In time for IT leader’s 2017 strategic planning work, the Gartner CRM Sales research practice has released the latest Strategic Planning Assumptions for sales technology. The newest predictions draw upon trends in algorithmic systems, advanced analytics, even-driven application design, and business graphs.
Gartner regularly speaks with IT leaders that ask about the next big thing in sales technology. While many companies are looking for incremental changes in order to make short-term efficiency gains, others are asking about technology that will put them on the leading edge of business transformation.
The newest predictions support both of these objectives. But just as importantly as these goals, Gartner believes that IT leaders need to beginning planning now for the digital future of sales. There is wave of digital transformation coming to sales processes that will permanently change how sales organizations sell and operate.
Gartner’s CRM Sales predictions includes analysis about:
- Artificial intelligence for improving lead conversion and opportunity closure rates.
- Using advanced analytics to reduce time-intensive sales compensation tasks and to uncover new insights that improve how plans are designed and implemented.
- Event-driven application architectures that digitalize B2B sales processes entirely new means of engaging with customers
We also replay our 2015 prediction about business graphs because it ties in with the new 2016 predictions: By 2018, 20% of large B2B organizations will build business graphs of their sales processes to improve their sales execution.
Gartner clients can access the full report here.
Everyone is also invited to review Gartner’s big-picture predictions: Gartner Reveals Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users in 2017 and Beyond, which is available to everyone on the Gartner web site.
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