Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference: Day 2 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from Day 2 of the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference, taking place this week in Las Vegas. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference. 

On Day 2, we are highlighting mid-year strategy shifts for sales leaders, sales culture changes for long-term transformation, and how advanced buyer intelligence can unlock seller effectiveness.  

• Harnessing AI Agents in Sales: Building an AI-Ready Team
• Gartner Survey Finds 73% of CSOs Are Prioritizing Growth from Existing Customers for 2025
• Gartner Survey Reveals Less Than Half of CSOs Report Their Organization Met Several 2024 Strategic Goals

Presented by Shayne Jackson, VP Analyst, Gartner

Sales transformation, often seen as a substantial undertaking, requires both large-scale efforts and smaller, meaningful adjustments. In his session, Shayne Jackson, VP at Gartner, explored how sales organizations continue to evolve to keep pace with market demands, while culture remains a pivotal element in sustaining growth and adapting to change. 

• “While sales culture is often viewed as semi-permanent and hard to change, it’s also a source of strength because it helps sellers know what is accepted, expected and respected.” 

• “Today’s sellers are not connected to culture with: 

  • Only 26% of sellers believe their culture helps them succeed and/or gives them a competitive advantage;

  • Only 24% of sellers believe their culture directly affects the way people do
    their work;

  • Only 19% of sellers feel their organization has successfully tied culture to being critical to their success.”

• “When sellers hear about org changes or transformations,  they almost automatically tune out.”

• “Culture hacking takes change off the horizon and inserts it into people’s day-to-day activities, in a visceral, memorable way, so it doesn’t just stay out there as something desirable but far off.”

• “A great culture hack incites an immediate visceral and emotional response – shock, love, shame, pride - and it signals to the organization that the change is not just  in theory? It’s happening, it’s real, and it’s now.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Juliette Dixon at juliette.dixon@gartner.com.

Presented by Brendan Condon, Sr Director Analyst, Gartner

New chief sales officers (CSOs) are tasked with a unique balancing act of delivering near-term results while executing a strategy for long-term success. Brendan Condon, Sr Director Analyst at Gartner, outlined the toolkit called “The Executive FastStart” which is designed to help a CSO navigate their first year with confidence and effectiveness. 

• “Based on thousands of CSO transitions occurring across all industries, we've built out four areas of focus in the Executive FastStart framework:
  • Establish priorities quickly – why have you been hired? What is the current state of sales?
  • Understand Your Environment and Role - what’s the reality of this role you now find yourself in?
  • Build Relationships and Personal Brand – you’re in an ecosystem of stakeholders and must evaluate how others perceive you in this new environment, and how you influence those around you
  • Deliver on First Year Priorities and Beyond – how do you really deliver and stay focused on the job you’ve been hired to do and successfully make an impact?” 

• “According to our CSO Priorities survey, new customer acquisition, account management and growth, and optimization of the go-to-market strategy are top priorities for CSOs."

• “Your brand as a leader will be defined, with or without you. Own your brand by being intentional about your leadership narrative in your new role.”

• “The average time for a transitioning leader to achieve success is more than seven months which is why this framework focuses on the whole year, not just 90 or 100 days.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Juliette Dixon at juliette.dixon@gartner.com.

Presented by Greg Hessong, Sr Director Analyst, Gartner

AI-driven tech advancements continue to transform buyer research for sellers, saving time, boosting productivity, and helping sellers to better align their solution offerings to the specific needs of each buyer. Greg Hessong, Sr Director Analyst at Gartner uncovered insights sellers can use to deliver value and boost buyer engagement.

• “It’s a noisy world. Help unlock your sellers effectiveness by making it easier for them to:

  • Know where to focus and when

  • Get to insights faster

  • Contextualize insights  so they can take action.”

• “The biggest opportunities for buyer intelligence to unlock seller effectiveness right now include: 

  • Identify priority accounts for sellers to focus on

  • Use AI to turn data noise into more relevant, specific insights

  • Turn insights into high value messages and engagement”

• “Personality profiles give sellers contact-specific insights they can use to increase engagement,especially in new accounts where they’re struggling to build new relationships.”

• “AI tools have changed the game for how sellers research buyers and gather insights.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Juliette Dixon at juliette.dixon@gartner.com.