savo sales adoption process
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There is a great deal at stake when a company
introduces a new sales methodology: Everyone has
to be on board and become familiar with a new
way of selling.
Oftentimes, initiating a new sales approach
involves classroom-style training events with
lectures and role-playing, along with thick binders
of information on how to implement the new sales
strategy. This method is also commonly used when
onboarding new sales reps. Although companies
typically spend $3,400 a year per sales rep on
training, according to Corporate Executive Board,
the classroom sessions don’t always have a long-
term impact. Much of that learning is lost just
three months later, according to Neil Rackham
of Huthwaite.
For the sales team, technology-driven
reinforcements are the key to embedding new
skills and behavior, and making the classroom
lessons easily actionable in the daily life of a seller.
When the learning is continuously supported
with coaching and insights on what drives
successful outcomes, along with recommendations
on relevant people, assets and messaging to help
them reach their goals, there is a greater chance
of long-term success.
Here are 10 tips to help the sales team consistently
apply the new sales methodology and optimize
both deal quality and outcomes:
1. Deploy a selling system with technology- driven reinforcement.
Even the most diligent sales reps won’t retain all
that they learned during the initial training period.
According to IDC, companies that train reps on new
sales processes without technology reinforcement
find that only 50% are making quota. With
technology-based reinforcement and coaching,
training gets truly embedded into daily workflow
and the number of reps making their quota rises
to 90%.
2. Provide situational coaching by deal stage to reinforce best practices and accommodate changing buyer dynamics.
Insight into seller behavior by opportunity and deal
stage helps managers understand adherence to
best practices, and gives them the opportunity to
coach a rep through unexpected changes in buyer
preferences or requirements.
3. Deliver intelligent and relevant recommendations on content, messaging and experts to the seller.
Salespeople are much more likely to use
information when it is presented to them in real
time and context than if they have to flip through
playbooks and binders to refresh their memory or
find the best materials for their situation.
4. Leverage CRM data to drive sales execution.
When the CRM system is up to date, it provides
an accurate snapshot of how an opportunity is
progressing and what is known about the prospect.
This data can be leveraged to recommend high-
impact content, experts and coaching to help reps
continue to advance and even accelerate their
path to close in the context of the individual
buyer’s journey.
10 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL ADOPTION OF NEW SALES PROCESS AND METHODOLOGY
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5. Deliver information on the device of choice.
The sales team may be accessing information
from a hotel room on the road, from a tablet in
the car in the prospect’s parking lot or during
a meeting. Ready access from any location and
any device ensures reps are fully prepared and
equipped with what they need, when they need it.
6. Automate key tasks, such as opportunity planning, account mapping, social intelligence and collaboration.
A best practice methodology or process prescribes
key tasks known to increase the likelihood of
success. Automating those tasks increases the
likelihood that a rep will complete them efficiently
and to their fullest potential, helping to maximize
overall deal quality.
7. Establish a framework for automating the creation and customization of key sales content, such as presentations, RFP responses and proposals.
Streamlining the repetitive process of creating
customized, customer-facing content frees up
more time for selling, and enables the sales team
to focus on the high-impact activities that drive
opportunities and close deals.
8. Provide activity benchmarking for individual sellers that compare them with top performers and successful outcomes.
This can help sellers self-identify areas for
individual improvement and emphasize the
strategies and best practices that turn leads into
prospects and prospects into customers.
9. Track progress toward satisfying verifiable outcomes at each deal stage.
Monitoring and understanding key buying
signals — such as participation, sponsorship
and commitment — ensures that the prospect is
engaged and progressing at the same pace as the
seller through each sales stage. These verifiable
outcomes can be used as key indicators of the
overall health of the opportunity.
10. Build on success by using analytics to examine seller behavior and to identify, refine and scale successful selling patterns.
Progressive companies are continually evaluating
what works in terms of sales process, methodology,
content and tools and applying that insight to
refine and scale enablement efforts.
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