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SECOND ANNUAL State of Sales Insights and trends from over 3,100 global sales trailblazers
About This Report State of Sales 1
Salesforce Research surveyed over 3,100 global
sales professionals to discover:
• Which overall trends are changing the role
1,305
of sales?
• How is sales pivoting to be smarter, faster, and
more customer-centric?
• Which technologies are the most impactful for 1,228
improving sales productivity and efficiency?
• Which strategies and tools are high performers
adopting to stay ahead of the pack?
• What does the future of selling look like?
640
Throughout this report, data is examined relative
to business performance to identify patterns for
overall success. High-performing sales teams
are those that significantly increased year-over-
year (YoY) revenue. See page 4 for a breakdown
of high performers, moderate performers, and
underperformers.
Salesforce Research provides data-driven insights to help
businesses transform how they drive customer success.
Browse all reports at salesforce.com/research.About This Report State of Sales 2
Breakdown of Sales Performance Levels
High-performing sales teams represent 20% of the overall survey population. Sales professionals surveyed include
B2C, B2B, and B2B2C teams.
Moderate performers
have somewhat increased or
maintained YoY revenue growth
71%
High performers
Underperformers
have significantly increased
have negative YoY revenue growth YoY revenue growth
20%
9%
Salesforce ResearchTable of Contents State of Sales 3
Executive Summary........................................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction: Sales Teams Shift to Match the Connected Customer Mindset.........................................................5
01 Rethinking Success: Customer Experience Is Now the Top Sales Benchmark............................................9
02 A New Blueprint: Sales Becomes More Connected and Proactive.............................................................12
03 The Productivity Gap: Top Sales Teams Turn to Tech and Training.............................................................17
04 Smarter Selling: Intelligent Sales Takes Off..................................................................................................... 22
Last Look: Keys to Success for Modern-Day Sales Teams........................................................................................... 26
Country Profiles................................................................................................................................................................27
Appendices........................................................................................................................................................................36
Survey Demographics.....................................................................................................................................................57
Salesforce ResearchExecutive Summary State of Sales 4
What trends define the new era of Rethinking Success: Customer Experience Is Now the Top Sales Benchmark
01
selling? Technology-empowered and (See page 9)
information-savvy customers now In today’s connected marketplace, informed customers have more power to dictate which
expect sales reps to be intuitive, businesses lead — and which fall behind. As a result, sales teams are pivoting to focus on customer-
centricity. This shift is influencing sales teams to think differently about how they quantify success.
knowledgeable, fast, and personal.
Customer experience/success is ranked as the top type of KPI used to measure success.
The new blueprint of sales replaces
product pitches with tailored A New Sales Blueprint: Sales Becomes More Connected and Proactive
customer solutions, reshapes 02 (See page 12)
traditional success metrics to prioritize Sales teams must reimagine the traditional sales approach in order to keep up with customer
customer experience, and overhauls preferences for instant, tailored, and always-on sales. Leading teams are better at understanding
and anticipating their customers’ needs with collaboration, strong partner ecosystems, cross-
business-as-usual processes with
channel interactions, and immediate engagement. High performers are 2.9x more likely
innovative technology adoption. As than underperformers to strongly agree their company is available to customers anytime.
companies ready for the intelligent
marketplace of the future, successful The Productivity Gap: Top Sales Teams Turn to Tech and Training
sales teams are arming their reps with
03 (See page 17)
smarter selling capabilities. Facing increased customer demands, sales teams can no longer afford to be hindered
by time-consuming and manual administrative tasks. Top teams are bullish on
technology that will help them close the productivity gaps, while others continue to lag
This report takes a deeper look into behind. Among sales teams that cite ineffective internal processes as their top
how the role of sales is changing and challenge, excessive administrative tasks was the top cause.
what defines success in the Age of
the Customer. Here is an overview of Smarter Selling: Intelligent Sales Takes Off
04 (See page 22)
top findings from our research.
Intelligent technologies with the ability to automate, simplify, and ultimately transform the
sales process are no longer confined to wish lists — they’re here now. In fact, triple-digit
growth is expected in areas such as predictive intelligence (118%), lead-to-cash
process automation (115%), and artificial intelligence (139%) in the next three years.
Salesforce ResearchIntroduction State of Sales 5
Sales Teams Shift to Match the Connected Customer Mindset
The road maps for the marketplace are Sales’ Influence on Business Strategy Execution Continues to Grow
changing — customers are now in the
driver’s seat of business success and Sales is becoming a more powerful, strategic voice within companies. Seventy-three percent of sales
professionals say the attention paid to sales has increased over the past five years.
disruption. As seamless customer experience
becomes the North Star for companies
across industries, the way businesses Percentage of Sales Teams Who Say the Role of Sales Has Increased
operate is fundamentally changing. Significantly or Somewhat in the Following Ways Over the Past Five Years
For sales, this means greater mindshare Attention paid to sales within
and control over the business strategy companies
73%
as an increased ownership of the
customer experience is needed from every Influence of sales within
part of the business. Sales departments companies
69%
are now positioned to be the testing
grounds for advanced technologies of
Empowerment of sales within
the future, such as automation and companies
intelligence, to meet customers on their 65%
turf. Leading sales teams empower reps
with these cutting-edge capabilities to
usher in the Age of the Customer.
89% of high-performing sales
professionals say that empowerment of sales
has increased over the past five years — 2.1x
more so than underperformers.
Salesforce ResearchIntroduction State of Sales 6
Sales Teams Shift to Match the Connected Customer Mindset
Technologies like mobile, social, and the Connected Customers Demand a Smarter Sales Experience*
Internet of Things have enabled customers
to be connected and in control. Sixty-one Customers want sales reps who are personal consultants. Seventy-nine percent of business
percent of consumers — and 76% of business buyers say it is absolutely critical or very important to interact with a salesperson who is a
trusted advisor — not just a sales rep — who adds value to their business.
buyers — say they feel significantly more
empowered than they did five years ago,
according to Salesforce Research’s “State of Percentage of Business Buyers Who Say It’s Absolutely Critical
the Connected Customer” report. To keep or Very Important to Interact with a Salesperson Who...
pace and meet increasingly sophisticated
customer expectations, the traditional sales Is focused on helping achieve their company’s
needs, not just making a quick sale 83%
process must evolve to be smarter, faster,
and more intuitive.
