Harnessing an organization’s sales culture can lead to improved sales performance, according to Gartner, Inc. Experts presented their findings during the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference, which took place here this week.

“Culture is often an afterthought for sales leaders – it’s something that just exists, but is off track or isn’t actively managed," said Shayne Jackson, Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner Sales Practice. “As a result, teams are often disconnected, leading to higher turnover and lower performance.”

“When leaders actively channel sales culture it can be an incredibly powerful tool,” continued Jackson. “To leverage culture as a driver of performance and retention, sales leaders must understand the culture that exists today, evaluate if it is meeting seller needs, confirm it aligns with leadership’s values, and then make adjustments to drive specific types of growth.”

In a survey of over 200 senior sales leaders conducted from November through December 2023, Gartner identified six cultural attributes that motivate sales performance.

Attributes such as transparency link to 2.9x greater likelihood of increased profit growth. Similarly, by prioritizing seller empowerment as a key pillar of sales culture, organizations are 2.8x more likely to see improved commercial performance. In addition, cultures that focus on psychological safety, where sellers are permitted to “fail safely,” are 2.7x more likely to see improved customer acquisition.

Key Sales Culture Attributes CSOs Should Evaluate:

• Investing in sales employees’ career development and growth opportunities – organizations that invest in career development are 2.6x more likely to improve commercial performance.

• Encouraging sellers to use innovative approaches to their work – organizations that foster innovation are 2.5x more likely to see digital commerce growth.

• Fostering internal competition among the sales team to meet their goals – when promoting competition, organizations are 2.6x more likely to see faster sales cycles.

• Being transparent and presenting sellers with meaningful insights into sales organizations’ operations.

• Empowering sellers to solve creatively for customer needs and rewarding them for finding ways to improve sales processes.

• Providing employees with psychological safety in an environment of trust. 

“CSOs must take control of their sales culture by assessing the culture as it stands, designing the necessary culture adjustment and then transforming the culture to boost performance and achieve their organization’s goals. To implement changes, enlisting support of frontline managers is key, as well as making changes to systems and processes that conflict or obstruct the new culture improvements,” said Jackson.

About Gartner for Sales Leaders

Gartner for Sales Leaders provides heads of sales and their teams with the insights, advice and tools they need to address mission-critical priorities amid mounting pressures to drive growth through new and existing customers. With extensive qualitative and quantitative research, Gartner for Sales Leaders helps sales teams combat commoditization and price-based purchasing, develop critical manager and seller skills, elevate the value of sales interactions, unlock existing growth potential, and optimize sales force enablement. Follow news and update from the Gartner Sales practice on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerSales. Members of the media can find additional information and insights in the Gartner Sales Newsroom.

About the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference

The Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference took place May 21-22, 2024 in Las Vegas, providing sales leaders with the latest research on AI, sales talent, and customer buying behavior. Catch up on news from the conference on the Gartner Newsroom and on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerSales.