Survey Finds More Than 50 Percent of Sales and Marketing Professionals Have Insufficient or No Online Sales Training

Corporate Visions Inc. this week announced the results of its survey on virtual customer conversations, as detailed in its Q1 2012 Sales and Marketing Messaging Report. The survey, which polled more than 600 business-to-business (B2B) sales and marketing professionals around the world, found that more than 50 percent of salespeople and marketers have insufficient, little or no training, and are not equipped with the messaging and tools necessary to deliver effective virtual conversations.

The survey focused on sales and marketing professionals who work in complex, B2B selling environments. The results highlight the challenges facing industry-leading companies across the globe that are working to align their marketing and sales efforts and differentiate their solution in a market overwhelmed with similar, competitive offerings.

Key findings of the Q1 survey include:

• Professionals lack training—When asked how well their organizations had prepared them with training specifically focused on delivering compelling customer conversations in a virtual environment, 58 percent of respondents indicated they receive insufficient, little or no training. In fact, the survey found that less than 10 percent of respondents actually feel they have extensive and relevant training for this type of communication.
• Tools are missing—When asked how well their organizations have armed them with tools to deliver effective messages in a virtual environment, only 13 percent of respondents felt they were adequately equipped. More than 50 percent of respondents, however, said they have insufficient or no tools made available to them.
• High prevalence of group audiences—Respondents noted that more than 64 percent of the time their virtual sales calls involve more than one person, underscoring the need for effective, differentiated messaging and a greater focus on speaking tools for group audiences.

"The results of this quarter's survey reveal the critical need to provide better content and capabilities for communicating in virtual environments, especially over the web," said Tim Riesterer, chief strategy and marketing officer of Corporate Visions. "By arming these teams with the right combination of messages, tools and skills, marketers and salespeople will be able to effectively deliver relevant and differentiated conversations that overcome the challenges of virtual meetings and meet the aggressive growth objectives set by most companies."

For more information and to download a detailed explanation of the results, please visit the Corporate Visions resources page.