Is available when their company needs them
Today’s customers seek personalized and 82%
seamless engagement with the brands
they choose to do business with, and they Doesn’t try to sell them products they
expect their sales reps to learn, understand, don’t need 80%
and anticipate their needs — like personal
consultants. Otherwise, these customers Understands their company’s preferences
can and will revoke their loyalty with the click or needs 79%
of a button. In fact, 7 out of 10 consumers
— and 82% of business buyers — agree that Is a trusted advisor — not just a sales rep —
technology has made it easier to take their who adds value to their business
79%
business elsewhere.*
SALES LEADER perspective
“The more we understand what’s motivating our customers at a personal level, the better we’ll be able to partner with them to reach their
desired outcomes.” — WALTER ROGERS, CEO, CCI GLOBAL HOLDINGS **
* “State of the Connected Customer,” Salesforce Research, October 2016.
Salesforce Research
** Taken from Quotable’s “7 Steps to Building a Customer-Obsessed Culture in Your Sales Organization”Introduction State of Sales 7
Sales Teams Shift to Match the Connected Customer Mindset
The changing customer climate is proving Customer Expectations Race to the Top of Sales Challenges
difficult for sales teams to acclimate to —
new technologies, roles, and processes Meeting customer expectations is listed as the top overarching challenge to a sales
that extend beyond the confines of 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.
the sales organization are needed to
truly succeed in this new age. Today,
sales reps — and other parties they Ranked Reasons Why Meeting Customer Expectations Is a Top Challenge for Sales Teams*
increasingly collaborate with — must be
proficient not only at selling products or
1 4
Customers expect the same
services but also at understanding and Customer needs have level of service in every
anticipating customer needs. Otherwise, grown more sophisticated interaction (e.g., speaking
companies will forfeit loyalty with sales or customer service)
to competitors that do.
There is a stark cultural and structural
2 5
shift that sales organizations need to
Customer motivations have Customers expect sales to
undergo in order to exceed customer
shifted from price to value be available 24/7
expectations and avoid disruption. In
fact, the top two process challenges
sales organizations face are meeting
customer expectations and dealing
3 6
with competitive concerns. Customers have become more
Customers expect sales to
be a trusted advisor (e.g., go
experienced with competitive,
beyond a sales rep role to be
disciplined bidding
consultative to customers)
* This chart is a partial list. For the complete list, see page 38.
Data reported is out of a base of respondents who selected “Meeting Customer Expectations” Salesforce Research
as the top overarching challenge in their sales process.Introduction State of Sales 8
Sales Teams Shift to Match the Connected Customer Mindset
High-performing sales teams in this Sales Innovation Goes Hand-in-Hand with Revenue Growth
report are those that cite a significant
increase in YoY revenue growth. These Top teams are able to significantly grow their revenue because their entire company is aligned on
how to empower sales teams to meet customer demands. Eighty-seven percent of high-performing
top teams lead the pack by aggressively
sales teams say their company is aligned on how to empower sales to exceed goals.
innovating and pivoting toward the
customer. High-performing sales Percentage of Sales Professionals Who Say Their High Performers vs.
teams are 2.8x more likely than Company Completely or Mostly Aligned on the Following Underperformers
underpeformers to say their sales
organizations have become much 2.4x
87%
more focused on personalizing How to empower 55% more likely to
be completely
customer interactions over the past sales to exceed goals 35% or mostly aligned
12—18 months and 2.9x more likely
than underperformers to say the same
about providing customers with a
consistent experience.
85% 2.1x
Changing customer 60% more likely to
be completely
expectations
41% or mostly aligned
These teams thrive in companies that
understand the importance of arming
reps with advanced and intelligent
technologies. This approach empowers 84% 2.4x
Resources needed more likely to
top teams to collect and understand 59% be completely
to engage customers
35% or mostly aligned
customer data across departments, cut
down on process time, deliver instant
and proactive experiences, and create
personalized interactions — ultimately
Importance of 83% 2.1x
resulting in higher revenue growth. cross-team collaboration 58%
more likely to
be completely
(sales, marketing, service)
40% or mostly aligned
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
Salesforce Research01 Rethinking Success State of Sales 9
Customer Experience Is Now the Top Sales Benchmark
Skeptics of the new sales paradigm Sales Teams Shift Priorities to the Customer Relationship
need look no further than the shifting
objectives of sales teams across industries, Sales teams are becoming more customer focused — six out of the top eight objectives over
the next 12—18 months are customer-centric.
geographies, and sizes. Although bread-
and-butter priorities such as customer Percentage of Sales Teams Who Rate the Following as One
acquisition and hiring more reps aren’t of Their Most Important Sales Objectives Over the Next 12—18 Months*
going away any time soon, evolving
objectives reflect the pivot to a customer- Grow number of leads/new customers 56%
first mindset. These newly elevated
aspirations include increasing retention Increase customer retention through
through deeper relationships (51%), deeper relationships 51%
becoming trusted advisors to customers
(39%), and providing customers with a Become a trusted advisor to customers (i.e., go
more personalized experience (37%).
beyond a sales rep to be consultative to customers) 39%
Sales teams are adapting to their Provide customers with a
more personalized experience 37%
customers’ behaviors by emphasizing the
customer experience and focusing on
Increase average order size
enabling personalized consultants rather (e.g., upsell/cross-sell) 36%
than traditional product or service reps.
