Sixty-three percent of sales people met quota, according to the latest CSO Insights Sales Performance Optimization (SPO) study, the same number as last year. This nineteenth annual survey gleaned data from more than 1,200 firms worldwide, revealing recent sales results, anticipated challenges, and action plans.
The survey uncovered that revenue targets are 16.4% higher than last year, on average, with plans for 12.2 percent growth in sales organizations – even while achievement of sales quotas remained flat year over year.
“With higher revenue targets, better sales productivity technologies are a business imperative for delivering sales results in the coming year,” said Joe Fuca, senior vice president of sales, DocuSign. “DocuSign gives sales organizations immediate ROI payback by streamlining the sales cycle and giving reps greater visibility into the sales process so that they can close more deals faster.”
The survey also highlighted that businesses are looking to leverage Big Data and trends in mobility to enhance sales. Among their top objectives in the next 12 months, 23.7 percent of participants noted reducing sell cycle time and 51.6 percent listed increasing sales effectiveness. Enhancing lead generation and better alignment between sales and marketing are high on the list of planned initiatives. The data show a payoff from combining these with consistent sales process implementation.
“Mobility is an essential part of sales, whether it’s for field sales reps or customers who need to sign a contract when they are away from their desk,” said Fuca. “Customers can DocuSign in person on an Apple iPad or from anywhere in the world, at any time – whenever it’s convenient.”
