The sixth edition of its State of Sales report explores the latest trends among selling teams around the world. Based on a survey, the report uncovers answers to the most timely questions in sales. 

The report highlights how sales teams are balancing technological advancements and building trusted customer relationships as they seek growth in a crowded marketplace, says Salesforce. 

According to Salesforce, key insights from the research include: 

Reps Struggle to Find Time to Meet Customer Expectations

Changing customer expectations is the number one sales challenge worldwide, but it's hard finding the time to connect, says the report. 

The State of Sales report shows the following:

  • Sales reps in South Africa spend an average of just 28% of the work-week connecting with customers.
  • Fifty-two percent of sales professionals in South Africa say changing customer expectations are more of a challenge than last year.
  • Only 18% of sales reps say it's less of a challenge. 

AI Adoption Surges, but Trust and Data Gaps Linger

Sales adoption of AI is climbing as teams push for productivity and personalisation, but concern regarding integration, security and customer distrust mean the technology's full potential for the profession has yet to be seen, shows the report. 

According to the report:

  • Eighty-five percent of sales teams in South Africa have fully implemented or are experimenting with AI. 
  • Eleven percent of teams are evaluating AI technology. 
  • The top sales benefit from AI in South Africa is data quality.
  • The top obstacle sales teams in South Africa encounter while implementing AI is customer distrust of the technology.

Employee Retention is Rising Globally

As labour markets tighten, sales employees are largely staying put. Globally, teams report 18% average staff turnover over the last 12 months — down from 25% in 2022. However, employee retention trends vary by region, says Salesforce. 

Salesforce says that based on the report:

  • Twenty percent is the average estimated staff turnover rate in South Africa over the past year.
  • Two percent of sales professionals in South Africa are currently looking to change jobs.

"Deep relationships with customers are the difference-makers when it comes to challenging sales environments," says Zuko Mdwaba, vice president for Africa and South Africa Country MD.

"B2B buyers are more likely to purchase when reps act as trusted advisors. However, too often, deep knowledge of customer needs and opportunities is lacking or not effectively communicated. That makes it difficult to build trust, derailing deals," adds Mdwaba.

Salesforce concludes that it conducted the State of Sales double-anonymous survey between Friday, 8 March and Thursday, 18 April. Respondents were sourced from 27 countries across:

  • North America
  • Latin America
  • Asia-Pacific, and
  • Europe.

Individuals are encouraged to view additional methodology and survey demographic details in the report here.

For more information, visit www.salesforce.com. You can also follow Salesforce on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or on Instagram. 

*Image courtesy of contributor