Increase face time with customers 35%
Improve customer and sales data quality/accuracy 33%
Improve use of sales technology 33%
Customer-related sales objectives Other sales objectives
Salesforce Research
* This chart is a partial list. For the complete list, see page 41.01 Rethinking Success State of Sales 10
Customer Experience Is Now the Top Sales Benchmark
As seen on the previous page, customer Customer Experience Overtakes Process as the Top KPI Type
experience and revenue-generating
Sales teams are supplementing traditional success measures by benchmarking against customer
activities are no longer mutually exclusive.
satisfaction. Customer experience/success is ranked as the top type of KPI used by sales teams to
While these two areas become more
measure success.
intertwined, traditional metrics such as
quota and pipeline-generation alone don’t
suffice as definitive success metrics. The Ranking of Sales Teams’ Top KPI Types
quality of the customer experience is now
key to setting sales teams apart from the
1 6
Customer experience/success
rest and therefore has also become the (e.g., Net Promoter Scores [NPS],
Forecast (e.g., visibility, accuracy,
top KPI type used by sales organizations. predictability)
customer satisfaction)
2 Sales process (e.g., lead-to-cash time,
customer interactions) 7 Pipeline quality (e.g., lead quality,
accuracy, validation)
3 8
Organizational performance (e.g.,
Guided selling (e.g., opportunity ranking
amount of new/recurring revenue
by potential value)
Customer experience versus targets)
is ranked the top KPI type used by sales
4 9
Account management (e.g., sales
organizations to measure success. performance versus account plan,
Proposal/quote generation
(e.g., lead-to-quote time)
account profitability, account growth rates)
5 10
Representative (individual)
Pipeline generation (e.g., conversion
performance/productivity (e.g., calls
rate, conversation rate)
made, proposals sent, converted leads)
Salesforce Research01 Rethinking Success State of Sales 11
Customer Experience Is Now the Top Sales Benchmark
There is a stark mindset shift in sales, as Many Sales Organizations Struggle to Track Customer Experience
evident by customer experience becoming
the standard bearer for success. With Though customer experience has become the marker for sales success, it’s difficult to track without
the right technology and tools. For those who didn’t list customer experience or success as one of
this pivot comes the added challenge
their top three types of KPIs used to measure success, “not easy to track” was the top reason.
to not just deliver, but also track the
customer experience. While most sales
teams understand the relevance of Ranked Reasons Why Sales Teams Haven’t Prioritized Customer Experience/Success KPIs*
customer success and the impact it has
1
on their business, many lack the resources
necessary to effectively measure progress. Not easy to track
Sales teams that lack the necessary tools
— such as analytics — to understand the
2
level of customer satisfaction, what those
customers need, and how to take action, Lack required tools/software to track
are already behind in the connected era.
Top teams are empowered with the right
tools to track and improve engagement. For
example, high performers are 2.4x more
likely than underperformers to rate their
3 Not tied to performance rating/bonus
team’s analytics and insights capabilities
as outstanding or very good.
4 Not relevant across the business
5 Not useful
* Data reported is out of a base of respondents who did not select “Customer Experience/Success” as
a top three KPI type used by their sales organization to measure success. Salesforce Research02 A New Blueprint State of Sales 12
Sales Becomes More Connected and Proactive
In order to successfully deliver and Collaboration Is Seen as Key to a Connected Sales Journey
track customer experience, teams must
fundamentally change how they sell. Collaboration is crucial to streamlining the sales process and ensuring customer success. Across
all performance levels, 73% say collaborating across departments is absolutely critical or very
Sales organizations can no longer exist in
important to their overall sales process.
siloes — they must now connect across
different departments, channels, and
partners in order to have complete Percentage of Sales Teams Who Rate the Following Selling Techniques as Absolutely Critical
visibility into the customer journey. or Very Important to Their Overall Sales Process
Seventy-three percent of consumers
say they are likely to switch brands if a
company provides inconsistent levels of
service (i.e., it feels like they are dealing
with a different company, instead of
a different department at the same
company, when they talk to a sales rep
versus a service rep).* Sales teams across
all performance levels understand that
73% 62%
collaborative selling is key. Collaborating across Collaborative selling
(e.g., integrating other departments
departments
60%
such as marketing, service, etc., in
(e.g., sales, service, marketing) the selling process)
of sales professionals say
that collaborative selling has increased
productivity by more than 25%, and
more than half (52%) say it has done
the same for increasing pipeline.
* “State of the Connected Customer,” Salesforce Research, October 2016 Salesforce Research02 A New Blueprint State of Sales 13
Sales Becomes More Connected and Proactive
True collaborative selling is only possible High-Performing Sales Teams Master a Single View of the Customer
with a single view of the customer across
all organizations. Digital transformation Top teams are 2.1x more likely than underperformers to be outstanding or very good at having a
single view of the customer.
now allows established companies
to connect their disparate systems of
engagement, while successful startups are
Percentage of Sales Teams Who Are Outstanding or Very Good at
built from the ground up with the single Providing a Single View of the Customer
view in mind. Sixty-eight percent of sales
professionals say it is absolutely critical High performers
or very important to have a single view
of the customer across departments/
Moderate performers
roles. Yet, only 17% of sales teams
rate their single view of the customer
capabilities as outstanding. Underperformers
Top teams prioritize access to customer
data across the entire organization. 79%
High Performers vs.
These companies are better equipped to Underperformers
quickly understand, socialize, and act on
customer data at any given touchpoint
— such as preferences determined by a
2.1x
more likely to be outstanding
marketing nurture campaign, shopping or very good at providing
a single view of the customer
behaviors gathered by an e-commerce
website, or future needs expressed on 37%
a service call.
55%
Salesforce Research02 A New Blueprint State of Sales 14
Sales Becomes More Connected and Proactive
Collaborative selling isn’t just about Successful Connected Selling Extends to the Partner Ecosystem
working together internally, it’s now also
about building and bolstering a supportive Creating a connected sales experience for the customer extends beyond internal collaboration.
Top teams also prioritize partner relationships — 76% of high-performing sales teams rate their
partner ecosystem. A truly connected sales
partner and customer/prospect collaboration capabilities as outstanding or very good.
process includes many different facets —
75% of sale professionals agree
Percentage of Sales Teams Who Are Outstanding or Very Good at Partner and
their company connects customers,
Customer/Prospect Collaboration
employees, partners, and products.
