{"id":10427,"date":"2024-07-25T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=10427"},"modified":"2024-07-29T19:01:30","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T09:01:30","slug":"sales-ai-statistics-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/au\/news\/stories\/sales-ai-statistics-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Salesforce Report: ANZ Sales Teams Tapping AI to Drive Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sales teams across Australia and New Zealand are implementing AI to drive growth and keep up with customer demands, according to new research released in the sixth edition of Salesforce\u2019s State of Sales<\/em> report.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ninety-three per cent of sales teams in Australia and 91% in New Zealand are either experimenting with or have fully implemented AI across their sales functions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report includes insights from 5,500 sales professionals across 27 countries, including 300 from Australia and New Zealand combined,, revealing how companies drive growth and stand out in a crowded marketplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Australia and New Zealand, 57% of sales reps don’t expect to meet their quota this year, and an even larger 86% missed it last year. These numbers highlight the significant pressure sellers are under, and lagging productivity may also be a factor. ANZ sales reps report spending 71% of their time on non-selling tasks, making it difficult to connect with prospects.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reps say selling has gotten more challenging amid heightened competition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Across most sales organisations, revenue growth<\/a> isn’t keeping pace with company goals. Worldwide, sales professionals<\/a> say rising customer demands and competition are their top obstacles. More than half of sellers in Australia (59%) and New Zealand (54%) say competition has gotten more challenging since last year, and only 12% in Australia and 14% in New Zealand say it\u2019s gotten easier.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Nonselling tasks pull reps away from customer relationship building<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Competition isn\u2019t the only obstacle to sales. Non-selling tasks, such as administrative work and meeting preparation, consume 71% of reps’ time in Australia and New Zealand. Without time carved out for critical selling efforts, reps struggle to connect with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cDeep relationships with customers are the difference-makers when it comes to challenging sales environments,\u201d said Jane Brown, Area Vice President at Salesforce. \u201cB2B buyers are more likely to purchase when reps act as trusted advisors. However, too often, deep knowledge of customer need and opportunity is lacking or not effectively communicated. That makes it difficult to build trust, derailing deals.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sellers see accuracy, personalisation benefits from AI despite adoption hurdles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a climate of heightened competition and scarce hours in the day to sell, many sales teams are looking to AI for support. Currently, 93% of sales organisations in Australia and 91% in New Zealand are experimenting with AI. Of course, given the exceptionally rapid pace at which AI is evolving, whether teams consider their current implementations complete may change in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Regardless, the benefits of AI for sales teams are clear and growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worldwide, when asked to name where AI has had the biggest impact, sales professionals point to five key areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Sales data quality and accuracy: From error detection to automatically updating deal records, AI can ensure data is up-to-date and free from human error.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Understanding customer needs: AI can analyse customer feedback from a variety of sources to gauge customer sentiment and identify areas of need before a sales rep presents a solution.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Personalisation for customers: Sales teams can leverage predictive analytics<\/a> to forecast a buyer\u2019s future order based on past purchases, provide recommendations to upsell, and more.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Sales forecasting accuracy: From highlighting pipeline red flags to projecting closed deals, AI can deliver insights to help shape revenue-generating sales strategies.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Prospect\/customer communications: Teams are tapping generative AI grounded in trusted customer data to write personalised emails to prospects \u2014 saving time trying to craft a message manually.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    There are some obstacles to successful AI implementation, however:<\/p>\n\n\n\n