We are bringing you news and highlights from the 2024 Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference, taking place this week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference.
On Day 2, we are highlighting how to balance conventional sales techniques with AI, connecting your sales team to culture and future proofing your sales team by prioritizing human-centric values.
Presented by Adnan Zijadic, Director Analyst, Gartner
At the heart of a sales playbook is a guided selling technology and process - these are not to be replaced by AI. In his session, Adnan Zijadic, Director Analyst at Gartner, outlined how to achieve competitive advantage by balancing conventional techniques and processes with the promise of AI.
“Despite the buzz, the salesperson role isn’t fading. Buyers still value that human connection, that personal touch we can’t replicate digitally.”
“Buyers are 2.3 times more likely to get value affirmation from a sales rep than from a digital interaction.”
“Imagine harnessing AI to not only predict customer intent but to engage with precision timing and relevance. It’s about adding depth to your customer interactions.”
“While AI or high-tech tools have their demonstrable benefits, it’s the human in the loop who improves both AI accuracy and outputs, and buyer understanding.”
“Imagine a dialogue between a salesperson and AI: one brings the contextual data or domain expertise, the other interpretation.”
Presented by Shayne Jackson, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner
Organizations with sellers who are connected to their culture perform better and have better retention. In his session, Shayne Jackson, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, unveiled strategies for sales leaders to connect their revenue team to their culture in ways that are meaningful for each seller.
“When CSOs improve cultural connectedness, they improve performance and retention.”
“There are six sales culture attributes that lead to different types of sales performance impact:
Invest in sales employees’ career development and growth opportunities
Encourage employees to use innovative approaches to their work
Foster internal competition among employees to meet their goals
Be transparent and present employees with meaningful insights into sales organization operations
Empower employees
Provide employees with psychological safety”
“Operationalize culture change by adapting the systems, processes and practices that teach employees what is expected, accepted and respected in the environment.”
Presented by Doug Bushée, VP Analyst, Gartner
The disconnect between traditional sales culture and the evolving needs of current and future sellers puts many organizations at a disadvantage in attracting and retaining talent. In his session, Doug Bushée, VP Analyst at Gartner, explored strategies to close the divide by implementing a more human-focused approach to employee value propositions.
“Sellers are under immense pressure. CSOs need to reassess their current strategies and shift their focus towards creating a more supportive, balanced and human-centric sales environment.”
“Sales leadership is not about dictating strategies or setting targets. It’s about understanding the team’s needs, supporting their well-being, and helping them grow both professionally and personally.”
“A strong executive value proposition (EVP) can help attract and retain top talent, increase employee engagement and drive performance.”
“Gartner research shows that over 45% of prospective sellers would choose a job with the right EVP attributes over one paying 10% more.”
“The best organizations focus about 80% of their efforts on delivering EVP promises and just 20% on defining and managing the EVP.”
Watch this space for more updates throughout the day.
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) delivers actionable, objective insight that drives smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organization’s mission-critical priorities. To learn more, visit gartner.com.
Juliette Dixon
Gartner
juliette.dixon@gartner.com
Jordan Brackenbury
Gartner
jordan.brackenbury@gartner.com