High performers
The right partners can help companies
discover hidden opportunities they
Moderate performers
wouldn’t be able to access on their own,
while still delivering a seamless, branded
experience. For example, if a hotel chain Underperformers
partners with an airline and rental car
agency, they can ensure that customers
are recognized across their journey and
High Performers vs.
that their trip is smooth from the time Underperformers
they depart to the time they return. 76%
Similarly, unique preferences learned
by these partners can be leveraged by
2.1x
more likely to be outstanding
sales reps to tailor their pitches with or very good at partner and
customer/prospect collaboration
personalized recommendations.
35%
55%
Salesforce Research02 A New Blueprint State of Sales 15
Sales Becomes More Connected and Proactive
While communicating across partner Sales Seeks to Drive Personalization at Scale
experiences and on every channel is a key
component of success — on average, sales Despite technology innovation expectations, customers still look for human connections. As a result,
sales teams are finding the most success when they blend personal interactions with technologies
teams rate six channels as absolutely
that scale. In-person remains sales’ top communication channel for connecting with customers.
critical/very important for connecting with
customers — nothing yet eclipses the impact
of a human conversation. While many may Percentage of Sales Professionals Who Say It’s Absolutely Critical or Very Important to
imagine a world where technology replaces Connect with Customers Using the Following Communication Channels*
reps entirely, data shows that the desire for
one-to-one human connection is still more
In person
powerful than technology innovation for its 87%
own sake. Two-thirds of consumers, and 72%
of business buyers say they are likely to switch
Phone
brands if they’re treated like a number instead 83%
of an individual.**
Email
78%
Knowledge bases (e.g., FAQs, library
Spotlight of information to search for and find
answers from a company’s website)
54%
Top Teams Scale Engagement with New Channels
Self-service channels enable customers to engage on
Online forums
their terms and seek human interaction when needed. 45%
Online Communities Knowledge Bases
Social media
High Performers vs. Underperformers 44%
2.7 x 1.9x
more likely to say absolutely critical or very important
Online communities (e.g., interacting
with other customers) 43%
Mobile app, including the ability to
contact sales, service, support, etc.
42%
* This chart is a partial list. For the complete list, see page 45. Salesforce Research
** “State of the Connected Customer,” Salesforce Research, October 201602 A New Blueprint State of Sales 16
Sales Becomes More Connected and Proactive
Beyond having a presence across Leading Sales Teams Rise to New Anytime, Anywhere Expectations
multiple channels and prioritizing human
interactions, sales teams must overhaul Successful teams exceed customer demands for instant interactions wherever they engage. High
performers are 2.9x more likely than underperformers to strongly agree their company is available
business-as-usual processes to adapt
to customers at any time.
to customers’ real-time expectations.
Modern-day customers live in a culture
of immediacy in which mobile has Percentage of Sales Professionals Who Strongly Agree with Each Statement High Performers vs.
completely altered the definition of about Their Company Underperformers
“timely” interactions. Sixty-four percent of
consumers say they expect companies to
My company engages 30%
55%
3.8x
interact with them in real time, and 80% proactively with customers
more likely to
say a company responding immediately 14% strongly agree
when they reach out for help influences
their loyalty.* However, only 29% of sales
teams are currently providing a mobile My company is available to
customers on any channel they 22%
49%
3.2x
app to their salespeople. choose to connect with us on 15%
more likely to
strongly agree
Sales teams can no longer afford lag time
between customers’ initiating contact and
the company responding. Top-performing My company is available to
24%
48%
2.9x
more likely to
teams meet customers where they are, at customers at any time
17% strongly agree
the exact moment — or even before — they
are needed. High performers are 3.8x
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
more likely than underperformers to
strongly agree their company reaches
out to customers proactively.
* “State of the Connected Customer,” Salesforce Research, October 2016
Salesforce Research03 The Productivity Gap State of Sales 17
Top Sales Teams Turn to Tech and Training
While sales departments move to innovate Inefficient Processes Hinder Sales Teams
and become more customer-centric, the
Decreased productivity impacts the success of not only sales, but also the entire company. Among
day-to-day sales process is still plagued
teams who cite ineffective internal processes as their top challenge, they point to excessive
by time-consuming administrative
administrative tasks as the primary cause.
tasks, siloed customer information, and
outdated management systems. If sales Percentage of Sales Teams Who Say the Following Are Reasons Why Ineffective Internal
reps aren’t armed with capabilities at Processes Is Their Sales Challenge*
least as sophisticated as those of their
Excessive administrative tasks
customers, they risk continually falling
(i.e., not enough time to sell) 45%
short of customer demands.
Technologies like analytics, mobile, Lack of time for face-to-face selling 22%
and automation can go a long way to
improving a sales rep’s daily productivity. Limited insight into issues until
it’s too late/lack of timely insight
Analytics tracks and interprets actionable into the sales process 21%
customer data. Mobile sales apps allow
reps to look at those insights instantly
Lack of alignment with marketing
as well as act on the information from (e.g., poor leads, ineffective content)
19%
anywhere. Automation provides relief
from human error, manual data entry,
and cumbersome processes. It takes too long to respond
to customer inquiries 18%
SALES LEADER perspective
“Sales productivity is one of the reasons why Zillow is as successful as it is today. And a lot of the sales efficiency came as a result of
putting better sales tools and information at the fingertips of salespeople.” — TONY SMALL, VP AND GM, PREMIER AGENT, ZILLOW **
* This chart is a partial list. For the complete list, see page 47.
Data reported is out of a base of respondents who selected “Ineffective Internal Processes” as the top overarching challenge in their sales process.
** Taken from Quotable’s “How to Boost Sales and Productivity by 275% with Zillow’s Tony Small” Salesforce Research03 Spotlight State of Sales 18
A Day in the Life of a Sales Rep
Much of the success of the entire sales Sales Reps Aren’t Spending Most of Their Time Selling
organization rests on the productivity and
While half of sales reps report relationship building as their favorite activity,* most are too bogged
efficiency of its reps. Reps are the primary
down by day-to-day tasks to engage with customers as much as they’d like. On average, sales reps
enablers of the customers’ experience
spend 64% of their time on non-selling tasks.
in the sales process. These employees
are on the ground engaging customers,
and facilitating new deals. However, Percentage of Time in an Average Week Sales Reps Spend on the Following Tasks**
according to Quotable’s “Day in the Life of
a Salesperson” report, while half of sales
reps say that relationship building is their
12% 25%
favorite activity,* the data shows that most Connecting with clients Administrative tasks
or prospects virtually
of their time is still spent on non-selling
tasks such as manually entering data,
calendering, and account maintenance.
