It’s been less than 2 months since the year started, but many trends we highlighted in our 2023 Sales Almanac have become even more obvious.

Selling isn’t getting any easier and organizations are pressured to rethink their strategies not to just reach and engage the buyers, but also to enable them and lead to a successful close (and beyond).

To help you adapt and win more deals in 2024, we asked 15 revenue experts to share their predictions and tactics with us. Let’s dive in. 

B2B selling in 2024: Key trends and winning strategies

• In 2024, B2B selling is all about working smarter, not harder. With layoffs and economic struggles, companies are tightening their belts and aiming for efficiency. They need to see results fast and have clear reasons to invest. 
• Using AI and automation can give them an edge by streamlining tasks like preparing for meetings and keeping customers engaged.
• Teams are getting more aligned and streamlined, with roles like presales merging with customer success to focus on solving problems rather than just selling features. This consolidation means everyone is on the same page, working towards the same goals.
• Data is king, and businesses are using it to make smarter decisions and manage deals better. Customer success is a big deal too, with teams focused on keeping clients happy and tying their efforts to company success.
• Building relationships and providing expertise is key to standing out in a crowded market. Buyers want more than just a sales pitch; they want someone they can trust to guide them. And in this competitive landscape, it's time for sales teams to step up and deliver excellence.

1. Efficiency is the name of the game

In 2024, as the organizations have massive layoffs and the consumers are facing more economical struggles, efficiency greatly defines the state of B2B selling. Businesses strive to run on leaner, more efficient teams, as Alex Olley mentioned on the Sales Therapy.

Jay Nathan, Head of Growth at Churnkey.co, predicts the similar trend in his exclusive comment for this feature: 

“We will continue to see pressure to drive efficiency (a.k.a. cost savings) into how we maintain and grow the customer base. In-app customer retention and engagement strategies will become more prevalent for both product-led and sales-led growth businesses.”

At the same time, budget constraints (as well as further involvement of CFOs in the buying decisions) require clear business cases and quick ROI. As Scott Martinis, CEO/Founder at B2B Catalyst, put it: 

"It's been an absolutely brutal year... but quota relief is not going to come for sales teams. The P&L demands it. The only way to survive in direct (nonchannel/partner) sales is to build super clear business cases. And customer success is going to get a lot of heat to get ROI QUICKLY... we're talking <6 months. Otherwise... your company will only be able to sell through partners who CAN build a business case. With constant money-printing and 5% rates, companies do NOT have capital to throw at B2B solutions to "see if it works." CFOs won't allow it.”

This is where getting additional help from AI or automation can give you a competitive edge. According to James Connor McCann, Manager of Solutions Engineering at Workiva:

“AI won't replace presales, but it can support them. Discovery preparation and RFPs get an AI boost, while chatbots guide buyers. But, data quality is a challenge. The human touch and trust is still crucial in shaping a purchase decision. Demo automation plays a bigger role in 2024. Vendors in crowded markets without easily accessible interactive demos will risk losing buyers. Overstretched presales resources need time back to focus on high-impact areas. Expect increased adoption and more contenders in the demo automation market.”

2. Alignment and consolidation from presales to CS

If there’s one role that will be absolutely crucial for alignment in B2B selling in 2024, it’s pre-sales. Specifically, Sara Jones, GTM Partner at BoldCap, advocates for the evolution of “presales” into “solutions,” highlighting the increased focus on solving client’s needs rather than selling features. This might lead to the role being further merged with CS (or even replace it) rather than being a separate function.

"I predict that Presales will become even more relevant in 2024. I predict that smart organizations will be looking at their alignment to customer journeys and questioning a separate “customer success” team. (Presales have already won the trust and credibility and are too often pulled into CS conversations - why not expand the Presales team and service offerings and eliminate that function). I predict a shift in compensation for Presales to align with the customer journey - so instead of being comped on bookings, plans will now include a renewal/retention element. I think it should be 50/50."

As a result, we will see further consolidation of tools and roles, to create more alignment across the selling teams. Jeff Hoffman, a renowned educator and public speaker, notices that with the concept of allbound, the lines between the sales, marketing, and customer success are getting blurry: 

"1. Leading sales orgs will begin the larger trend of transitioning the xDR role into Marketing.

2. Leading sales orgs will begin the larger trend of transitioning the CSM role into Sales.

In B2B sales (particularly mid-market and higher), these two transitions would align mission, goals, and strategies far better than they do today."

