How sellers are winning in today’s challenging new world

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Sales have been remade – and top sellers thrive by using sales technology intelligently

Throughout history, technology has transformed the sales process.

At the dawn of the 20th century, new technologies such as the car and the telephone allowed sellers to knock on exponentially more doors and speak with more potential customers. As the century drew to a close, the advent of the internet and email enabled salespeople to reach buyers at scale from their laptops and mobile phones.

These technological advances, however, also brought downsides for buyers. The rise of telemarketers made the do-not-call list a necessity. The pandemic and the rise of remote work accelerated the proliferation of sales technology, such as CRM systems and sales intelligence tools. According to LinkedIn’s new 2022 State of Sales report, 91 per cent of sellers at large companies use sales tech once a week.

Yet, in too many cases, the rise of sales technology has been frustrating for buyers. Sales tech often leads to sellers simply becoming more efficient at spamming potential buyers with messaging for products they don’t need or aren’t in the market for at that time.

This reality has created a buyer-seller divide. Many businesses are engaging in ill-advised outreach simply because they can. For instance, early in the pandemic, HubSpot data found that sales teams has boosted their email to prospects by 50 per cent.

So, the state of sales in 2022 is a paradox: the adoption of sales technology is at an all-time high, accelerated by the pandemic, while the success rate of much of that technology is waning.

“Digital buying is here to stay, and sales organisations have to adapt to stay relevant and meet their customers where they are,” says Steve Goldberg, CRO at SalesLoft.

Here are the top three findings from the 2022 State of Sales report:

The pandemic disrupted the sales process – permanently and positively

For salespeople (and the buyers they target), remote work has gone from a rarity to commonplace in the past two years. Sellers have adjusted to a new reality of limited travel, fewer live conferences and rare face-to-face meetings. In response, they’ve improved their outreach skills, with our data showing that 78 per cent of salespeople say they do more research on prospects than one year ago. What’s more, 64 per cent of buyers say that working remotely has made purchasing decisions easier.

Sales technology and data-driven selling are continuing to rise

Sales technology permeates the modern sales organisation. For the most successful sellers,

CRM systems and sales intelligence tools lead the way, while they avoid intrusive outreach that is often applied ineffectively. Successful sellers are far more likely than others to make frequent use of sales technology, embracing data in all its forms to make sure they’re reaching out to buyers at the right time.

Top-performing salespeople were 16 per cent more likely to use sales technology at least once every day. With 81 per cent of sellers saying they have seen a deal lost or delayed in the past year by a decision-maker changing roles, using sales intelligence tools and CRM systems to keep track of buyers has never been more crucial.

Top performers are thriving thanks to their intelligent use of technology

Top performers, those reaching 150 per cent of quota or more, are far more likely – by a margin of 47 to 76 per cent – than other sellers to do research “all the time” before reaching out to prospects. They’re far more likely to use sales tech, put buyers’ needs ahead of theirs and leverage LinkedIn.

They also report that solutions such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator are crucial. The top-performing cohort is 18 per cent more likely than other sellers to say they plan to use sales intelligence tools, such as Sales Navigator, “significantly more” this year.

The bottom line? Top performers rely on data and technology in a way that uses available intelligence to craft relevant, timely and welcomed outreach to buyers. This approach helps high-performing sellers exceed quota, sales teams achieve revenue targets and sales organisations thrive in the new reality of virtual selling.

Discover more of the latest sales industry trends in the LinkedIn 2022 State of Sales Report