Sales Development Statistics for 2017 – Infographic

The Sales development role is one of the more misunderstood sales roles. Many people debate the definition of sales development while others argue which department sales development should report into. Latest XANT research clears up some of the controversy around this all-important role in the enterprise sales world, by offering a benchmark with sales development statistics for 2017.

Sales teams specialization by role has long been a standard in the industry, as it leads to increased productivity.

Sales activities are no longer jumbled and there is increased collaboration (and less competition between individuals). The model also has the potential to develop true experts in their trade, by allowing them to focus on one process.

The structure leads to creating predictable revenue, and Aaron Ross details the model here.

Sales development reps, more commonly known as business development reps, are tasked with qualifying leads (inbound or outbound), identifying opportunities and setting appointments for account executives once an opportunity presents itself.

It’s an essential role for expanding businesses.

The State of Sales Development 2017

In an effort to understand the sales development function, XANT Labs commissioned a study to show the structure of sales development organizations in 2017.

XANT created this research in partnership with SalesForLife, BridgeGroup, Drift, Datanyze, OneMob, and Tenbound.

“The State of Sales Development” included over 900 respondents, and looks at four major components of an optimized sales development organization:

• Structure – How are sales development teams structured today
• Systems – What technology systems are they using to help them sell more
• People – How are they compensated and what are their targets
• Pipeline – What kind of results do we see with sales development reps today.

Sales Development 2017 Infographic

The trend for inside sales – sales activities aimed at clients which are already aware of the company’s brand and services – has been on the rise for years. And sales development is no exception.

Of all SDRs, inbound sales development made up 17.1%, outbound made up 28.8% and 54.1% were a blend of both.

This happens as the buyer’s journey takes place online, and the client has the opportunity to do his own research, well removed from any contact with sales representatives.

However, a sales rep’s work is never done, and the stats prove it.

With ever more clients taking this online journey, professional sales development teams ready to help them find the right service can make a difference towards your bottom line.

Download the State of Sales Development research, to get an idea of:

• How are sales development organizations structured in over 900 companies
• What’s the average spend for technology systems, in sales development teams – and what are the most popular systems
• What are the sales activities a business development rep performs daily
• How much are business development reps paid on average and what are their revenue targets

If you don’t have time to download the executive summary, we’ve summed it up for you in the infographic below.

Looking for more info about sales development and how to win at lead prospecting?

Join our FREE virtual event, the Sales Development Summit, December 13-14, with over 30 expert speakers.