24%
Connecting with clients
or prospects in person
36% 64%
Selling Non-Selling
16%
Service tasks
7%
Down time
7%
Traveling
6% 4%
Internal company meetings
Training
Salesforce Research
* Taken from “A Day in the Life of a Salesperson” by Quotable, a Salesforce publication.
** Data reported is out of a base of respondents in a sales rep or self-employed/consultant role.03 The Productivity Gap State of Sales 19
Top Sales Teams Turn to Tech and Training
Mobile technology is a critically important Sales Teams Adopt a Mobile Mindset*
element of the modern sales toolkit. It
Mobile not only allows reps to meet the new real-time mandate, it also enables anywhere, anytime
enables sales organizations to lean into
selling and collaboration among reps.
the culture of immediacy and meet
customers where they are. Over the past Percentage of Sales Teams Who Use Mobile Apps in Their Sales Process in the Following Ways**
12—18 months, 70% of sales teams
have become more focused on providing To connect with customers on the go
53%
customers with real-time response
and feedback as a result of changing To support selling in customer-facing situations 49%
customer expectations. When reps have To get notifications/alerts on important customer/sales
data, analytics, and automation in their information 46%
hands, they can interact with customers,
collaborate, and close deals from To collaborate with team members on the go 44%
anywhere, at any time.
Percentage of Sales Teams Who Cite a Major Benefit from Using a Mobile Sales App
Top teams are already mastering mobile.
Successful sales teams have a robust Access to data from anywhere
mobile strategy in place and are able 66%
to arm their reps with apps that allow Selling from anywhere 60%
guided selling, real-time visibility into
analytics, and instant collaboration. Real-time communications with customers 59%
High-performing sales teams are 3.5x
more likely than underperformers to Real-time communications with team members 55%
rate their mobile sales capabilities as
outstanding or very good. Faster selling 53%
SALES LEADER perspective
“A mobile selling environment is far more than putting a cell phone in the hands of every member of your team. It’s about understanding and
embracing a completely new way of doing business.” — COLLEEN FRANCIS, OWNER, ENGAGE SELLING SOLUTIONS ***
* Data reported is out of a base of respondents whose sales organization uses a mobile sales app. Salesforce Research
** This chart is a partial list. For the complete list, see page 48.
*** Taken from Quotable’s “Want to Increase Sales Productivity? Adopt Mobile Selling”03 The Productivity Gap State of Sales 20
Top Sales Teams Turn to Tech and Training
When leveraged correctly and proper Sales Reps Experience Increased Efficiency with Analytics
processes are established, analytics
Analytics is a powerful tool for sales teams. Seventy-six percent say it has improved their ability to
can be transformative, especially in
provide customers with a consistent experience, while 70% say the same about sales velocity.
areas such as lead quality or providing
visibility to managers. The ability to Percentage of Sales Professionals Who Say Using Sales Analytics Has Significantly or Somewhat
interpret customer and operational Improved the Following*
data — as well as act on the insights
— opens the door to a more efficient, Ability to provide customers with a
accurate, and personalized process. consistent experience across every channel
(e.g., in store, online, email, mobile)
High performers are 2.4x more 76%
likely than underperformers to rate
their team’s analytics capabilities as Sales velocity 70%
outstanding or very good.
79% 70%
Close rates
of sales teams
currently use or are planning to
Time spent per lead
use sales analytics technology. 67%
* Data reported is out of a base of respondents who use sales analytics.
Salesforce Research03 The Productivity Gap State of Sales 21
Top Sales Teams Turn to Tech and Training
Without buy-in and extensive education Training Is Core to a Successful Sales Process
for sales reps, companies will fall short on
realizing the potential of even the most Successful sales teams understand how rapidly the marketplace is changing and the importance
of training is during this critical shift. Eighty-percent of high-performing sales teams rate their sales
advanced technologies.
training process as outstanding or very good.
Top teams understand training is imperative Percentage of Sales Teams Who Are Outstanding
to effectively empower sales reps with or Very Good at Sales Training Processes/Effectiveness
productivity-enhancing technologies and
ultimately better engage with customers.
High performers
Informed teams perform better, and training
must be built into the evolving strategies
as organizations take a more holistic, Moderate performers
collaborative, and intelligence-driven
approach to the sales process. Underperformers
80%
High Performers vs.
Underperformers
2.5x
more likely to be outstanding
or very good at sales training
processes/effectiveness
33%
51%
Salesforce Research04 Smarter Selling State of Sales 22
Intelligent Sales Takes Off
Intelligent technologies open the gates Major Growth Expected for Sales Intelligence and Automation
to a smarter, more efficient sales process.
Sales teams are making a shift toward intelligent technologies to streamline processes. Triple-digit
Forward-thinking teams are already
growth for smarter capabilities like predictive intelligence and guided selling. Artificial intelligence is
planning how to use these technologies the top growth area for sales teams — 139% plan to use it in the next three years.
for a leg up in the Age of the Customer.
For instance, high-performing sales Sales Teams’ Anticipated Growth in Usage of the Following
teams are 2.3x more likely than Intelligent Selling Capabilities Over the Next Three Years
underperforming teams to currently Artificial intelligence to automatically
use guided selling. recommend products to customers
based on their preferences 139%
Although current adoption is nascent Deep learning to classify, predict, and
react to patterns within data 122%
(see page 54 for the current adoption
rates), smart technology adoption is on Predictive intelligence (e.g., lead scoring,
everybody’s roadmap. In the next one predictive forecasting, etc.) 118%
to three years, sales teams will embrace
an entirely new, smarter sales process Automated lead-to-cash process 115%
powered by automation and intelligence.
