sales performance & efficiency: engaging and empowering people in the sales process
DESCRIPTION
Summary: > Leading Sales Organisations have strong abilities to execute and innovate > Prospects buy – Offerors don´t sell > It´s an illusion, that Offerors control the Sales Process - the customer does! > Aligned Marketing & Sales offer the Chance to engage and empower > Use simple metrics to coach people for successTRANSCRIPT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Efficiency of Sales Organisations Efficiently converting Prospects to Clients Aligned Sales & Marketing: 4E-Process Choosing Communication Channels Key Performance Indicators (KPI´s)
• Problem - Sales Quota
Summary
Sales Performance
Efficiency of Sales Organisations
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)
Mission
Leadership
Organisation
Focus & Targets
Success Criteria & Reporting
Target oriented salary (teams/single persons?)
References
Values
Sustainability
Integrated business processes (end to end)
>> A
bilit
y to
Exe
cute
Sal
es P
roce
sses
>>
Little ability to innovate and execute sales
processes, company jeopardized
Focus on present sales model,
future questionable
Strong ability to innovate and successfully execute
sales processes and projects
Innovative sales approaches, insufficient
ability to execute, sustainability questionable
Actionab
le CRM + So
cial
Media + Analys
is
Know
ledg
e ab
out
Com
petit
ors
& M
arke
ts
Cust
omer
Jour
neys
and
To
uchp
oint
s kn
own?
Inno
vatio
n Pl
an
Coac
hing
Pro
cess
es
Cont
ent &
Cre
ativi
ty
Rela
tions
hips
&
Coal
ition
s
Empl
oyee
Eng
agem
ent
Cust
omer
Eng
agem
ent
Colla
bora
tion
Visi
on
>> A
bilit
y to
Exe
cute
Sal
es P
roce
sses
>>
>> Ability to Innovate Sales Processes and Projects >>
Efficiently converting Prospects to Clients
Evaluate Targets Engage with Prospects Empower Prospects Execute Plan jointly
Aligned Sales & Marketing Effort
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)
Marketers Wishful Thinking
Efficiently converting Prospects to Clients
The Real World:
Linear Sales Pipeline!
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)
Efficiently converting Prospects to Clients
You can´t control customers journey - But you can be the Lighthouse to inspire their way.
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)
Aligned Sales & Marketing: 4E Process
M arkets & C o m m u n iti es
Target A cco u n ts
Target R o les
Target C o n tacts
2. Engage
Listen & Learn
Relate & Attract
Connect, share Vision
Be patient
3. Empower
Listen & Learn
Share Content, Coach
Discuss
Build Trust to Act
4. Execute
Same Vision & Mission
Joint Action Plan
Proof Product / Solution
Proposal & Order
LEAD OPPORTUNITYWin People!
Aligned Sales & Marketing: 4E Process
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)
• Leads (= Business cards)• Qualify Market, Need-Solution Fit, Upselling Potential, …
• Sales Project (focus on winning people)• Engage and Empower Buying Center -> Results in RfP• Ongoing Qualification Process• Volume reflects Sales Potential• Relevant for Sales Management (sales activity forecast)
• Opportunity (=solicited proposal)• Proposal on SOLICITED Request for Proposal (RfP)• Relevant for Management Board (business forecast)
Choosing Communication Channels
Communication Channel Recipients impression / Engagement Advantage Disadvantage
Mailing Might be categorized as advertisment and sorted out or thrown away.
Available to everybody. Expensive, read rate can´t be calculated.
Telephone (not scheduled, cold call)
Very disturbing, no chance to prepare, no information about caller. Doesn´t fit in agenda.
Direct realtime interaction. Requires availability of person called , very expensive and time consuming for both caller and person called . Inefficient.
E-Mail Unsolicited. Can be read at a convenient time. Difficult to find information on sender, company or product using search engines.
? Low cost, read rate can be calculated. Easy to reach large number of recipients.
Might get lost in junk mail folder or unread mail.
Social Media Easy to get impression on partner, networks, interests, references, company and products.Full control. Reading when it´s most convenient.
Engaged contact, transparency, basis for networking and individual offline interaction. Success rate can be calculated.
Dependency on networking platform.
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)
Foster Engagement
Choosing Communication ChannelsExperiences:• People don´t like cold calls • Do you like getting cold calls?
• People like info and full control• Good chances for successful contact
requests with elevator pitches focuson recipient´s interests
• Interest on relevant Info and Content provided via Social Media way higher than pure e-mailing campaigns
• Way higher interest in scheduled phone calls after contacting via social mediaRainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)
Efficiency in Collaboration & Communication
Suitability in Sales Suitability in Management Suiteability in project management
a) Develop commonalities
Perfect, allows alternate ways Good for dominant
contacts («leaders»)
Perfect, allows alternate ways
Ok, possibly too time consuming
b) Compromize Good in negotiations (win/win) Good in negotiations (win/win)
Good when win/win
c) Coaching, asking questions to motivate developing solutions
Good, requires open &super relationship
Contact gets a sales role (internal risk)
Good, requires open & super relationship
Ok
d) Teaching / preaching («consulting disease»)
Very dangearous, better avoid
Good, when teacher acts independent
Ok
e) Force No-Go Turn Around Turn Around
f) Lie No-Go No-Go No-GoRainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)
And the Winner is…
…the Sales Team developing/maintaining
a relationship against all odds
Efficiency in Collaboration & Communication
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141031205127-2184825-why-is-persistence-rewarded?trk=object-title
Efficiency in Collaboration & Communication
The Joint Action Plan
Realistic expectation• The prospect/customer shares information
about the buying cycle – People and interests involved– Success criteria– Schedule, Milestones– Purchasing process requirements, …
Unlikely to happen…• The prospect/customer does what you want,
just to your benefit (quarterly sales quota, …)
Key Performance Indicators (KPI´s)Use exact metrics for Engagement
• Leads and Sales Projects• Individual or Team achievements• Number of leads• Number of Sales Projects, etc…• Milestones reached in Sales Projects
• Opportunities & Engagement Ratio• Number of prospects contact attempts in
opportunities• Number of own contact attempts in
opportunities• Weighted value of proposals
Challenge results with Gut Feeling• Communication in sales process
Was it better, the same, or worse?
• „Estimated“ Chance to win (%)
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)
Key Performance Indicators (KPI´s)• How to predict Proposal Success Rate
1 Communication Prospect• Chance = X X 100%
Total Number Offerors Communication Offeror
Optimum:• Total Numer Offerors = 1• Balanced communication offeror and prospect in both ways -> Engagement ratio (0% 100%)
Key Performance Indicators (KPI´s)Problem - Sales Quota …
where is the right limit? Solution:
“There are only two tragedies in life:• one is not getting what one wants,• and the other is getting it.”
Oscar Wilde
Summary
1) Leading Sales Organisations have strong abilities to execute & innovate
2) Prospects buy – Offerors don´t sell
3) It´s an illusion, that Offerors control the Sales Process
4) Aligned Marketing & Sales offer the Chance to engage and empower
5) Use simple metrics to coach people for success
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)