This state of sales report will show you how the role of sales is changing besides what defines success in the Age of the Customer.

As companies ready for the intelligent marketplace of the future, successful sales teams are arming their representatives with smarter selling capabilities.

Without further ado, let’s dive deep into the state of sales report.

Sales Teams Shift to Match the Connected Customer Mindset

• As the graph shows, what tops the list is the “Attention aid to sales within companies” with the highest percentage of them all, which is 73%.
• What comes in second place is the “Influence of sales within companies” with a high percentage of 69%.
• Comes in third place is “Empowerment of sales within companies” with a percentage of 65%.

Download “The 5 Productivity Secrets of Successful Salespeople Guide” here.

Customer Expectations Race to the Top of Sales Challenges

It can be said that the top two process challenges almost every sales organization have to face are meeting customer expectations besides dealing with competitive concerns.

The changing customer climate is proving difficult for sales teams to adapt to new technologies, processes, and roles that continue surpassing the confines of the sales organization that are needed to actually succeed in this modern age.

Check the chart below for the ranked reasons why meeting customer expectations is a top challenge for sales teams.

As reported by Salesforce, meeting customer expectations is listed as the top overarching challenge to a sales organization’s process. Of the sales teams that cite it as a top challenge, the growing sophistication of customer needs is listed as the top reason. Here are the top six reasons, ranked.

As shown the top three reasons why meeting customer expectations is a top challenge sales teams have to face are:

• The customers’ needs which grown to be more sophisticated
• Comes in second place are the customers’ motivations which have shifted from price to value.
• In third place, a challenge because customers have become more experienced with competitive, disciplined bidding.

On the other hand, the other three challenges:

• In fourth place, the challenge every sales team face which is “Customers expect the same level of service in every interaction” for instance, speaking with customer service, or sales”
• What follows is that customers expect sales to be available 24/7.
• Finally, customers expect sales to be a trusted advisor, for instance, go beyond a sales representative role to be consultative to customers.

Make sure to check the full “State of Sales” report for further information.

The Table of Content of “Second Annual: State of Sales Report”:

• Executive summary
• Introduction: Sales teams shift to match the connected customer mindset
• Rethinking success: Customer experience is now the top sales benchmark
• A new Blueprint: Sales become more connected and proactive
• The productivity gap: Top sales teams turn to tech and training
• Smarter selling: Intelligent sales take off
• Last look: Keys to success for modern-day sales teams
  Country profiles
• Appendices
• Survey demographics

Number of Pages:

• 61 pages

Pricing:

• Free