The world went online when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Business, board and staff meetings, chats with friends, exercise sessions—anything that was previously done in person was forced into a virtual space. Sales was no exception. The new remote-sales environment presented challenges, yet it achieved a surprising degree of success. A couple of years later and the state of sales is evolving at a rapid rate—and will only continue to do so. Customers have become savvier and are demanding more, sales are increasingly becoming digital and operating models more hybrid, and the “great attrition” is having a detrimental effect on talent. The current recessionary environment only adds to the urgent need for change. The situation is challenging, yet exciting; some companies are using the macroeconomic environment to their advantage to leapfrog competitors. Leading companies are seizing the opportunity and taking action, with great success. To understand the new era of sales, we spoke to more than 50 heads of sales across a range of industries in numerous geographic markets. Their insights are enlightening and a wake-up call for those wary of change. Five themes emerge from the research: 1) Put the customer at the heart of growth Capture your customers and build their loyalty and trust by offering them value propositions and personalized experiences that suit their needs. This can be done with effective analytics and tailored content that emphasizes solutions and expertise. 2) Break the channel mindset Single channel no longer works. Hybrid is the new standard—it offers powerful opportunities to connect with customers in ways they want. 3) Create a scalable sales engine A successful sales organization is able to repeat its best practices again and again—leveraging data, technology and agile operating models. 4) Rethink the people strategy in the age of attrition A new world of selling requires new sales capabilities. Talent needs to be reassessed as businesses face both the attrition brought on by the pandemic and hyper-informed customers expecting more. 5) Make the change stick For transformation to truly happen, cultures, mindsets, and behaviors need to change. Leaders need to inspire the change and guide the process. We hope you find the examples of how outperforming companies have put these themes into practice helpful; that it kick-starts discussions in your leadership team around how to deliver growth in these uncertain times; and that it inspires you to achieve what is possible in this new world. 4 Future of B2B sales: The big reframe