Groundbreaking Research From Xactly Highlights the Disruptions that Transformed Sales Organisations in 2020, Presents an Outlook for the Future

Revenue leaders reported increased attrition and barriers to digital transformation across

Today, Xactly, the leader in revenue intelligence solutions, published its State of Global Enterprise Sales Performance report, which quantifies the disruptions that challenged sales organizations over the past year and demonstrates how the industry is preparing for the future. 

In a survey of more than 2,000 revenue leaders across the U.S., Canada, UK, France, and Germany, Xactly reveals how organisations adapted to rapid change as a result of widespread distributed work, and outlines evolving challenges for sales teams, including aggressive revenue targets and rising attrition. 

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations adjusted their approaches in order to compete. This not only impacted processes and working environments, but accelerated digital transformation efforts, exposing  major barriers to technology adoption. 

“While sales organizations have demonstrated immense resilience over the past year, many are either struggling or reluctant to use new technology to its fullest extent. Our report shows how the industry’s dependence on the status quo, or relying on gut instinct rather than data, inhibits an organisation’s long-term success,” said Chris Cabrera, founder and CEO at Xactly. “In the face of continued challenges from distributed work, leaders must embrace advanced data analytics and automation to optimize revenue generating decisions with actionable insights. Digital transformation can’t happen instantaneously — it requires a clear vision and roadmap, as well as alignment among key decision makers. The same roadblocks that respondents shared are impeding innovation today.” 

Xactly’s research identified three major trends confronting enterprise revenue leaders: 

Trend 1: Volatile Revenue Goals & Ambitious Sales Quotas Put Pressure on Sales Leaders

Sales organizations navigated unprecedented disruption over the last year. A vast majority changed both revenue goals and sales rep quotas in response to the pandemic. Yet sales reps are still held to pre-COVID standards of performance. Respondents noted that progress to revenue goals (29%) and achieving sales quotas (25%) remain the top measures of success. Challenged with this adversity, half of revenue leaders report that less than 50% of their sellers performed at or above quota.

Trend 2: Tech Adoption is on the Rise–but There’s Still an Over-Reliance on Gut Instinct

Half of all surveyed revenue leaders say it’s more difficult than ever to forecast bookings. However, there is reluctance to change processes, as doing things the way “they have always been done” is the most influential factor in sales planning decision-making today (29%), followed by relying on data analytics and intelligent analysis (28%) and gut feelings or trusted colleagues (24%). Yet many revenue leaders see the benefit of data and automation, with 41% agreeing that AI should be part of any high-performing sales team. Many cited cost constraints as a major barrier to adoption (32%), as well as legacy systems (27%) and lack of buy-in from company leadership (22%). 

Trend 3: Despite More Complexity, Remote Work Presents New Opportunities

Distributed work has made achieving sales goals more difficult, with many respondents citing a lack of in-person meetings with clients (33%), budgetary constraints (28%), and lack of internal in-person meetings (27%) as the primary barriers to success. As a result of these hurdles and increased pressure, it’s been a volatile year for talent. Sales rep turnover is higher than ever. Over the last 12 months, organisations have exited sales reps, and sales reps have voluntarily left their companies, at higher rates than usual. 

To read an in-depth analysis of the findings, download the State of Global Enterprise Sales Performance in its entirety. To learn more about Xactly, its products and offerings, or if you are looking to join the company’s expanding team, please visit xactlycorp.com. 

About Xactly

Xactly empowers growing enterprises to effectively manage their revenue generation. Xactly’s Intelligent Revenue platform carries organizations through the full Revenue lifecycle by focusing on planning, territory and quota, incentives, and pipeline management and forecasting from initial strategy development through execution and prioritization of all aspects of revenue optimization. Harnessing the power of AI, Xactly’s scalable, cloud-based platform combines great software with the industry’s most comprehensive 16-year data set to give customers the trusted insights they need to improve sales performance and grow revenue. 

To learn more about Xactly and the latest issues and trends in SPM software, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and subscribe to our blog.

©2021 Xactly Corporation. All rights reserved. Xactly, the Xactly logo, and “Inspire Performance” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Xactly Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

PR CONTACT

LaunchSquad

Xactly@launchsquad.com

Kaitlin Rymer

(412) 952-5897

Luke Conrad

Technology & Marketing Enthusiast

Choose an AI solution to transform beyond technology

Kit Cox • 09th December 2024

The first step is knowing exactly what your business wants to achieve with AI; think faster, smarter and more efficient. Once you know what you are working towards, you can start looking for a solution that can help you make it a reality. AI integration can feel like a daunting task at the beginning, so...

A Roadmap to Security and Privacy Compliance

John Lynch Director of Kiteworks • 04th December 2024

Only by understanding the current regulatory environment and implementing robust data protection measures, can organisations enhance their security posture, ensure compliance, and build resilience against the latest cyber threats. This article provides a comprehensive roadmap of how to do it.

Data-Sharing Done Right: Finding the Best Business Approach

Bart Koek • 20th November 2024

To ensure data is not only available, but also accessible to those that need it, businesses recognise that it is vital to focus on collecting, sorting and governing all the data in their organisation. But what happens when data also needs to be accessed and shared across the business? That is where organisations discover a...

Nova: The Ultimate AI-Powered Martech Solution for Boosting Sales, Marketing...

Erin Lanahan • 19th November 2024

Discover how Nova, the AI-powered engine behind Launched, revolutionises Martech by automating sales and marketing tasks, enhancing personalisation, and delivering unmatched ROI. With advanced intent data integration, revenue attribution, and real-time insights, Nova empowers businesses to scale, streamline operations, and outperform competitors like 6Sense and 11x.ai. Experience the future of Martech with Nova’s transformative AI...

How E-commerce Marketers Can Win Black Friday

Sue Azari • 11th November 2024

As new global eCommerce players expand their influence across both European and US markets, traditional brands are navigating a rapidly shifting landscape. These fast-growing Asian platforms have gained traction by offering ultra-low prices, rapid product turnarounds, heavy investment in paid user acquisition, and leveraging viral social media trends to create demand almost in real-time. This...

Why microgrids are big news

Craig Tropea • 31st October 2024

As the world continues its march towards a greener future, businesses, communities, and individuals alike are all increasingly turning towards renewable energy sources to power their operations. What is most interesting, though, is how many of them are taking the pro-active position of researching, selecting, and implementing their preferred solutions without the assistance of traditional...

Is automation the silver bullet for customer retention?

Carter Busse • 22nd October 2024

CX innovation has accelerated rapidly since 2020, as business and consumer expectations evolved dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, finding the best way to engage and respond to customers has become a top business priority and a key business challenge. Not only do customers expect the highest standard, but companies are prioritising superb CX to...