Salesforce’s annual “State of Sales” report aggregates data from thousands of surveys of sales professionals across the world in an attempt to uncover contemporary trends of sales, including strategies, tools, technologies, and perceptions. In the 2016 report, there are several statistics that are relevant to one of our favorite topics: sales enablement technology.
We believe that investing in a sales enablement tool is one of the smartest moves a sales team can make – there are instant results with much greater long-term benefits, and ultimately the tool pays for itself. But don’t take it from us: read on for 9 insights from the 2016 Salesforce “State of Sales” that capture the rising popularity and effectiveness of sales enablement technology.
1. High-performing sales teams use nearly 3 times as much sales technology as underperforming teams.
The best sales teams are already using sales enablement technology at a much higher rate than underperforming teams. Adoption of new technologies is an effective way to shake up old processes and inject new energy into your sales teams, often resulting in improved processes and closing rates.
2. Top sales performers are 3.5 times more likely to have mobile sales capabilities rated “outstanding” or “very good.”
Mobile technology is proving to be a vital part of the modern salesperson’s arsenal. The best sales teams are equipped with robust mobile sales apps with feature sets that ensure the ability to progress any sales opportunity. Underperforming teams are stuck with archaic processes and tools, creating a massive learning curve for new hires while not realizing the full potential of even your best salespeople.
3. Top sales teams use mobile apps for similar use cases.
What do top teams use their mobile sales apps for? The following were listed as the top three use cases:
- Connect with customers on the go
- Support selling in customer-facing situations
- Get notifications on important customer/sales information
4. Top sales teams also reported similar benefits from their mobile sales apps.
For teams that have implemented mobile sales apps, what improvements are they seeing? The following were listed as the top three benefits:
- Access data from anywhere
- Selling from anywhere
- Real-time communications with customers
5. 45% of sales teams responded that excessive administrative tasks represent a challenge for them.
Salesforce advises that “technologies like analytics, mobile, and automation can go a long way to improving a sales rep’s daily productivity.” Anywhere, anytime access to digital assets, analytics, and customer information reduces the amount of data entry and similar tasks required, allowing sales teams to focus more on selling.
6. The anticipated growth in intelligent sales technology use over the next three years is over 110%.
The expansion of sales intelligence seems inevitable in the next few years – it should be a high priority to have an existing sales enablement platform to take advantage of these potentially game-changing technologies when they arrive.
7. Top sales performers are 1.6 times more likely than underperformers to see positive results from sales analytics.
Proper leveraging of analytics allows sales teams to identify what’s working and what isn’t, then adjust accordingly. Continual improvement is perhaps the most important part of the sales process.
8. Top teams are reaping the rewards of advanced sales analytics.
The top four most improved results after implementing sales analytics were listed as:
- Ability to provide customers with a consistent experience
- Sales velocity
- Close rates
- Time spent per lead
