As much as technology underpins the ability to Our research shows, however, that if equipped execute at scale, sales remains a people-driven with the right talent strategy, B2B organizations function. With the global resignation trend, how can can revamp their salesforce skills to address sales leaders ensure that they hire, train, and retain today's needs. Three key levers stand out: leading the best talent? companies are rethinking which sales skills are most relevant, using analytics to craft unique training More than 57 million people in the US quit their jobs programs, and breaking away from traditional sales from 2021 through early 2022. As companies look incentive structures. for new skills and capabilities in their commercial function, and focus sharpens on meeting customer needs, the need to attract and retain people has New sales reps for a new era: become more important than ever. Rethinking talent Today’s reps are no longer just agents who sell Effective talent-development strategies tradition- a product. They need analytical, strategic, and ally include competitive compensation, an excellent technical skills; they must be able to work with data incentive structure, learning and development and derive insights, stay ahead of the customer, opportunities, and a strong culture. A growing strategize on next steps, provide the best solution, number of organizations are now also incorporating and keep an eye on the customer’s business “purpose” into their talent messaging, as employees objectives and profit and loss. As one sales leader value working for purpose-driven organizations. said, “If you can’t tell a customer what you’re going Despite these efforts, hiring, retaining, and to do to enhance his profit and loss, then you have replenishing talent remains difficult, particularly no reason to exist as a salesman.” Good sales reps within sales: HubSpot reports that average sales can also manage senior executives across different turnover is 35 percent, nearly three times that of any areas of a buyer’s organization, from technical other function.9 manager to chief financial officer. “If a seller cannot talk to a customer's P&L and tell them what is going to be done to enhance it, then they won’t be successful as modern sales reps.” —President, technology company 9 “Sales turnover statistics you need to know,” Xactly, August 24, 2021. Future of B2B sales: The big reframe 27