Redefining Success: Insights for Sales Leaders, CEOs, and Investors in 2024

As we rapidly approach the second half of 2024, the landscape for CEOs, CROs, and Investors feels uncharted. As one CRO recently said to me, “Sales is hard again.” Every strategy is scrutinized, every choice shapes the future, and every decision carries weight. If you are feeling that weight you are not alone. Less than 18% of the leaders we spoke with for our annual survey of CEOs, CROs, and Investors exceeded their annual target in 2023. It is no surprise that we are facing a rapidly shifting landscape. It was with this context that we approached our research. We wanted to understand what successful leaders are doing differently, where talent investments are being made, identify blind spots, and, ultimately, provide advice and context to move forward. It is reasonable to be pessimistic. How do you rapidly recover from 2023, a year that gave us the lowest level of M&A in a decade, four interest rate increases, multiple global crises, an actual bank failure (doesn’t that seem like it was more than a year ago?) and the most challenging venture capital landscape in recent memory? All of us; founders, investors, and sales leaders, are entrepreneurs to some degree. Entrepreneurs are an optimistic group. If you are reading this, I expect that you are looking for a path forward – a reason to be optimistic again. We hope this research sparks conversations. Most importantly, we hope it helps all readers better face the challenges and seize the opportunities presented by the year ahead.