Sales underperformance not exclusive to insurers

Top managers and executives at life insurers who voice concern that not enough of their field agents are meeting sales quotas might take consolation in the fact that counterparts in the high-tech sector are facing a similar challenge.

Companies polled in a new survey reveal that, on average, only 60 percent of their salespeople achieved 100 percent of quota last year. The research, published by customer relationship management solutions provider Velocify, polled and interviewed senior-level sales leaders from more than 100 leading high technology and business services companies, including providers of computer software, cloud-based solutions and software-as-a service (SaaS), computer hardware, and telecommunications.

The report reveals that the number of salespeople who achieved 100 percent of quota varies greatly by sales organization:

• 26 percent of sales leaders who participated in the survey report that 70 percent of their salespeople met sales quotas;
• 54 percent report that between 50 and 69 percent of their salespeople made quota; and
• 20 percent report that less than half of their salespeople made quota.

The paper adds that annual quota for an outside field salesperson averages $2.7 million and $985,000 for an inside salesperson. The average new deal size reported for field sales professionals was $166,000; the new deal size for inside sales professionals was $19,000.