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The Sales Enablement Straight 8 8 Questions to Help You Gauge Your Sales Team’s Effectiveness Written by Susan Murray, VP Sales Process & Practices
The Sales Enablement Straight 8
© Copyright Qvidian
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Table of Contents Page
Introduction to the Straight 8 2
1. Deployment of Sales Playbooks 2
2. Use of Sales Metrics & Analysis Reports 4
3. Development & Delivery of Sales Best Practices 6
4. Support for New Product Launches, Cross-Selling & Up-Selling 7
5. Consistency & Support Across the Span of the Sales Cycle 8
6. Clarity on the Sales Team Structure 9
7. Adoption of the SFA by the Sales reps 10
8. Conducting Post-Win Analyses 11
One More Time 12
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Introduction Straight 8 is a discovery process directed to the key stakeholders in a sales organization – salespeople, sales executives, sales operations, and marketing. It starts by uncovering challenges hindering higher sales performance and offers the implementation of technology and process solutions enabling sales effectiveness and achieving initiatives. For best results, use all 8.
1. Does your sales force have access to Sales Playbooks for different selling situations?
A ‘Sales Playbook’ provides a prescriptive path
and directions to advance sales reps through
deal cycles of selling scenarios. An effective,
work-flow designed Playbook outlines a deal’s
stages, activities, content, and tactics within the
structure of a sales rep’s SFA or CRM system.
Typically organizations utilize a number of Sales
Playbooks for different sales situations. For
instance, the Playbook sales reps access in their
SFA when working a ‘net new opportunity’, is
probably different in scope than one used for a cross-sell or expansion opportunity. As well,
there are Playbooks created for lead management, account planning, renewal activities, etc.
Best playbooks are built directly from top performer input. There are informal to formal sales
processes, and various sales methodologies used, blended, and customized as playbook
structures; however, central to a playbook’s success is understanding and documenting how top
performers execute sales activities.
Effective Sales Playbook characteristics:
It’s a lot more than paper – it leverages your SFA application and integrates existing data
such as accounts, leads, contacts, etc.
Coaching tips and tactics are attached to various activities to ensure winning techniques
are distributed to sales team members. Suggestions, alerts, ‘gotchas’, FYIs, and
news/announcements can also supplement the Playbook activity with coaching content.
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Templates and sample content items are attached directly to Playbook activities so the
sales rep can hit the ground running instead of spending time searching, calling
colleagues, or re-creating core deliverables or presentations for a prospect.
Activities center on the buyer and a solution instead of products, features, price, etc. A
leading playbook eliminates the vanilla pitch and focuses on uncovering a buyer’s needs
and problems, while aligning the value and benefits your company and solution provides.
Activities to facilitate a sales rep’s preparation for contacts and meetings with buyers
should include: directions to locate, research, and identify the prospect.
Includes appropriate content and tactics to ensure that reps have the tools to win against
key competitors. Throughout the sales cycle, provide the sales reps with profiles of
competitors, sharp-sticks, and messaging to beat out the competition.
Information about the value propositions and business case benefits of your solution are
baked into each stage of the playbook. If the overall value of your solution is perceived as
high and compelling, the chances of avoiding price concessions, deep discounting, and
feature/function battles are greater.
Built to reinforce your existing sales training programs and to drive consistent behaviors
and language within your sales team. It is essential to reduce non-value added activities
for the sales rep and add activities enabling them more 2-way dialogues with their buyers.
Setup to ensure Marketing and Sales are internally aligned and that you can measure
what content is being used to support winning deals. Provide Marketing with the
information required to understand what events, assets, or collateral are or are not
effectively supporting the sales cycle.
As the sales/buyer arena demands more knowledge, the best business case must capture and
synthesize the valuable knowledge of top performers. To scale your business with world-class
organizations, Sales Playbooks need to be a key part of the solution.
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2. Are there tools in place to measure and monitor sales performance and effectiveness?
Where to start, what to capture, which tools to use, and
who are the owners? What does a sales executive need
to monitor performance? Let’s dive in.
There are more than enough data points that sales
managers can access, but which are Key Success
Indicators (KSIs) for the business? In short, they
are the metrics reflecting an organization’s critical
success factors. They reflect the company’s goals
such as retention of customers, acquisition of new
customers, and number of leads converted to opportunities; and they are quantifiable.
They tend to have long-term considerations and can typically be the numbers on which
people are compensated. The KSIs you select need to also consider the business
intelligence activities that will transform this data into information that increases your
knowledge and helps you make better sales performance decisions.
The following groups of quantitative metrics are those most organizations deem as KSI worthy:
o Product Metrics - # of new product sales, sales by product line, combinations of
product lines, etc.)
o Process Metrics - # of calls made, length of time spent in particular stage or
activity, subject matter experts used when/where, deals that fell off the pipeline at
50% probability to close, etc.
o Customer Metrics - # of new customers acquired, sales by customer segment, etc.
o Financial Metrics - cost of acquisition, cost of attrition, profitability, quotas
obtained, etc.
Cross-Department Alignment Metrics - which content from the Marketing Group led to
Sales winning deals, which Inside Sales leads converted to Outside Sales opportunities,
etc.
