ankur ahlowalia- apttus- sales forecasting as a management tool
TRANSCRIPT
A 3 Step Guide to
Transforming your Sales
Forecasting Process
Ankur AhlowaliaVP Sales Operations
Sales Forecasting as a
Management Tool
So what’s my
secret sauce for
?
Nail down a process
Invest in a forecastmanagement solution
Get Predictable
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3 KEY INGREDIENTS…
Sales Forecasting Process#1
Be Honest with yourself.
• High degree of variance between call numbers vs actual close
• Inaccurate CRM data• Lack of proper tools• The importance of accuracy
Get A Plan.
• Write down current state
• Define Accuracy Goals
• Map out how you will get there
Set Accuracy Goals
Month 1: Call number is +/- 15% of Final CloseExample: Month 1 call is $1M, QTR close should be between $1.15M and $0.85M
Scrub CRM data ASAP Call number = deals in probable and commit + few deals from upside
Month 2: Call number is +/- 10% of Final CloseExample: Month 2 call is $1M, QTR close should be between $1.1M and $0.9M
No deals in pipeline category Evaluate upside deals Call number = deals in probable and commit + very few deals from upside
Month 3: Call number is +/- 5% of Final CloseExample: Month 3 call is $1M, QTR close should be between $1.05M and $0.95M
No deals in pipeline and upside category Call number = deals in probable and commit
Forecast Management System
#2
Automated forecasting =
1. Automate roll up process2. Real-time data3. One source of truth 4. Visibility on all levels5. Predictability for your
number
Automated Roll up
Single Pane View of Business
What’s Changed
Likely to hit?
Drill down to any opp
#3Predictive Analytics and Metrics
Predictive insights give you…
• Forecast on Day 1 of Quarter• Pipeline by Region & Rep• Win rates & conversion rates• Early warning signs • Measure yourself against goals set • See what’s changed between 2 periods of time
Predictive Forecast
The Results?
- Automated- Accurate- Visible- Usable- Predictable
Thank you!