There’s no sugarcoating it: 2023 pushed us all to our limits. Amid budget cuts, shrinking demand, and a push to do more with less, sellers are under more pressure than ever. As we step into 2024, we can’t just hope to bounce back. We need to level up.
This year, we’ve tapped our community of sales leaders — both our customers and internal leaders — for their 2024 predictions. We asked them about the trends they’re doubling down on or ditching as they ramp for next year.
Watch the full recording, or keep reading for the top five trends we’re anticipating in the new year. Spoiler alert: adaptability, customer-centricity, and operational efficiency are table stakes.
Every dollar counts
In 2024, we’re celebrating every dollar, not just new logo business. Traditionally, companies pay the highest commissions for new logo business. Consider it a side effect of IPO obsession. Success today will require energy, attention, and love for your customer base.
That means valuing new business, expansion, and even renewals equally — and ensuring that your compensation programs reflect that.
As budgets are scrutinized, teams must justify every single dollar spent. If a nice-to-have piece of tech isn’t well-adopted or delivering ROI, it’s on the chopping block.
It’s time for a rep reset
Consultative selling emerges as a key theme as we consider the core skills required to land, expand, and retain your customers. “The AM is the new AE,” said David Ruggiero, President of GTM at Outreach. Sales reps are positioned to serve as trusted advisors, with a focus on maximizing the current revenue they have in-house and increasing customer adoption.
“Companies are rebuilding foundations, trying new strategies, or doubling down on what they are doing. Some will emerge at the end of 2024 and some will not.”
Similarly, the role of sales development representatives (SDRs) will evolve as AI automates basic tasks and frees up their capacity for more critical thinking and decision-making.
“By cultivating a workforce that is agile, curious, and equipped with a growth mindset, organizations can better navigate the fast-evolving business landscape.”
As AI minimizes the time and effort reps spend on manual or repetitive admin tasks, attention is freed up to think more strategically, focus on their craft, and truly become subject matter experts. This level of up-skilling will be crucial in order to succeed in this competitive market.
Outbound is overdue for an overhaul
"Outbound won't die in 2024, but companies will be forced to do it the right way," shared Manny Medina, Outreach CEO. Last month, Google and Yahoo announced new requirements for bulk email senders. Specifically, email messages from bulk-sending organizations to personal email addresses that have an abuse complaint rate of 0.3% or higher, will be automatically sent to users’ spam folders. Google has recently clarified that the policy applies only to emails sent to personal Gmail accounts, not Workspace accounts used as corporate email.
But this isn’t cause for alarm. In fact, we believe this will be a net-positive change for our industry for B2C and B2B companies alike. It means that outdated “spray and pray” email tactics are on their last legs. The goal is not to send fewer emails; it’s to send the right email at the right time.
In other words, these new requirements are simply enforcing the same best practices we’ve been teaching to Outreach customers for years. If you’re not already using a personalized, multi-channel approach — now is the time to start. We'll be sharing our email best practices in an upcoming webinar on January 16.
The best new tech is the one you already pay for
Our sales leaders have dubbed 2024 the 'Year of Budget Neutral.' In an era where every dollar counts, sales and marketing teams will need to scrutinize their tech stack, retaining only those tools that demonstrate clear ROI and enhance operational efficiency.
Take Outreach, for example. When we examine platform usage, we see that high adopters book 2.25 times more meetings and have 33% higher revenue attainment. That translates to 70% more closed revenue each quarter on average. It’s why Outreach has one of the highest adoption rates in the industry at 77% — more than double the industry average.
This trend will likely encourage companies to delve deeper into the capabilities of their existing platforms.
Ali and Angela also underscored the importance of working from the same data, the same source of truth. To achieve this, leaders need to adopt technology that can serve the entire org — not just sales data, not just marketing data.
This is one of the biggest complaints we hear from customers who previously relied on “free” solutions. The time required to maintain and update, combined with limited reporting and visibility, comes at an ever bigger cost.
Having a consistent and comprehensive data view across the entire organization facilitates better decision-making and alignment among different teams.
It’s time to return to selling basics
AI and tech are not replacements for solid revenue strategy. After a year of AI fanaticism and apocalypse, we’re witnessing a renaissance of traditional selling skills. The emphasis will be on meaningful, quality interactions rather than sheer volume.
Sales and marketing efforts will need to be more engaging, readable, and tailored to the audience. This same approach applies to negotiations, where a consultative, tactful approach — and knowing when to walk away — are just as important as closing the deal.
“Everyone is going to say AI… but I really think that in a tougher macro climate, having more control and visibility into whether reps are really following a true sales methodology will be most important”
2024 is your year
For many sales organizations, 2023 was the hardest year yet. But under pressure, diamonds are made. GTM leaders are laser-focused on operational efficiency and already hard at work to unlock more value from their current investments. Ali joked that 2024 is the year of “plumbing,” a time to fix the underlying foundation of how we run our business and measure success.
At the same time, sellers are finding new ways to hone their craft and do right by their customers. Consultative selling and strategic thinking is more crucial than ever, signaling a deeper, more thoughtful approach to sales as AI advancements become a foundational part of sellers’ workflows.
As we approach 2024, we’re grateful to our community for sharing their perspectives: their goals, challenges, and opportunities. While our human brains can’t predict with the same accuracy as our deal health scores, we believe in the value of partnering high-tech tools with the human element that technology just can’t duplicate, and we’re honored to be your partner in sales excellence.
