In 2022 research, it is clear that today’s connected customer is expecting a much more intelligent, relevant, timely and proactive engagements with sales. In a trusted experience-led economy, companies must transform their sales organizations to adapt to a more decentralized, digital-first, and hyper-knowledge sharing economy. Investing is sales in an investment in your customers. We know this because research shows us that in order to improve the customer experience, businesses must start with the employee experience. Salesforce surveyed nearly a 1,000 Sales Professionals in the US, UK and Germany to shed light on the state of the talent pipeline enterprise sales teams rely on, and spotlight just how different and sophisticated “sales” is today than even one, two or even five years ago. The research sought to understand: 1. How sales teams and the sales profession has evolved and 2. What technology has helped improve customer relationships among sales professionals. The research identified a great transformation in the sales function: 8 in 10 sales professionals say sales roles have changed since the pandemic, nearly 6 in 10 say sales today is more appealing than 5 years ago Here are some of key findings the research: There is a shift from purely transactional relationships, as buyers expect more from their sales teams
89% say sales today is more about listening to the customer than talking to the customer79% say closing deals is not enough to be successful at their job74% say sales roles have become more consultative and less transactional since the pandemic81% of salespeople say intelligent insights improves their customer relationships
Developing relationships virtually has its challenges, and many sales reps crave more training
Half (51%) of reps expect to primarily sell virtually moving forwardBut about 6 in 10 sales reps say virtual selling is harder than from an office. Only 29% also report receiving training on selling virtually.
The future is bright for sales
61% of respondents want to continue working in sales in five years58% of reps say working in sales today is better than 5 years ago44% of reps say their work/life balance has improved since the start of the pandemic30% say diversity has improved
Looking ahead, technology can play a large role in ensuring sales is a promising career path
91% say having intelligent insights helps cut closing times significantly 83% say having integrated CRM tech makes sales a more appealing career path66% say self-service tech improves relationships with customers64% say subscription management tech improves relationships with customersDespite nearly half saying work life balance has improved, 1 in 3 say mental health has declined
The research shows that developing virtual relationships in sales has significant challenges and that sales professionals are craving training. While half (51%) of sales professionals expect to primarily sell virtually moving forward, 58% say it’s harder than selling from an office. Despite these challenges, only 29% report receiving training on selling virtually. More than 6 in 10 respondents see themselves working in sales in five years. Therefore the need for professional development and career path development is welcomed by all. The research also highlights that supporting the ‘Great Sales Transformation’ – and the talent within it – requires the adoption of cutting edge technology. Nearly all sales professionals believe intelligent insights help cut closing times significantly, giving them time to focus on building deep customer relationships.
