training Revised sales staff training Revised sales staff training Revised sales staff training
8 Revised lead prioritization criteria Revised lead prioritization criteria Revised lead prioritization criteria Revised sales cadence
9 Revised sales territories Revised sales cadence Revised sales cadence Revised sales territories
10 Revised sales cadence Revised sales territories Revised sales territories Revised lead prioritization criteria
SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 40 Survey Demographics
Industry Role Within Sales Country
Architecture, engineering, and construction. 3% Sales leadership/head of sales...... 11% Australia/New Zealand...... 5% Automotive...... 4% Sales manager or director...... 26% Belgium...... 5% Communications...... 2% Sales representative: inside sales...... 13% Canada...... 5% Consumer goods...... 9% Sales representative: outside sales...... 13% France...... 5% Energy and utilities...... 3% Sales support...... 15% Germany...... 5% Financial services...... 7% Sales operations...... 22% Hong Kong...... 3% Healthcare...... 4% India...... 5% Hospitality...... 2% Company Size Italy...... 5% Life sciences and biotechnology...... 2% Japan...... 5% Manufacturing...... 16% Small (21–100 employees)...... 16% Netherlands...... 5% Media and entertainment...... 2% Medium (101–3,500 employees)...... 56% Nordics...... 3% Professional and business services...... 11% Enterprise (3,501+ employees)...... 28% Philippines...... 3% Retail...... 17% Poland...... 5% Technology...... 12% Generation Singapore...... 3% Transportation and hospitality...... 4% South Africa...... 4% Other...... 2% Baby boomers...... 12% South Korea...... 5% Gen Xers...... 43% Spain...... 6% Company Type Millennials...... 44% Switzerland...... 4% Gen Zers...... 1% Thailand...... 3% Business-to-business (B2B)...... 65% United Arab Emirates...... 1% Business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C).35% Region United Kingdom...... 5% United States...... 8% Europe, Middle East, and Africa...... 53% Asia Pacific...... 34% North America...... 13% SALESFORCE RESEARCH STATE OF SALES 41 Want more sales tips and wisdom?
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