the partnership between sales operations and the sales executive · 2019-07-10 · b2b marketing...

The Partnership Between Sales Operations and the Sales Executive

Todd Abbott

Agenda1 The Changing Sales Process

2 Requirement for a Robust Sales Management System

3 Sales Management System Best Practices

4 The Role of Sales Operations

5 Q&A - Advice from a Sales Executive

B2B Marketing and Selling Facts

84% of CEOs and VPs use social media to make purchasing decisions.

67% of the buyer’s journey is now done digitally.

9 out of 10 B2B buyers say online content has a moderate to major effect on purchasing decisions.

55% of B2B buyers search for information on social media.

B2B buyers are typically 57% of the way to a buying decision before actively engaging with sales.

80% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information from a series

of articles versus an advertisement.

Nearly 73% of online consumers get frustrated with websites when content (e.g. offers, ads, promotions) appears that has nothing to do with their interests.

B2B Marketing and Selling Facts

In a typical firm with 100-500 employees, an average of 7 peopleare involved in most buying decisions.

The average salesperson only makes 2 attempts to reach a prospect.

Only 2% of cold calls result in an appointment.

In 2007, it took an average of 3.68 cold call attempts to reach a prospect. Today, it takes 8 attempts.

82% of B2B decision-makers think sales reps are unprepared.

63% of consumers need to hear company claims 3-5x before they

actually believe it.

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

The Sales FunctionSales Process Has Fundamentally Changed for Most Companies

Sales Reps Are the Most Expensive Resources in the Company

Average Number of Sales Reps Making Plan is < 60%

Average Tenure of the Global Sales Executive is < 3 Years• CSF: Set and Meet Expectations … Meet the Forecast• Sales Typically Gets More of the Credit When Things are Going Well …

and Definitely more of the Blame When Things Don't Go Well

Sales Process – Relentless Focus on Improvement

Qualify Demo Quote NegotiationLead Gen Order Entry & Installation Service Service

Renewal

Marketing or Partner

Generated

Who qualifies … Marketing, Inside Sales, Field Sales,

VAR

Definition of Qualified

Process and Tools

Ease of Use to Configure and

Quote

Capability of Partners

Special Bid Process

Cost of Digital vs Partner Developed

Measurement Critical to Close

Loop Accountability

Partners Not Self-Sufficient

Is PLM Focused on

Making it Easy?

Partners Skilled and Tools Simplicity?

Speed vs Controls

Sets the Tone of the

Relationship

Critical for any SaaS Business!

Quote to Order Entry Efficiency

Direct Services or Partner Led

Effective Handoff from

Sales ProcessPost Install

Support Process

Direct Service vs Partner Led

Renewal Processes

Customer Success and Maintenance

Renewal Teams

Churn in SaaS and

Maintenance in OnSite CAPEX

Business Critical

Direct Sales or Partner Led

Delegation of Authority

SLA of Finance and Legal

Identify the Highest Points of Friction

Measure the Behaviors Required to Deliver the Results• Operational Performance Elements Critical to Delivering the Results• Develop Fact Based and Transparent Measurement Process • Transformation Requires Alignment on the What, Why and How

Measure and Report with a Consistent Cadence• Drives Continual Focus within Organization• Inspect what you Expect

Broad Reporting on Regional Results• Transparency of Results Drives Execution Results• Stank Ranking Drives Behavior as much as Sales Compensation

The Sales Management System Translate Strategy into Results

Sales Management System Inspect What you Expect

Implementation of Weekly / Monthly / Quarterly Sales

Commit Process

Cultural Shift From Forecasting

to Commit Process

Accountability Down to the Sales Territory

Level – SFDC

Early Alert System to Align Cross Functional

Executional Focus

Sales Management SystemACTIVITY FOCUS

• Improves selling ability• Clean, accurate pipeline• Team synergy, alignment, commit

• Learning Huddles• Funnel Update• Sales Commit

TEAM

• Build existing and new customers• Accurate, predictable forecast• Planning to succeed

• Pipeline 1:1• Forecast 1:1• Master Sales 1:1

INDIVIDUAL

EXECUTIVE • Accountability, insight, and strategic alignment• Executive Roll-Up

Sales Management System Cadence Week 3 421 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Pipeline 1:1Pipeline 1:1

Learning Huddle

Weekly Commit Call

Forecast 1:1

Executive Roll-Up

QBR

Sales, Mktg & BU Alignment

Sales Management System - Metrics

• Enterprise Premise YTY Growth: Commit / Upside / Uncommitted

• Enterprise Cloud TCV Bookings YTY Growth

• CC YTY Revenue Growth• Distribution Sales Out QTQ

Growth

Growth• Funnel Growth and Mix• Lead Generation Funnel• Funnel Conversion Rates:

Commit, Upside, Uncommitted

• Sales Stage/Cycle Length• On-Site / Cloud Win Rate• On-Site Install Base to

Cloud: Hybrid or Rip and Replace

• Competitive Attack Funnel and Conversion

Funnel• Bookings Linearity• Sales Rep Productivity• Expense / Revenue and

Expense / Bookings

• Sales Profitability

Operational

Develop Dashboards to Enable Focus

The Role of Sales OperationsSales Reps are the

Most Expensive Resources in the

Company!

• #1 Priority must Always

be on Productivity of

the Sales Team

• HQ Data Reporting

Requirements are

Priority #2!

Run the SalesManagement System

• Measure and

Report Out on Key

Operating Metrics

• Engagement with the

Field on Sales Process

'Friction Points'

• Stank Rank Regional

Execution –

Identify Regions

Requiring

Improvements

Develop Strategies to Improve the Sales Process

• Process, Tools, and

Training … Focus on

the Middle of the Bell

Curve

• Within the Sales

Function and Driving

Alignment on Cross

Functionally

Requirements

Be the ‘Eyes and Ears’ of the Sales Function to Sales

Leadership

• It is a People Business

… Receptivity and

Effectiveness of Sale

Process Improvements

• Assessment of the

Pace and Amount of

Change the Teams can

Absorb

• Reality Check on

Field's Commitments

Common Mistakes of Sales Ops

Keep your CRM Systems as Standardized as Possible• Sales Processes are not that Different• Complexity often Translates to Wasted Time with your Sales Teams

It's less about Reporting and More about Interpreting the Data• Less Reviewing and more about Targeting Areas of Improvement• Volume of Data vs Quality of Data• Identify Trending within the Business … Week to Week within the Quarter• Spot the Trends on Execution Issues and Prioritize Management Focus Areas

Not Keeping the Organization Honest about Reporting Capabilities• Manual Effort / Cost of Producing Report … Is there an ROI?• Do we Really Need that Report?

Not Calling “BS” to the Sales Executive on Field Commitments!• Balance being the Eyes and Ears into the Field Organization and Supporting the Field

QUESTIONS?

THANK YOU

the partnership between sales operations and the sales executive · 2019-07-10 · b2b marketing...

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