Marketing automation 110%
Soon, product recommendations,
lead scoring, email response, and even Guided selling and coaching (i.e., adaptive
day-to-day administrative tasks will be intelligence on next best activity) 98%
effortlessly and autonomously integrated
Next-step analysis to anticipate
so that sales reps can focus on delivering customer needs and prioritize tasks 96%
the best customer experience.
Email sentiment analysis (i.e., whether email is
good or bad for the opportunity) 96%
Sales automation 83%
Configure, price, and quoting (CPQ) 72%
Salesforce Research04 Smarter Selling State of Sales 23
Intelligent Sales Takes Off
While current adoption may still be low, Successful Teams Work to Master the New Intelligent Process
the select forward-thinking teams that
Top teams are adept at implementing a smarter, faster sales process. For example, high-performing
have already integrated automation and
sales teams are 2.8x more likely to be outstanding or very good at predictive intelligence.
intelligence into their process are seeing
drastic results. Mastery of these next-
generation capabilities is setting the high Percentage of Sales Teams Who Are Outstanding High Performers vs.
or Very Good in the Following Areas Underperformers
performers apart from the laggards.
Configure, price, quote (CPQ) processes;
2.3x
Configure, price, quote (CPQ) process (e.g.,
process automation; and predictive configure complicated product offerings, price 75%
intelligence give top teams the them in the correct way, and create fast /accurate 49% more likely to
be outstanding
quotes based on that information)
advantage by creating a streamlined 33% or very good
process with the added ability to be
proactive in their workflows. As more
teams become bullish on smarter tech, Predictive intelligence (e.g., using data to
recommend next steps, help make insightful
70% 2.8x
the sales industry will experience an 42% more likely to
decisions, and alert sales to relevant insights) be outstanding
entirely new way of selling — predictive. 25% or very good
Process automation (e.g., technology used
to automate sales-related tasks like data entry,
70% 2.7x
44% more likely to
report generation, etc.) be outstanding
26% or very good
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
Salesforce Research04 Smarter Selling State of Sales 24
Intelligent Sales Takes Off
Predictive selling is the new frontier for Sales Teams Shift Focus to a Proactive Mindset
sales. By 2020, more than half (51%) of
consumers and 75% of business buyers Based on customer demands, sales teams are shifting toward a predictive selling approach.
expect companies to anticipate their Seventy-eight percent of sales teams say they are more focused on anticipating customer needs,
and 76% say the same about being proactive.
needs and make relevant suggestions
before customer contact.* The sales rep
Percentage of Sales Teams Who Have Shifted Their Focus Over the Past 12—18 Months
of the future must be able to fully to Be Much More or Somewhat More Focused on the Following
anticipate and fulfill customer needs
before contacted.
Embracing the new wave of intelligent
technologies early will put sales teams
ahead of the competition. In addition
to being included in the top three
technologies that sales teams plan to
adopt, predictive intelligence is
being used or forecast to be used in
the next three years by 86% of high- 78% 76%
performing teams.
Anticipating customer needs Being proactive
* “State of the Connected Customer,” Salesforce Research, October 2016
Salesforce Research04 Smarter Selling State of Sales 25
Intelligent Sales Takes Off
The future competitive advantage for sales Top Teams Experience Broad Impact with Intelligence
teams will be intelligent capabilities like AI.
High-performing teams are 3.4x more When done right, intelligent capabilities lead to profound sales success. For example, high-
likely than underperforming teams to use performing sales teams are 10.5x more likely than underperformers to experience a major positive
impact on forecast accuracy when using intelligent capabilities.
artificial intelligence (AI) currently.
Percentage of Sales Teams Who Have Experienced a Major Positive Impact High Performers vs.
Underperformers
Intelligence isn’t only a forward-looking Across the Following from Using Intelligent Selling Capabilities*
concept. It’s already upending the traditional
sales process and transforming it for the better.
Today, smart tools prevent sales reps from 31%
54%
2.2x
more likely to
Customer/prospect nurturing
being bogged down by inefficient processes, 24% experience a major
positive impact
manual data entry, or repetitive tasks and
direct their energy toward what matters.
29%
54% 2.6x
more likely to
Productivity of sales reps experience a major
Leading teams are experiencing substantial 20% positive impact
improvements with intelligence across a wide
breadth of areas such as prospect nurturing,
forecast accuracy, and pipeline generation.
49% 10.5x
25% more likely to
Forecast accuracy experience a major
5% positive impact
48% 3.5x
Predictive selling
26% more likely to
experience a major
14% positive impact
43% 3.8x
23% more likely to
Deal close rate experience a major
11% positive impact
17%
40% 3.9x
more likely to
Pipeline generation experience a major
10% positive impact
High performers Moderate performers Underperformers
Salesforce Research
* Data reported is out of a base of respondents who use intelligent selling capabilities.Last Look State of Sales 26
Keys to Success for Modern-Day Sales Teams
01| Start Tracking Customer Experience
Though quota-related metrics are not going away,
business success increasingly hinges on the customer. 02| Adopt the New Sales Blueprint
Customers are in control of the marketplace, and today’s A new sales approach is required to lead in the
top sales teams effectively prioritize and track the Age of the Customer. Top teams are pivoting their
customer experience. Analytics is a beneficial tool for mindsets and strategies toward the customer. Cross-
understanding and measuring customer sentiment. collaboration, strong partner ecosystems, self-service
channels, human interaction, and rising to meet new
anytime, anywhere expectations, are all part of this
new blueprint for success.
03| Minimize Inefficient Processes
Despite the heightened importance of customer
interaction, sales reps still aren’t spending most of their 04| Take the Leap into Smarter Selling
time selling. Without a streamlined process, sales reps Future tech like guided selling, predictive intelligence,
are slowed down by administrative tasks such as manual and artificial intelligence is now within reach.
data entry and email management. Tools like mobile, Technology innovation has made it possible for sales
analytics, and automation can drastically improve the teams to begin experiencing a world of proactive and
traditional sales process. smarter selling. Intelligent sales is the future, and those
who are getting a head start are seeing results in every
corner of their sales process.
