The world of sales is constantly evolving. As we move into 2023, sales teams and professionals must understand the key trends likely to shape the industry. Awareness of these trends will allow you to adapt your sales strategies and processes to align with the field’s direction. In this comprehensive post, we will explore the top 10 sales trends to keep a close eye on in 2023.
1. The Rise of Sales Enablement
Sales enablement will continue its rise as a crucial part of sales success in 2023. Sales enablement refers to the tools, content, training, and processes that help equip sales teams with more effective customer interactions. The goal is to provide sales reps with the correct information and resources to have meaningful conversations with prospects and ultimately close more deals. Sales enablement includes equipping sales reps with proposal templates, presentation decks, objection handlers, ROI calculators, and other sales collateral.
Useful enablement tools include:
- Sales engagement platforms like Outreach and SalesLoft to distribute content and training
- Content management systems like Seismic to organize and update assets
- Sales coaching software like Gong or Chorus to improve reps’ skills
- Proposal and document generation tools like Qvidian and PandaDoc to speed up creation
2. Skills Development and Training
Sales leaders and professionals recognize the need for continuous skills development as selling complexities increase exponentially. There is a significant focus on next-level training around hard and soft selling skills in 2023. Training centers on soft skills, emotional intelligence, active listening, consultative problem solving, and virtual rapport building.
Hard skills training focuses on effectively leveraging various sales technologies like CRM, sales engagement platforms, and analytics tools. AI and augmented reality will open up new training capabilities as well.
For sales training, options like:
- Microlearning platforms like MindTickle and Qstream
- Gamification software like Ambition
- Conversation intelligence tools like Chorus analyze and coach calls
- VR sales training like STRIVR immerses reps in scenarios
3. Continued Growth of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) in sales will continue to expand rapidly in 2023. According to Salesforce’s recent State of Sales report, 71% of high-performing sales teams have already adopted AI. AI can analyze customer data, predict behaviors, generate recommendations, and automate simple tasks to help sales teams be more efficient. AI does the administrative heavy lifting, freeing up sales reps’ time to focus on having meaningful customer interactions.
AI-powered tools can also provide sales reps real-time coaching and suggestions during customer calls and demos based on analyzing verbal and nonverbal signals.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in sales will rapidly expand in 2023 through tools like:
4. Sales and Marketing Alignment
Collaboration between sales and marketing is a must-have in 2023, not just a nice one. This sales and marketing alignment level promotes consistent messaging throughout the customer journey. It also provides sales reps with the branded assets and content they need to engage customers at the correct times effectively.
Marketing can provide air cover and brand awareness for sales. Meanwhile, sales provide critical customer feedback that informs better marketing.
To align sales and marketing teams, shared technologies like:
- CRM and MAP platforms like Salesforce and Oracle
- Revenue intelligence tools like Leadspace and Canopy to unify data
- Planning and strategy software like Anaplan connect processes
- Marketing asset management like Bynder to centralize content
5. Targeted and Relevant Content
Sales teams will need to take an extremely targeted approach in 2023 and only provide highly relevant content to each prospect’s specific interests, pains, and stages in the buying journey. Generic content only leads to low engagement.
Content must be personalized and segmented. This means creating buyer personas and mapping content to each journey stage. For example, middle funnel content would focus on common pain points and how the product solves those. Latefunnel content would focus on product specifics, ROI calculators, and customer case studies. Content should educate and entertain, not purely sell.
To provide targeted content, sales teams can use the following:
6. Focus on Retention and Loyalty
With the cost of customer acquisition rising yearly, sales leaders are looking for ways to maximize customer lifetime value through retention and loyalty programs in 2023. While new business growth is important, brands can only sustainably acquire new customers occasionally. Tactics like customer success teams, renewals specialists, and account management will be implemented to nurture existing customers.
There is also a significant shift to selling additional products and services to existing happy customers rather than relying solely on brand-new leads. Upselling to current customers who already know and trust your brand is easier and more cost-effective.
For customer retention and loyalty, solutions like:
- Customer success software like ChurnZero and ClientSuccess
- Customer advocacy tools like Influitive empower references
- Community-building platforms like Higher Logic engage users
- Subscription management tools like Maxio maximize renewals
7. Virtual Selling Mastery
Virtual selling skills became essential for sales teams during the global pandemic. Now they are simply a necessary part of effective sales no matter what. Asynchronous video sales calls, effective online demos, email sales tactics, text-based selling, and leveraging social media to connect with prospects must be expertly executed in a remote world.
Strong virtual selling also maintains and strengthens valuable human connections despite the physical distance. Sales organizations invest heavily in virtual selling training and coaching to build these muscles and empower the team.
To master virtual selling, sales teams can use the following:
8. Sales Technology Consolidation
Many sales teams adopted a somewhat disjointed array of tech tools out of necessity during the rapid shift to digital selling during the pandemic. They needed solutions immediately, and it led to purchasing one-off tools. In 2023, strategically evaluating these stacks and consolidating tools into a unified sales tech ecosystem will be a top priority for sales operations leaders. Consolidating tech brings consistency, improves user experience, and reduces costs.
Sales tech consolidation means implementing platforms that unify data and insights for the entire revenue engine. This provides transparency across the funnel and consistent reporting.
To optimize tech stacks, solutions like:
- All in one CRM suites like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365
- Revenue operations platforms like People.ai and Clari
- Workflow automation tools like Conga consolidate systems
- Business intelligence software like Domo connects data
9. A Focus on Customer Experience
With buyers holding more power in sales, customer experience is more critical than ever in 2023. Sales teams must take a consultative selling approach and provide value to prospects before a sales discussion occurs. Providing personalized, timely, and helpful information without asking for anything in return is critical.
Customer experience should be examined at every touchpoint. This means carefully evaluating how prospects and customers interact with a company across multiple channels and formats.
To improve the experience, sales teams can leverage the following:
- Customer journey mapping software like Pointillist to optimize touchpoints
- Customer feedback tools like Delighted to continuously gather insights
- Customer service software like Zendesk to monitor satisfaction
- Interactive content creation tools like Drift to provide value
10. Diversity and Inclusion
Research has proven that diverse sales teams with broader perspectives perform better. They can relate to a more comprehensive range of customer needs and personalities. In 2023 and beyond, intelligent sales leaders will look to continue building teams representing different backgrounds, cultures, ages, thinking and communication styles, and experiences.
An emphasis will also be put on inclusion, ensuring all team members are welcomed, heard, valued, and able to perform at their peak. Siloed and exclusionary attitudes that inhibit diversity will be dismantled.
To drive diversity and inclusion, strategies like:
Conclusion
The sales world never stands still. It constantly evolves and transforms through new technologies, strategies, and processes. As we move into 2023, sales teams should keep a pulse on these critical industry trends and adjust their approaches and mindsets accordingly. Paying close attention to where the field is going ensures sales professionals and leaders can continue driving success in the future.
Those organizations and individuals who effectively recognize and leverage these top sales trends will gain a significant competitive edge. They can preemptively seize opportunities rather than reactively respond to industry changes. The sales leaders and teams that act on these trends now will be best positioned to excel in 2023 and the future.
