Although companies know they need a marketing message that stands out in the marketplace, 62% of executives rate their company's message as average to poor and only 38% say their company has a differentiated story, according to a survey from Corporate Visions.

Dissatisfaction with sales messaging is so high that many sales teams have taken matters into their own hands: Nearly three-quarters of salespeople (74%) say they rewrite messages and tools created by marketing departments at least sometimes, including 41% who rewrite collateral frequently and 10% who always do it, according to a separate survey from Corporate Visions.

Below, additional findings from Corporate Visions Sales Messaging reports.

Messaging deficiencies are exacerbated by the variety—and increasing importance—of customer touch points. Two-thirds of customer interactions take place in virtual environments, not face-to-face, presenting a challenge around creating messages and tools that consistently support virtual communications.