Salesforce ResearchState of Sales 27 Country Profiles
Country Profile 28
State of Sales
United States (903 Sales Professionals)
Top of Mind for Sales Professionals Cross-Team Collaboration
Top Types of KPIs Percentage Who Rate the Following as Absolutely Critical or Very Important to Their Sales Process
1 2 3
73% 71% 63%
Customer Collaborating across departments Having a single customer view Collaborative selling
experience/success Sales process Account management across departments/roles
(e.g., Net Promoter Scores [NPS],
customer satisfaction, customer
(e.g., lead-to-cash time,
customer response time,
(e.g., sales performance
versus account plan, account Benefits of Intelligent Selling
loyalty, renewal rate/churn rate, customer interactions) profitability, account growth
sentiment analysis) rates)
Percentage Experiencing a Major Positive Impact on the Following
36% 35% 27%
Top Sales Objectives Over Next 12—18 Months Customer/prospect nurturing Productivity of sales reps Predictive selling
1 2 3
Increase customer Provide customers
Grow number of leads/
new customers
retention through
deeper relationships
with a more
personalized experience
Anticipated Growth in Intelligent Sales Tech Use
Growth in Use Expected Across the Following Technologies Over the Next Three Years
Mobile’s Impact on the Sales Process 125%
Deep learning to classify, predict,
120%
Artificial intelligence to
114%
Predictive intelligence
56% of sales professionals say their company is using or and react to patterns within data automatically recommend (e.g., lead scoring, predictive
(i.e., more accurately recommend forecasting, etc.)
products to customers based
planning to use mobile apps in the next two years. products to your customers)
on their preferences
Top Mobile App Use Cases
Predictive Selling Comes into Focus
1 2 3
To support selling To get notifications/alerts
To connect with in customer-facing on important customer/ Percentage Who Have Become Much More or Somewhat More Focused on the Following Over the
customers on the go situations sales information Past 12—18 Months
53% 52% 50%
Top Mobile Selling Benefits 84% 84%
Percentage Experiencing a Major Benefit Across the Following Anticipating Being
customer needs proactive
69% 67% 61%
Access data from anywhere Selling from anywhere Real-time communications with
customers
Salesforce ResearchCountry Profile 29
State of Sales
Canada (325 Sales Professionals)
Top of Mind for Sales Professionals Cross-Team Collaboration
Top Types of KPIs Percentage Who Rate the Following as Absolutely Critical or Very Important to Their Sales Process
1 2 3
75% 70% 64%
Customer experience/ Collaborating across departments Having a single customer view Collaborative selling
success Sales process Account management across departments/roles
(e.g., Net Promoter Scores [NPS],
customer satisfaction, customer
(e.g., lead-to-cash time,
customer response time,
(e.g., sales performance
versus account plan, account Benefits of Intelligent Selling
loyalty, renewal rate/churn rate, customer interactions) profitability, account growth
sentiment analysis) rates)
Percentage Experiencing a Major Positive Impact on the Following
30% 26% 26%
Top Sales Objectives Over Next 12—18 Months Productivity of sales reps Customer/prospect nurturing Predictive selling
1 2 3
Increase customer
Grow number of leads/
new customers
retention through
deeper relationships
Become a trusted
advisor to customers
Anticipated Growth in Intelligent Sales Tech Use
Growth in Use Expected Across the Following Technologies Over the Next Three Years
Mobile’s Impact on the Sales Process 173%
Artificial intelligence to
137% 120%
Deep learning to classify, predict, Predictive intelligence
61% of sales professionals say their company is using or automatically recommend and react to patterns within data (e.g., lead scoring, predictive
(i.e., more accurately recommend forecasting, etc.)
products to customers based
planning to use mobile apps in the next two years. on their preferences
products to your customers)
Top Mobile App Use Cases
Predictive Selling Comes into Focus
1 2 3
To get notifications/alerts
To connect with on important customer/ To collaborate with team Percentage Who Have Become Much More or Somewhat More Focused on the Following Over the
customers on the go sales information members on the go Past 12—18 Months
65% 56% 55%
Top Mobile Selling Benefits 80% 79%
Percentage Experiencing a Major Benefit Across the Following Anticipating Being
customer needs proactive
64% 64% 62%
Access data from anywhere Selling from anywhere Real-time communications with
customers
Salesforce ResearchCountry Profile 30
State of Sales
France (325 Sales Professionals)
Top of Mind for Sales Professionals Cross-Team Collaboration
Top Types of KPIs Percentage Who Rate the Following as Absolutely Critical or Very Important to Their Sales Process
1 2 3
77% 70% 65%
Customer experience/ Organizational Collaborating across departments Having a single customer view Collaborative selling
success performance Sales process across departments/roles
(e.g., Net Promoter Scores [NPS],
customer satisfaction, customer
(e.g., amount of new/recurring
revenue versus targets)
(e.g., lead-to-cash time,
customer response time, Benefits of Intelligent Selling
loyalty, renewal rate/churn rate, customer interactions)
sentiment analysis)
Percentage Experiencing a Major Positive Impact on the Following
37% 34% 33%
Top Sales Objectives Over Next 12—18 Months Predictive selling Productivity of sales reps Deal close rate
1 2 3
Increase customer Provide customers with
Grow number of leads/
new customers
retention through
deeper relationships
a more personalized
experience
Anticipated Growth in Intelligent Sales Tech Use
Growth in Use Expected Across the Following Technologies Over the Next Three Years
Mobile’s Impact on the Sales Process 142%
Automated lead-to-cash process
139% 134%
Marketing automation Artificial intelligence to
76% of sales professionals say their company is using or automatically recommend
products to customers based on
planning to use mobile apps in the next two years. their preferences
Top Mobile App Use Cases
Predictive Selling Comes into Focus
1 2 3
To get notifications/alerts
To connect with To search and on important customer/ Percentage Who Have Become Much More or Somewhat More Focused on the Following Over the
customers on the go access files sales information Past 12—18 Months
51% 50% 50%
Top Mobile Selling Benefits 84% 78%
Percentage Experiencing a Major Benefit Across the Following Anticipating Being
customer needs proactive
71% 66% 65%
Access data from anywhere Real-time communications with Selling from anywhere
customers
Salesforce ResearchCountry Profile 31
State of Sales
Germany (326 Sales Professionals)
Top of Mind for Sales Professionals Cross-Team Collaboration
Top Types of KPIs Percentage Who Rate the Following as Absolutely Critical or Very Important to Their Sales Process
1 2 3
Representative 81% 76% 71%
(individual) performance/ Collaborating across departments Having a single customer view Collaborative selling
Sales process productivity Account management across departments/roles
(e.g., lead-to-cash time,
customer response time,
(e.g., calls made, proposals sent,
converted leads, onboarding
(e.g., sales performance
versus account plan, account Benefits of Intelligent Selling
customer interactions) time) profitability, account growth
rates)
Percentage Experiencing a Major Positive Impact on the Following
52% 44% 43%
Top Sales Objectives Over Next 12—18 Months Customer/prospect nurturing Predictive selling Productivity of sales reps
1 2 3
Increase customer
retention through
deeper relationships
Increase face time
with customers
Grow number of leads/
new customers
Anticipated Growth in Intelligent Sales Tech Use
Growth in Use Expected Across the Following Technologies Over the Next Three Years
Mobile’s Impact on the Sales Process 216%
Artificial intelligence to
206% 174%
Predictive intelligence Automated lead-to-cash process
72% of sales professionals say their company is using or automatically recommend (e.g., lead scoring, predictive
forecasting, etc.)
