A few months back Tiffani Bova wrote this article on the Salesforce blog regarding the emerging trends in Sales. It is a good article that makes you think  

Here is a quick overview with my comments added (PD): 

 Emerging Trend One: 50% of Sales Metrics will change in the next three years.

TB: Sales leaders will be seeking to get deeper into the customer journey in regards to measuring the success of sales teams. Budgets and win rates are not going away but metrics along the lines of customer satisfaction will be included. 

PD: I don’t believe the change will be that significant because from what I have seen Sales will always be measured by what it has control. Sales teams do not usually control customer success. They are tasked with getting the customer to confirm as soon as they are possibly able to! Customer Success is important but my mixing it into sales too much you risk missing that next quarter earnings for the firm. And as everyone who works in sales knows, sales is about tangible results!  

Emerging Trend Two: Reps will be compensated on usage not deal size. 

TB: This change means that closing a deal is less important than getting a greater amount of users to successfully use it. Reps will be compensated more if a greater number of users take up the product. 

PD: I think this is a fascinating insight! This will mean that during the sales process the Rep won’t just be focussed on getting ink on the contract, but work hard to get more stakeholders buying into the application. It will lead to better adoption by the organisation and more success down the track. 

Emerging Trend Three:  Customer service agents are the new Sales Reps. 

TB: She is talking about how Customer Service and Customer Success staff will become just as empowered as Sales Reps currently are within the organisation.

PD: I can see the benefits of some larger SaaS organisations doing this. However the risk is that if Customer Success becomes more commercial they may dilute the skills that set them apart in the first place. Customers like Customer Success because they have only one focus. Customers feel more safe to open up to a CSR about what their real challenge is.  

Emerging Trend Four: Modern selling continues to explanatory into more digital channels. 

TB: The lines between B2B and B2C will blur. Customer engagement will increase on emerging channels: SMS, chat, mobile chat and video.  

PD: I agree this is happening and is being driven by both the sales professional and the customer. 

Emerging Trend Five: AI will require more sales headcount, not less. 

TB: Studies show that AI is leading to more job growth, not less. 

PD: For the past 3 years AI has been oversold as a panacea to solve all of life’s problems. One day we will all be enslaved by our AI masters! 😵 But at least for now AI is playing a supportive - not a lead role.