What does a Salesman do ?

84% of buyers now kick off their buying process with a referral.

Sales representatives will work to find new sales leads, through business directories, client referrals, etc. Sometimes, sales representatives will focus on inside sales, which typically involves "cold calling" for new clients while in an office setting, or outside sales, which involves visiting clients in the field with new or existing clients. Often, there sales representatives will have a combination inside/outside sales job.

Nine in 10 buying decisions are made with peer recommendations.

92% of buyers trust referrals from people they know.

After a positive experience, 83% of customers would be happy to provide a referral. But salespeople aren't asking -- just 29% of customers end up giving a referral.

About 47% of top performers ask for referrals consistently, versus only 26% of non-top performers.

Forrester predicts one million sales reps will be out of a job by 2020.

Total compensation for SDRs is on average $72,000.

Most SDRs spend around 2.8 years in the role and require 4.1 months to ramp.

OTE for an AE is $115,000.

The typical AE spends 2.7 years on the job and takes 4.7 months to ramp.

One in four salespeople majored in business. The second most popular major? The degree of life. 17% never attended college.

Are you surprised at what you've learned, too? Numbers might not tell the whole story, but they certainly illuminate many aspects of it. Keep checking this page for updates. As new data comes out, I'll add it to the list.

1. There are 68 % more sales people per manager

Are you stressed as a manager? No surprise. In 2010 there was one manager per 1.7 people employed in services & sales (EU28). In 2015, this proportion grew to 2.9, a surprising 68 % increase (45 % in Germany).

2. 89 % of B2B buyers use the internet for their purchase

By now, this should be common knowledge. 89 % of the B2B buyers use internet for vendor selection. Same as anyone would do in a private sphere, purchasers research online before contacting sales. This per the 2014 B2B Path to Purchase Study conducted by Google/Millward Brown Digital.

3. Three in four enterprises in Germany uses social media for B2B sales

We tend to believe Germany lags in modern trends. However, already three in four companies use social media for B2B sales.

A 2016 Survey of sales and marketing managers in B2B in Germany found that 75 % of them supports their sales activities with social media.

4. 78 % of SMEs are already investing in data analysis

No organisation will survive the next decade, without using the power of Big Data & Analytics. Fortunately, a study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Accenture and SAP in August 2014 found that from 526 B2B companies in Canada, US, UK, France, and Germany, 78 % of them are already investing in analytics.

5. Today’s sales process takes 22 % longer than five years ago

Are you a sales manager under pressure? Do you believe that your customers are taking longer and longer to make up their minds? Well, you are not alone.

Accounting to the American statistics website Biznology, a sales decision today takes on average 22 % longer than they did five years ago.