products to customers based
planning to use mobile apps in the next two years. on their preferences
Top Mobile App Use Cases
Predictive Selling Comes into Focus
1 2 3
To get notifications/alerts
on important customer/ To connect with To access analytics Percentage Who Have Become Much More or Somewhat More Focused on the Following Over the
sales information customers on the go dashboards or reports Past 12—18 Months
48% 47% 47%
Top Mobile Selling Benefits 71% 70%
Percentage Experiencing a Major Benefit Across the Following Being Anticipating
proactive customer needs
69% 65% 63%
Access data from anywhere Real-time communications with Real-time communications with
team members customers
Salesforce ResearchCountry Profile 32
State of Sales
Netherlands (325 Sales Professionals)
Top of Mind for Sales Professionals Cross-Team Collaboration
Top Types of KPIs Percentage Who Rate the Following as Absolutely Critical or Very Important to Their Sales Process
1 2 3
87% 79% 77%
Customer experience/ Collaborating across departments Having a single customer view Collaborative selling
Guided selling success Sales process across departments/roles
(e.g., opportunity ranking by
potential value, sales activity
(e.g., Net Promoter Scores [NPS],
customer satisfaction, customer
(e.g., lead-to-cash time,
customer response time, Benefits of Intelligent Selling
effectiveness) loyalty, renewal rate/churn rate, customer interactions)
sentiment analysis)
Percentage Experiencing a Major Positive Impact on the Following
49% 47% 47%
Top Sales Objectives Over Next 12—18 Months Customer/prospect nurturing Productivity of sales reps Forecast accuracy
1 2 3
Increase customer
Grow number of leads/
new customers
retention through
deeper relationships
Become a trusted
advisor to customers
Anticipated Growth in Intelligent Sales Tech Use
Growth in Use Expected Across the Following Technologies Over the Next Three Years
Mobile’s Impact on the Sales Process 101%
Artificial intelligence to
83%
Deep learning to classify, predict,
79%
Predictive intelligence
68% of sales professionals say their company is using or automatically recommend and react to patterns within data (e.g., lead scoring, predictive
(i.e., more accurately recommend forecasting, etc.)
products to customers based
planning to use mobile apps in the next two years. on their preferences
products to your customers)
Top Mobile App Use Cases
Predictive Selling Comes into Focus
1 2 3
To get notifications/alerts
on important customer/ To prioritize and To create and Percentage Who Have Become Much More or Somewhat More Focused on the Following Over the
sales information manage emails assign tasks Past 12—18 Months
40% 38% 38%
Top Mobile Selling Benefits 88% 87%
Percentage Experiencing a Major Benefit Across the Following Anticipating Being
customer needs proactive
68% 68% 55%
Access data from anywhere Real-time communications with Selling from anywhere
customers
Salesforce ResearchCountry Profile 33
State of Sales
United Kingdom/Ireland (329 Sales Professionals)
Top of Mind for Sales Professionals Cross-Team Collaboration
Top Types of KPIs Percentage Who Rate the Following as Absolutely Critical or Very Important to Their Sales Process
1 2 3
75% 73% 65%
Customer experience/ Collaborating across departments Having a single customer view Collaborative selling
success Sales process Account management across departments/roles
(e.g., Net Promoter Scores [NPS],
customer satisfaction, customer
(e.g., lead-to-cash time,
customer response time,
(e.g., sales performance
versus account plan, account Benefits of Intelligent Selling
loyalty, renewal rate/churn rate, customer interactions) profitability, account growth
sentiment analysis) rates)
Percentage Experiencing a Major Positive Impact on the Following
34% 32% 31%
Top Sales Objectives Over Next 12—18 Months Customer/prospect nurturing Productivity of sales reps Predictive selling
1 2 3
Increase customer
Grow number of leads/
new customers
retention through
deeper relationships
Increase average
order size
Anticipated Growth in Intelligent Sales Tech Use
Growth in Use Expected Across the Following Technologies Over the Next Three Years
Mobile’s Impact on the Sales Process 148%
Artificial intelligence to
144% 140%
Automated lead-to-cash process Next-step analysis that allows
52% of sales professionals say their company is using or automatically recommend sales, service, and marketing
products to customers based teams to anticipate customer
planning to use mobile apps in the next two years. on their preferences needs and prioritize tasks
Top Mobile App Use Cases
Predictive Selling Comes into Focus
1 2 3
To support selling in
To connect with customer-facing To search and Percentage Who Have Become Much More or Somewhat More Focused on the Following Over the
customers on the go situations access files Past 12—18 Months
56% 56% 42%
Top Mobile Selling Benefits 80% 78%
Percentage Experiencing a Major Benefit Across the Following Being Anticipating
proactive customer needs
69% 65% 59%
Access data from anywhere Real-time communications with Selling from anywhere
team members
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