02A New Blueprint State of Sales 14 Sales Becomes More Connected and Proactive Collaborative selling isn’t just about Successful Connected Selling Extends to the Partner Ecosystem working together internally, it’s now also Creating a connected sales experience for the customer extends beyond internal collaboration. about building and bolstering a supportive Top teams also prioritize partner relationships — 76% of high-performing sales teams rate their partner ecosystem. A truly connected sales partner and customer/prospect collaboration capabilities as outstanding or very good. process includes many different facets — 75% of sale professionals agree Percentage of Sales Teams Who Are Outstanding or Very Good at Partner and their company connects customers, Customer/Prospect Collaboration employees, partners, and products. High performers The right partners can help companies discover hidden opportunities they Moderate performers wouldn’t be able to access on their own, while still delivering a seamless, branded experience. For example, if a hotel chain Underperformers partners with an airline and rental car agency, they can ensure that customers are recognized across their journey and High Performers vs. that their trip is smooth from the time 76% Underperformers they depart to the time they return. Similarly, unique preferences learned 2.1x by these partners can be leveraged by more likely to be outstanding sales reps to tailor their pitches with or very good at partner and personalized recommendations. customer/prospect collaboration 35% 55% Salesforce Research