The Secret to Winning Performance Conditions

Whatever product or service they sell, SBI 100 companies share many similarities. They have hundreds of processes to develop and thousands of sales reps clamoring for help. Furthermore, these companies have gigabytes of raw data that need to be turned into actionable insights. How do top companies handle these business challenges? They have a sales operations department.

Sales ops is the catalyst that helps harness the power of the sales organization. Sitting at the intersection of sales, marketing, HR, and finance, this unique team focuses the organization on efficient sales processes.

Investing in Sales Effectiveness
Some CEOs view non-sales roles as purely cost. However, our findings indicate that companies with effective sales forces invest heavily in two areas. They invest 50 percent of their sales effectiveness budget on hiring and developing people and 50 percent on placing these people into winning performance conditions.

What happens to newly hired “A-Players” who are placed into a poorly designed sales division? You know the answer. They miss their revenue target. A sales ops department creates the performance conditions you need to make your number.

If your company is not on the SBI 100 list, the first step toward joining its ranks is to build a world-class sales ops team. How can you tell if your sales ops team measures up? Great sales ops leaders perfectly balance strategy and execution. Sales ops teams think strategically when they evaluate sales force tactics. They are tactical when they oversee key performance indicators, manage the CRM, and provide analysis to the executive team.

Unifying Team Efforts
To build a first-rate sales ops organization, start with a charter that defines what the team will and will not do. Sales ops should not be the dumping ground for unwanted responsibilities. A well-designed and well-executed charter unifies efforts around a specific set of objectives and sets up the team for success. Sales ops must be laser-focused on tasks that help the sales force make its number.