As we enter 2023, sellers are facing a world in which they are being asked to deliver more, using fewer resources. Supply chain issues, inflation, and shifting regulations are just some of the factors that are making the job of a sales professional more difficult. In fact, 82% of sales reps say they’ve had to adapt to new ways of selling, and they’ve had to adapt quickly. Sixty-nine percent of reps say that this has made their job harder than it was before the pandemic.
Sales teams are also finding they have less time to sell than they used to. According to the latest State of Sales report, the average rep spends only 28% of their time on actual selling. The rest of their time is spent on time-consuming admin, data entry, and prioritisation of leads, among other tasks. This can lead to a hurried sales process and less time to hit quota.
Recent history has permanently changed the way that our customers expect companies to behave, and the ways they want to interact with sales reps. The latest State of the Connected Customer report showed that 57% of customers prefer to engage with businesses through digital channels. The proportion gets even higher for younger customers. Most customers don’t limit themselves to a single method of communication, either – the average customer will use nine different channels when communicating with companies.
The road to sales success
So what can sales reps do to succeed in sales today? Part of the answer lies in the tools that we use to sell. Technology is an essential part of selling, and using the right apps can reduce costs while also boosting productivity and helping you save time.
Sales Cloud users have seen a boost in sales productivity of 29%* – achieved through automation of everyday activities. At the same time, Customer 360 provides real-time customer data, speeding up the sales timeline and allowing you to focus on high-value activities.
Here are just some of the ways you can find sales success today:
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*Source: 2022 Salesforce Success Metrics Global Highlights study.
Data is from a survey of 3,706 Salesforce customers across the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Australia, India, Singapore, Japan and Brazil conducted between June 8 and June 21, 2022. Results were aggregated to determine average perceived customer value from the use of Salesforce. Respondents were sourced and verified through a third-party B2B panel. Sample sizes may vary across metrics.
