Sales has changed more in the past two years than • Which topics do you want to prioritize? Where in the previous decade—and is unlikely to slow are you already ahead, and which issues will down. Customers expect a tailored rather than a affect your business the most? generic answer, channel silos are moving to hybrid, analytics is at the heart of all GTM discussions, and • How quickly do you want to embrace change? companies have to rethink how to obtain and retain Are you confident with going all-in with a skilled salespeople. full-scale transformation, or would a series of change waves make more sense in your The full menu of actions that best-in-class players context? are taking may seem daunting, but in reality all these concepts reinforce one other. As we spoke to sales • What capabilities are most critical for your leaders, it became obvious that the trends outlined organization? And how do you know? in this report are no longer “ifs” but “whens”. There are three questions sales leaders are now urged to To continue successful growth in this new era of address: sales, change is no longer optional. There is no better time to start than today. Guilherme Cruz is a partner in McKinsey’s New York office, where Molly Lewis is an associate partner. Boudewijn Driedonks is a partner in the London office, Ben Ellencweig is a senior partner in the Stamford office, and Maximilian Fischer is an associate partner in the Denver office. Fidel Hernandez is an associate partner in the Miami office, where Maria Valdivieso de Uster is a partner; Josh Klemme is an associate partner in the Boston office. The authors wish to thank Katherine Chan, Jan-Christoph Köstring, Ayushi Ladha, Bret Lineberry, Steve Reis, Jennifer Stanley, and Michael Viertler for their contributions to this article. 36 Future of B2B sales: The big reframe