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78% of Sales Teams Are Closing Deals Faster
Amy Osmond Cook
April 21, 2026
78% of Sales Teams Are Closing Deals Faster
In Today’s Email
The 2026 Benchmarks Report is here!
The Top 6 Sales Stories of the Week
Tip of the week
And more!
The 2026 Benchmarks Report State of GTM is finally here!
This year’s benchmark is our most comprehensive yet. It’s built with data from $78 billion in pipeline value, 361,000 opportunities, and 2,500 revenue reps.
Inside the report, you’ll see:
ICP misalignment can reduce win rates by up to 75%
Balanced pipelines convert 57% higher than overloaded ones
Expertise-based routing can increase win rates from 5% to 40%
Click here to get the comprehensive report today!
P.S. we also included LinkedIn-optimized graphics in the same link above, so you can share key findings with your network.
The 2026 Benchmarks Webinar!
Want to see these insights in action? Join our lead researchers for a live breakdown of the 2026 data on our upcoming webinar. We’ll discuss how to apply these benchmarks to your own Q3 strategy.
The Top 6 Sales Stories
Everyone says they want an AI strategy. Few can explain what that actually means for their pipeline. Here is how the smartest revenue teams are turning hype into actual quota attainment this year.
AI tools do a lot more than write emails. They actively shrink the time it takes to close business. We are also seeing 70% of teams report an increase in average deal size thanks to better data visibility.
While 62% of organizations are experimenting with AI agents, many are automating peripheral tasks instead of core revenue workflows. Fixing territory design and lead routing with AI drives far more revenue than another meeting scheduler.
Spiffs deliver a concentrated version of that effect over a compressed timeline. But what is a Spiff? And how are GTM teams using them to complement their commission structures?
When alignment is strong, well-structured commission plans drive the behaviors that matter most. When it is weak, sellers optimize for the wrong outcomes, and the business pays for it. Read more:
Traditional spreadsheet planning is breaking down across the industry. Strategic and continuous AOP planning powered by real-time data is the only reliable way to set fair targets and get your win rates back on track.
On-Target Earnings (OTE) assume 100% quota attainment. But industry data reveals that quota attainment rates average just 42.7% for Account Executives. That means more than half of your sales team will never earn the number on their offer letter.
Sales Tip of the Week: Stop automating broken processes
Most GTM teams are excited about AI until they realize it just makes their bad processes run faster. If your territory rules are a mess, an AI routing tool will just send the wrong leads to the wrong reps at lightning speed.
Before buying another AI point solution, map out your core workflows across planning, execution, and compensation. Get the data clean. Set clear rules. Then apply AI to those load-bearing walls.
Why it matters: Data is the easy part. Turning it into a plan your team actually follows is the hard part. If your plan looks great but no one follows it, you just have a very expensive PowerPoint.
The April Sales Execution Playbook
The key summits for sharpening your pitch and building a high-performance pipeline.
2026 Convention Sales & Services Summit - This summit focuses on "Selling with Insight." It’s designed for senior sales executives who manage high-stakes destination and convention contracts, emphasizing how to use data to personalize the high-value B2B sales cycle.
Date: April 27–29, 2026
Location: Dallas, TX
Forrester B2B Summit North America - This is the heavyweight event for Sales and Sales Enablement leaders. It focuses on the strategic side of enablement: aligning sales with marketing and product, mastering the "B2B Revenue Waterfall," and using data to drive seller productivity. It’s less about "pitching" and more about the frameworks and research required to run a world-class sales organization.
Date: April 26–29, 2026
Location: Phoenix, AZ
AESC Global Summit on Leadership - While this event covers broad leadership, it is a massive hub for sales executives looking at the "CEO of 2030" and the shifting lifecycle of commercial leadership. It’s particularly valuable for VPs of Sales who are looking to move into C-suite roles or board seats, with specific tracks for navigating global market inflection points.
Date: April 27–28, 2026
Location: New York City, NY
David Carlebach: The Hidden Currency of Revenue: Credibility
In this episode of the Go-To-Market Podcast, host Amy Osmond Cook (CMO & Co-Founder of Fullcast) sits down with David Carlebach, COO & Head of Business Services at World Trade Center Utah, for a conversation that reframes how revenue leaders should think about growth beyond borders, beyond pipeline, and beyond traditional GTM strategy.
From launching his own ventures, advising global companies as a consultant in Germany, to bringing Goldman Sachs to Utah and later leading operations across Asia, each chapter built a different lens on growth.
Now, at World Trade Center Utah, David is doing something most GTM teams struggle to operationalize: Connecting the right companies, in the right markets, at exactly the right time.
Whether it’s helping Utah businesses expand internationally or pairing global companies with local innovation ecosystems, his work highlights a truth most revenue teams overlook: Growth is orchestrated. Here's what he means.
Did you hear? Fullcast published a book!
The RevOps Advantage reveals how the best revenue teams operate like world-class pit crews—driving alignment, executing seamless handoffs, and making every move data-driven.
Co-authors Ryan Westwood, Dr. Amy Osmond Cook, and Bala Balabaskaran break down why nearly half of RevOps leaders are investing in AI for sharper insights, and how you can use automation to deliver the accelerated growth your board needs.
 | Amy Osmond Cook, PhD Cofounder and CMO at Fullcast
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