CaptivateIQ report outlines challenges sellers are facing

The death of the sales industry has been greatly exaggerated. From where we sit at Revenue Brew, the discipline is alive and well—it’s just changing at light speed. If you haven’t done so in a while, it might be a good idea to check in with your sales friends. They’re likely battling an AI-powered SDR that’s hammering them on top-of-funnel outreach and probably has a name like Huxley and a sleeker résumé than you.

A recent report from sales commission software firm CaptivateIQ paints an increasingly uncertain picture on the direction of travel. Tariffs, macroeconomic uncertainty, and worries about ROI on tech investments have paved a treacherous road for sellers. On top of that, sales cycles and quotas are becoming harder to predict.

Sellers are facing headwinds: Perhaps the most striking stat in CaptivateIQ’s report is that the vast majority of sellers expressed they faced at least one major obstacle when trying to hit targets (90%). Respondents pointed to economic shifts (52%), customer-side changes (39%), and market or competitor moves (38%).

Clarity is essential: Fluidity in the market means expectations are rapidly changing for sales teams: Almost half of those surveyed said their organization’s frequency of setting or updating individual sales targets and quotas had increased in the past three years (49%). The same amount said sales cycles had also lengthened over the past year (49%); this has caused confusion around expectations, as many sellers said they started the fiscal year without a quota (71%). Others said they lack specific and measurable goals (23%).

“When sales cycles lengthen but quotas stay static, then you start to see a lot more friction compound, which I think is when comp plans and everything else starts to break,” said CaptivateIQ co-founder and co-CEO Mark Schopmeyer.

The fluidity around cycles can have an effect on sellers. However, planning can largely minimize this: 67% of sellers say motivation stays high regardless of how often goals change—as long as expectations are clear.

AI is now an expectation: CaptivateIQ’s report found that 81% of sales professionals are using AI for “some sales activities,” the most popular being research (43%), email drafting (39%), and summarizing calls (35%). The top complaint about AI tools was that they are too basic to deliver real value (26%).

“When you take the backdrop of what AI has done, it’s added so many wrenches into the system, and people are grasping onto these different concepts,” Schopmeyer said. “They’re trying out all myriad of ideas, which adds to a lot of the confusion. You might see people say, ‘Hey, you know what, we’re going to automate the whole BDR process.’ Does that even make sense?”

Enjoying the uncertainty: A recent sales compensation report from revenue intelligence platform Xactly suggests a growing gap between new and experienced sellers (the latter being the current beneficiary). It’s another trend in a space changing so rapidly it’s almost impossible to keep up. We’ll help you do exactly that at our next event, Building Growth through Resilience, on March 18. Don’t miss it!