Sellers Who Use AI Meet Quota More Often
Sellers who effectively use artificial intelligence tools are 3.7 times more likely to meet quota than those who do not, according to Gartner.
In addition to AI partnership, other top competencies include tactical flexibility and mentalizing, which increase the likelihood of quota attainment by 3.4 times and 2.9 times respectively, Gartner found.
The research firm defines tactical flexibility as the ability to adjust, adapt, and innovate on sales approaches and mentalizing as the ability to infer unspoken beliefs, feelings, and intentions to predict and influence buyer behavior.
“Chief sales officers (CSOs) must prepare their sellers for the shifting landscape in B2B buying,” says Antra Sharma, principal researcher in the Gartner Sales Practice. “By prioritizing the competencies and skills that drive commercial results in the current buying environment, CSOs can refine their talent strategy to augment these skills and drive long-term skill adoption through targeted training, compensation, and career pathing.”
The survey also revealed that 72 percent of sellers feel overwhelmed by the number of skills required for their jobs, and 50 percent are overwhelmed by the amount of technology needed. Overwhelmed sellers are 45 percent less likely to attain quota, leading to worsened commercial outcomes for their organizations.
“Sellers are overwhelmed by the number of skills they perceive as necessary for success,” says Michael Katz, senior director of research in the Gartner Sales Practice. “Sales leaders must support their sellers in developing key competencies or risk undermining productivity and potentially leading to burnout and disengagement.”
To foster the competencies of high-performing sellers within their sales teams, Gartner recommends that chief sales officers do the following:
- Prioritize upskilling on the seller competencies that align with the shifts in the B2B buying environment and have the most significant impact on commercial results.
- Drive long-term skill adoption by embedding it into key aspects of the seller’s job, such as compensation and career pathing.
- Build or modify a competency model that highlights the behaviors associated with each prioritized skill and how they relate to technology.