This (and the growing struggles of lead generation) might lead to the rise of “commercial pods” — aligned, tight-knit GTM teams, according to Maude Simon, Senior Account Executive at Justworks:

“As new leads generation is becoming more complex, eventually sales team will shift to "commercial PODs" that include Customer Success, Product and Sales. Customer Success will help retain thanks to a focus on service & experience and allow sales team to upsell. Product will help with customer data to help sales team detect needs and cross-sell. The sellers will be more strategic to generate growth from existing customers and increase tickets, rather than only focus on new business.”

In 2024, businesses will need to consolidate GTM motions for effective growth. As Jacco van der Kooij, Founder at Winning by Design, put it:

"Over the past years, companies have spread their GTM resources across numerous, often unstructured, GTM motions in a scattergun approach. Key metrics such as a decline in growth rate coupled with an increased acquisition cost indicate that this approach has become highly ineffective, leading to a loss of GTM Fit. These metrics are expected to worsen in 2024, increasing the urgency for leadership to act decisively. The strategy for 2024 is simple: Take control of the controllable, consolidate GTM motions, structure them efficiently, and focus your resources on those motions that drive growth most effectively."

3. Data-driven enablement and deal management become top priorities

Another way to get ahead in the competitive B2B selling space is by outsmarting your competition. One way to do this is by using data-driven enablement, according to Steffaney Zohrabyan, Sales Enablement Insights & Innovation at Cisco:

“In 2024 Revenue enablement teams need to invest in tools that allow us start and lead with a baseline of Data. Data around current seller behavior and adoption across their tech stack, engagement with new processes and best practices, and how they are engaging the customer and their own account teams. Once we’ve baselined and defined our North Star and outcomes, the modalities and programs we create to enable sellers will more easier fall into place to close the gap between that baseline and the desired behavior!”

At the same time, as salespeople become more aware of what’s happening within their sales cycles, the deal management becomes a top priority. This is what David Weiss, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at The Sales Collective, believes to be the trend for 2024:

“I believe 2024 is when we will get serious about deal management. And managing deals will surpass generating pipeline as the top priority. Why? Because the funnel math of a 25% win rate doesn't hold up in a low pipeline environment. And almost all coverage models are based on 25% which is 4x coverage. I'm pretty sure there is near unanimous agreement in the sales community that building pipeline is harder than ever, and 2023 was the worst year yet. 2024 is not looking to be better.”

4. Customer success is the driving force of business

Building up on the smarter selling trend, organizations will invest more in customer success, eventually making it the driving force of a business. As Anita Toth, Chief Churn Crusher at ATI, mentioned:

“Customer Success teams need to get serious about business. This means understanding how businesses operate and tying Customer Success activities to key company KPIs like Customer Lifetime Value. Dig into your customer base. Find high-value retention opportunities. Act on them. Move the needle on your CLV. Prove to your executive team just how profitable Customer Success can be.”

This will lead to the emergence of more focused, sustainable CS models. Kristi Faltorusso, CCO at ClientSuccess, notices some businesses starting to introduce more specialized roles to provide more value to the customers:

“Customer Success is going to actively move away from full stack CSM and move to specialized roles in an effort to scale and provide more value to customers to build sustainable success models.”

5. Expertise & relationships drive sales in 2024

In an effort to break through the noise and build more efficient revenue engines, the buyer-centricity becomes businesses’ top priority these days. According to Rahul Wadhwa, Co-Founder at School of SDR, buyers long for more meaningful B2B relationships:

“B2B buying now favors personal ties over brand names. Buyers seek trusted advisors, not just vendors. Salespeople who craft engaging content will outperform their peers. This reflects a shift towards meaningful, individualized B2B relationships.”

Tito Bohrt, CEO at AltiSales, also highlights the need for salespeople to become experts, able to guide the buyers with credibility and thought leadership:

“Sales will keep getting harder, and sellers need to be problem experts, so they can recommend the right solution.”

Bsed on the prediction of Jerry Pharr, Owner of Sales Excellence Advisors, mediocrity will no longer be tolerated in 2024:

“Market forces will continue to pressure sales orgs to contract. Consequently, mediocrity will be less tolerated than ever before, and the sales best practices that people have been talking about for decades will finally start to take hold.”

In summary: Get ready to seize opportunities despite the headwinds

With all the challenges we saw in 2023, this year, isn’t going to be any easier for many of us. But being ready to adjust, adapt, and grasp the opportunities as they emerge, is the only way to survive and succeed in the current business climate.

As Doron Luder, Founder of Sales Hive, puts it:

“There might be a few more lagging headwinds in 2024, and the market will continue to reshape and consolidate.  But there will also be new opportunities on the horizon including AI, and there should be an economic bump as supply chains pick up, and interest rate reach a plateau.”

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If you’ve enjoyed this round-up check out the previous one, centered around how to make outbound work in 2024 here.

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