Research by Gartner Inc. found that only 23% of B2B sales reps believe they are equally effective selling virtually as they are in a live, onsite setting. Gartner’s survey includes 1,122 sales reps.

“An overwhelming 93% of sales reps are experiencing significant challenges with virtual selling, but in spite of coaching, most of those sales reps are unsure what they should be doing differently to execute their jobs effectively in this environment,” said Danielle McKinley, director of research and advisory in the Gartner Sales practice. “Sales managers are the lynch pin to this challenge. The success of a virtual selling engine depends on the manager’s ability to coach to the right skills and in the right way.”

Sales reps need to be proficient in virtual customer engagement, digital dexterity and data literacy to succeed today. The key for sales leaders is to prioritize training and coaching sales reps on virtual selling competencies while not losing focus on core selling competencies.

“The three root causes for sales managers’ struggles coaching on virtual selling include an inconsistent coaching culture, inexperience with virtual selling and coaching skills and a lack of investment in coaching technology,” said Doug Bushée, senior director analyst in the Gartner Sales practice. “Sales leaders must create a clear organizational vision for great sales coaching, while also putting in place the right infrastructure to support effective virtual selling.”