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Topics
Salespeople are hitting their quotas
How technology is affecting sales and marketing
AI is already having a big impact
Employees benefit from support and a work-life balance
Final thoughts

The biggest stories from 2024’s edition of The state of sales and marketing

State of Sales and Marketing

Each year, we survey salespeople, marketers, business owners and their colleagues to understand what matters to them.

In the fifth edition of Pipedrive’s The state of sales and marketing report, we discovered what sales professionals really think about AI, how vital maintaining a work-life balance is and what benefits people are getting from remote working.

The state of sales and marketing 2024

Discover key statistics about sales and marketing

Salespeople are hitting their quotas

The headline statistic from this year’s report is that 71% of respondents said that they hit their sales quota either usually or always, up from 52% last year.

In fact, only 3% said that they rarely or never hit their sales quota, compared to 14% last year.

There was also a slight uplift in the number of people hitting their annual personal sales targets, up from 60% in 2022 to 61%. Sales professionals at larger companies are hitting these targets more regularly than those at smaller businesses: 67% of individuals from companies with more than 100 employees reached their goals.

In today’s business world, sales success is directly tied to the implementation of digital tools. Staying on top of everything, especially productivity and follow-ups, is crucial.

Sean EversVP Sales, Pipedrive


How technology is affecting sales and marketing

There is a clear association between companies effectively using technology and achieving success.

82% of respondents who are “very satisfied” with the tools available to them are likely to hit their sales quotas. By comparison, 62% of unsatisfied respondents are hitting quotas.

State of Sales and Marketing 2024 happier salespeople and marketers


Sales and marketing professionals are using automation tools to be more productive and efficient, with 81% already using customer relationship management (CRM) software with automation.

In total, 87% of respondents use a CRM tool, meaning that only around 7% of them aren’t taking advantage of the CRM automation features available.


AI is already having a big impact

A third of sales and marketing professionals are already using AI in their work days.

State of Sales and Marketing 2024 AI tool use


AI isn’t the only new trend professionals are using to succeed: 83% of respondents have implemented at least one new approach or technology in their sales process in the last couple of years.

These approaches and technology include:

  • Hybrid sales (remote and in-person selling): 41% of respondents

  • Value-based selling: 41% of respondents

  • Social selling: 36% of respondents

  • Remote selling: 35% of respondents

  • Smarketing: 29% of respondents

  • Influencer and affiliate relationships: 20% of respondents

  • Multi- and omnichannel: 14% of respondents

  • IoT (Internet of Things): 5% of respondents

  • AR/VR (Augmented reality/Virtual reality): 2% of respondents

  • Blockchain: 1% of respondents

Overall, respondents are very positive about the impact AI is likely to have on their work.

State of Sales and Marketing 2024 AI tool positivity
Using digital tools not only helps to automate repetitive tasks but also allows for increasingly smart sales processes.

Sean EversVP of Sales & Partner at Pipedrive


Employees benefit from support and a work-life balance

Technology isn’t the only factor in employee work satisfaction and success. For example, respondents who are able to maintain a good work-life balance are more likely to hit their sales target.

State of Sales and Marketing 2024 work hours


Thankfully, almost two-thirds of respondents (64%), rate their work-life balance good or even very good.

However, only 31% of respondents said that they don’t work additional hours, while 16% work over 10 additional hours a week.

The amount of support you receive from your colleagues and managers can also have an impact on your success. However, less than half (45%) said that their colleagues and only a third (33%) said that their managers were among those who supported them the most in their professional lives in 2023.

State of Sales and Marketing 2024 manager support


The results of our survey show that providing this support has a direct impact on success.

Those who feel supported by managers and colleagues find it easier to meet their annual goals and sales quotas, while their overall satisfaction with their employer is higher.

State of Sales and Marketing 2024 company support


Final thoughts

Thanks to the extra time and data provided by the right tools, sales and marketing professionals are able to make the right decisions to move deals forward.

Being well-informed about the things that matter and making decisions in the right order enables prioritization of leads, identification of the best times and formats for follow-ups and management of every deal in your pipeline. As a result, sales professionals have more capacity for building invaluable personal relationships and effectively closing deals. This is an essential facet of a great CRM, and Pipedrive excels at this.

Sean EversSean Evers, VP of Sales & Partner at Pipedrive


For more key statistics and analysis of the last year for sales and marketing professionals, and the businesses they work for, download The state of sales and marketing 2023/24 report now.

The state of sales and marketing 2024

Discover key statistics about sales and marketing
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