Sellers that partner with AI tools are 3.7 times more likely to meet quota than those that do not, the latest research from Gartner has revealed.
The research firm quizzed 1,026 B2B sellers between January and March 2024 on the skills required to thrive in a changing B2B landscape.
The data crowned AI partnerships as the number one competency required for success, followed closely by tactical flexibility around sales approaches, which was found to increase the likelihood of meeting quota by 3.4 times.
In third, the act of mentalizing, which involves sellers predicting and influencing buyer behavior through an understanding of unspoken beliefs and intentions, increases these chances by a factor of 2.9, Gartner said.
Commenting on the findings, Antra Sharma, research principal at Gartner, said chief sales officers (CSOs) must prepare their sellers for the "shifting landscape in B2B buying" in order to find and maintain success.
"By prioritizing the competencies and skills that drive commercial results in the current buying environment, CSOs can refine their talent strategy to augment these skills and drive long-term skill adoption through targeted training, compensation, and career pathing," she said.
Overwhelmed sellers
The findings also painted a picture of anxiety among sellers, with 72% of participants saying they feel 'overwhelmed' by the number of skills that are required for the job, according to the survey. What's more, half (50%) claimed to be overwhelmed by the amount of technology required.
Sellers that feel overwhelmed were also found to be 45% less likely to attain quota and, as a result, organizations were more likely to experience negative commercial outcomes, Gartner revealed.
To combat this widespread feeling and bolster the effectiveness of their sales teams, Gartner said CSOs must focus on upskilling seller competencies that align with the changing B2B environment and have the greatest effect on commercial results, while also embedding long-term skill adoption into key aspects of the seller's role – such as compensation and career pathing.
Additionally, CSOs are advised to build or adapt a competency model capable of highlighting behaviors associated with each of their prioritized skills, as well as how they relate to technology.
"Sellers are overwhelmed by the number of skills they perceive as necessary for success," commented Michael Katz, senior director of research at Gartner Sales Practice. "Sales leaders must support their sellers in developing key competencies, or risk undermining productivity and potentially leading to burnout and disengagement."
