In an uncertain macroeconomic climate, understanding what’s really going on for both the B2B SaaS sales leaders in the office and the sales reps in the trenches can be an uphill battle. To make it simple, we went straight to the source and asked them.
In this report, we highlight the initiatives sales teams are prioritizing, the strategies that are working, and critically – where there is room for improvement. We also focused on any gaps between sales leaders and sales reps that we found.
Sure, we may all agree that the market is unsettled, but we’re asking the question that really matters: What are people doing about it?
Up until now, it has been hard to gauge the true state of B2B SaaS sales. Every report we read is talking about how B2B sales needs to be more efficient, but who is going to step up and answer the question of what moving the needle actually looks like in the day-to-day work of sales teams?
Here are a few things we learned from this survey of sellers
We don’t want to give away any spoilers because the report is best enjoyed when read in full, but here are some findings we couldn’t help but share.
Sales professionals care more about their companies’ success than you may think.
Even though we spoke to sales reps as well as executives, all the respondents mostly had high-level fears about the market.
The greatest concerns are with the growth of their company (22%) and the broader tech industry (23%). Both of which are cited well above any worries about personal success, such as career advancement (11%), layoffs (8%), and salary increases (7%).
Sales pros want a better way to show their product.
When asked what could help them hit their goals, most sales professionals disclosed that they needed better ways to show their product’s value.
21% of respondents felt that better product collateral like demos, sales decks, and one-pagers would be the best thing to help them hit their quotas. After that, it’s not surprising that the next answers are related to better performance analysis (18%) and the need for a defined sales strategy (16%).
There’s a strong correlation between bad demos and poor company morale.
We compared the results of people who had concerns about the financial state of their company with how the same respondents feel about the state of their demo situation, and found that bad demos might be an indicator of overall morale.
86% of those who are pessimistic about their companies’ finances also believe their current demos have room for improvement. Meanwhile, 59% of those who are optimistic about the company bank accounts also see no reason for significant improvement to their demos.
We’re just scratching the surface here
Our full report includes way more fascinating findings, including gaps between sales reps and executives, sales pros’ thoughts on their current sales process, and what they are currently investing in to meet the current market challenges.
