2017 Sales Predictions from 9 Experts
Transcript of 2017 Sales Predictions from 9 Experts
If you’re not on the edge, you’re falling behind.
Good thing these 9 sales experts have 9 ways for you to stay at the forefront of selling. Say hello to stronger relationships,
more flips, and bigger deals in 2017.
Koka SextonDirector of Social Selling, Sandler Training
@kokasexton
There is going to be a shift in traditional thought leadership in 2017. Talking at a high level can help people see the big picture, but this year, thought leadership will become a lot more tactical, which means that practitioners will get more mindshare. There is no better way to be a trusted advisor than to have the credibility of actually doing the work.
Jim KeenanCEO & President, A Sales Guy Inc.
@Keenan
With individual coaching products like WideAngle and ExecVision, there is more rep-specific data than ever before. This will allow for more targeted training, coaching, and rep development. The one-size-fits-all training will be abandoned with PIP (performance improvement plans) as leaders will know exactly where reps excel and where they fall short. Reps will no longer be able to hide and leaders will no longer be able to argue they don’t know why someone isn’t performing.
Max AltschulerFounder & CEO, Sales Hacker
@MaxAlts
We will see more and more companies leverage texting in their sales processes. People are ditching their work phone lines…and direct-dial numbers are pure gold. Buyers are even more routinely ignoring voicemail and are interested more in going by text. Some sales reps will swear by text to confirm discovery phone calls or use it to lock in deals and get the contract signed in the final stages.
Jill RowleySocial Selling
Evangelist
@jill_rowley
Organizations will start to invest more heavily in social selling in 2017. They’ll develop sophisticated training programs, adopt tools, and build an entire culture around selling socially. They’ll create a new position within the organization that owns social selling. But not every organization will be this forward; one third will continue to conduct social on an ad hoc basis, and the remaining companies will still ignore the ROI potential of social selling entirely.
Craig RosenbergCo-Founder & Chief Analyst, TOPO Inc.
@funnelholic
2017 will see an accelerated adoption of buyer-responsive selling: delivering personalized, relevant, and empathetic engagement that today’s distracted and demanding buyer expects. And this means we’ll see a rise of video in sales communications. Leveraging a channel like video that can capture body language, facial expressions, and context seems like a no-brainer, right?
Jamie ShanksCEO, Sales for Life
@jamietshanks
Sales teams will see an increase in marketing’s responsibility for reaching their total quota. Marketing will be held to a standard more closely tied to business outcomes and will have a direct tie to sales quota attainment. The best sales and marketing teams will have a Service Level Agreement (handshake) between the departments to drive real sales results—think Sales Qualified Opportunities that are directly tried to new sales bookings.
Matt HeinzPresident, Heinz Marketing
@HeinzMarketing
Sales teams will start tracking “active selling time” as a key productivity metric. Simply watching dials and talk time isn’t accurate and will no longer be sufficient. The percent of time a sales team spends on externally-focused sales activities is a better measure of productivity and drives better process, behavior, and other positive changes.
Steve JohnsonPresident & COO,
Vidyard
@steve1johnson
Video will become the dominant way to communicate in prospecting and selling communications for leading sales organizations in 2017. Why? Your team can “be there” and share their passion, product, and solutions with your customers.
Kyle PorterCEO, SalesLoft
@KylePorter
Companies will recognize that account-based engagement is more than just phone calls, emails, and process. As important as account selection and marketing air cover is, they will understand that nothing is more critical to serving clients than human connection and a good cadence.
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Jill RowleySocial Selling Evangelist
#SocialSelling
Matt HeinzPresident
Heinz Marketing
Koka SextonDirector of Social Selling
Sandler Training
Craig RosenbergCo-Founder & Chief Analyst
TOPO Inc.