Hitting quota got harder in 2023. Here's what changed and how top-performing reps are adapting.
Revenue teams that focus on signal-based prospecting and coordinated plays consistently hit quota. We've identified three fundamental shifts that help reps convert more pipeline with less wasted effort.
Here are three shifts that will help you build more pipeline this year.
Outbound is changing – are you ready?
2023 was a challenging year for sales (but you already know that).
40% of reps expected to hit quota
60% of companies say it’s harder to get buyers’ attention
Average sales cycles increased by 27 days
In Q4, Google and Yahoo announced plans to crack down on mass cold outreach, creating uncertainty across sales teams.
The uptick in AI-generated and spam emails hitting inboxes instigated the announcement. Google and Yahoo have since retracted their plans, but the announcement got teams thinking about what would happen if one of their outreach levers disappeared.
Three foundations you need to master right now to hit quota
#1 Quality over quantity
In the past, outbound prospecting was a numbers game. If you hit up 1,000 people, you could expect to book ten meetings.
That approach no longer works.
Now reps compete with a lot of noise when they’re prospecting. It’s getting harder and harder to stand out.
The numbers game doesn’t work like it used to! There are new rules to getting a positive response:
❌ Don’t spam contacts at accounts with endless messages.
✔️ Do focus on creating high-quality outreach and more creative prospecting tactics.
❌ Don’t rely on ‘spray and pray’ sequences without a trigger.
✔️ Do get more targeted by focusing on the account and prospects that will get you more bites.
#2 Leverage AI strategically
AI has real value when used strategically.
We even use it in our own product (more on that in a bit).
Many teams now use AI to write all their outreach. The result: generic messages that prospects ignore.
Tools like ChatGPT help reps shave time off of everyday tasks. But keep AI away from your messaging to maintain personalization and effectiveness.
So, how can you leverage AI strategically without being spammy?
Simple: let AI pinpoint accounts and buyers that will actually convert. We do this at UserGems to focus effort across sales and marketing. Our product identifies key buying signals that show it’s a good time to reach out.
📶Signal: New hires or promotions
Why it works: New executives spend 70% of their budget in the first 100 days on the job.
📶 Signal: Status as a past buyer
Why it works: Past buyers are 3x more likely to buy from you again.
📶 Signal: Status as a past user
Why it works: Past users understand the value of your product and can open new doors to an account.
UserGems combines these signals with your CRM data and uses transparent AI scoring to rank prospects and accounts by conversion likelihood. You can see exactly why each prospect or account scored high—no black box.
Ranks prospects in order of most likely to buy
Ranks accounts in order of most likely to convert into an opportunity
When you use AI strategically, you can target the best opportunities first and stop wasting your time on cold leads.
#3 Use signals + defined plays
Most sales teams track dozens of signals but struggle to prioritize which ones actually drive conversions.
Some reps ignore their backlog of signals. Others track too many and overcrowd outbound sequences, making them less targeted. Winning strategies require balance and focus.
Here’s what we do at UserGems 👇
Using our product, we put the signal + play strategy into action with our outbound team.
UserGems surfaces who reps should add to B2B prospecting sequences based on clear parameters.
Reps can then manually add them or automate the entire process in UserGems.
When UserGems sees that someone has changed jobs, reps can sequence them based on:
The past relationship
The new account type
Their new persona
This approach helps our reps focus on reaching warmer prospects when they are more likely to make a purchase. It works because every buying signal our reps get has an action attached – they know exactly what the next steps are and why they're reaching out.
These types of plays are scalable and drive the best results (and your team will convert more opportunities by focusing on warm leads with clear buying signals.).
Impress your boss with these tips for success from sales leaders
Here's what our sales leaders recommend for building more consistent pipeline.
According to Sara Angell, Director of Account Development:
Work with RevOps to pull data on where you’ve seen the most success. Dig into your underperforming areas and make improvements in those gaps.
And here's what Derek Wang, Director of Sales, had to say:
Dedicate a day to cleaning up opportunities and leads. Are they all worth your time? Are you actively approaching the good ones?
Pick 20-50 accounts you’d love to bring in and collaborate between sales and marketing. SDRs should research accounts thoroughly to understand their businesses and start connecting with key contacts on LinkedIn. Marketing can set up hyper-targeted ads for these critical accounts.
{{dig-deeper-cta-1}}
Generate pipeline and hit quota faster
The B2B sales landscape is more competitive. The teams that adapt their prospecting strategy now will build more pipeline in the months ahead.
Our advice? Build your pipeline generation strategy on the three principles we outlined.
Focus on quality over quantity – in choosing prospects and doing outreach.
Use AI strategically to focus effort where it has maximum impact,
Establish well-defined signals and plays for your best bets (this is even more effective at the team level),
Implementing these three principles now will reduce wasted outreach and increase your conversion rates throughout the year.
By the way, UserGems helps revenue teams find their ideal customer accounts and buyers so they can get more bites and win more deals - without all the effort doing it manually would require. Book a demo to learn more.
Join our monthly Dig Deeper session ⛏️
%20(1).jpg)