Determining the quantifiable metrics to use is a walk in the park compared to
considering the qualitative data points. This data is very important in evaluating sales
performance across an organization. Most sales managers consistently look for methods to
measure the following qualitative skills and tactics:
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o Selling Techniques - listening, obtaining participation from a prospect, finding the
hot buttons, problem solving, overcoming objections, closing the sale, etc.
o Territory Management - planning, utilization, documentation, follow-up-
collections, etc.
o Personality - attitude, empathy, inspiring trust, energy, motivation, self-
improvement, team work, creativity, etc.
Then there is the issue of timing – can you measure activities during the sales process
while opportunities are being worked, in addition to post-sales analysis following the
win/loss? The majority of metrics are built from a post-sales perspective – after the deal
is won or lost; however, for sales cycle opportunities ranging anywhere from a few
months to 18+ months, there is time to measure performance while the deal is being
worked. The ability for a sales manager to look across opportunities and analyze critical
points in the cycle can be of tremendous value. If the sales process and activities are
outlined in a Sales Playbook, then managers have this visibility and, most importantly, the
time to coach – to ensure deals stay on track and their values remain high. The following
sales analytics provide in-process insights:
o Which deals in the pipeline with over 70% close probability in the next 2 weeks are
currently in the contract negotiations activity with the prospect? (If they aren’t in
contract negotiations, there is a low likelihood they are going to close shortly).
o Which opportunities over a certain deal value have delivered the final proposal
and not had any other activities for 3+ weeks? (Why is the proposal stuck – is the
solution proposed not correct, has the value not been established, what is the
pricing?)
o Which sales reps are continually not getting deals past the 50% probability to
close, (What is the activity being done that is causing this fall-off or creating this
bottleneck at the ½ way point for the deal?)
Finally, what tool or technology can we use to capture and generate the reports that are
easy and fast to compile and analyze? There are excellent tools to provide sales analytics,
but the right level of capture is difficult to achieve. If, for example, there is too high a
level of capture, then you won’t have access to information that you can act on. If the
latency of the data is always post-sales, then you are going to be in a reactive versus pro-
active mode.
Sales reports and monitoring of sales activities is fundamental to managing a sales team. The
primary reason for utilizing sales analysis metrics and tools is to have the information available
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to make choices, evaluate alternatives, and mitigate risks. When sales reps follow a Sales
Playbook, they know where they are with each lead/account/opportunity and what needs to be
accomplished to progress the deal. If these activities are tracked, they are predictable enough
to forecast sales. When combining Sales Playbooks with SFA technology, you have a successful
combination.
3. Do your sales best practices provide the sales reps with enough
information to perform the activity? How are these practices and content shared across your sales organization?
A “best practice” is a technique or
methodology that, through experience and
research, has proven to reliably lead to a
desired result. If you do a Bing search, you’ll
get 81,300,000 to choose from! A truly
effective sales best practice, however, is more
than just a technique or methodology. It’s a
combination of the sales practice or process,
the related coaching tips, and the associated
sample content that elevates it to “Best
Status” and warrants a place in your playbook.
Here’s an example of how to use best practices to enhance product demonstrations. Most sales
cycles require the sales rep to demonstrate their product or services, but simply providing a
demo while working the opportunity may not be enough. If, however, conducting a demo after
the deal is qualified and a detailed discovery is conducted to capture ‘hot buttons’, then you are
getting closer. Add in a sample demonstration script that the prospect can
customize/personalize and a ‘sales engineer’ that can conduct the demo, and you are almost
there. Wrap it up with the specific coaching tips on who should be in the audience from the
prospect’s company, what body language to look for during the demo, how to set competitor
traps, how to surface objections and answer questions, and you have achieved a Best Practice
status!
Now you need the vehicle to drive best practices to the sales reps. If sales best practices like
these are all prescribed in a Sales Playbook in specific opportunity context, sales reps will have
the tools and tactics they need to perform that step. If best practices are delivered through
your SFA or CRM system, you now have the extra benefit of tracking that best practice (who did
it, who didn’t do it, how long did it take, was it done on winning deals, etc). Sales Playbooks
made up of true best practice activities and delivered from your SFA system provides sales reps
immediate access to knowledge. For your new reps, you are giving them the information to
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lessen the learning curve and start producing revenue more quickly. For your top performers,
you are accelerating and streamlining their sales activities so they can work more deals
simultaneously. For those sales reps requiring more assistance, you are able to use technology
to present them with the best practices, content, and the coaching to guide them through the
various complex stages of any deal.
4. How are sales reps supported for new product launches and cross-selling situations?
Answering this question has typically been a
challenge for many organizations across
different industries. A significant investment
goes into building or acquiring new products to
sell, but getting sales reps comfortable selling
them is difficult. This is especially an issue with
sales reps that have built successful long-term
relationships with their customers and may be
hesitant to jeopardize that by introducing
something new with no ‘real’ track record.
Bringing the reps in-house for training is one aspect of building their knowledge set, but
retaining this new information in the long term is difficult. Successful sales enablement
strategies recognize that reps need the new product information, messaging, and use cases at
their fingertips to articulate it clearly to their buyers. They need the information now, not
tomorrow.
Allowing them to interact with the new products (or services) is a good first step toward buy-in
but there is key content they will need immediately. This includes:
A brief, scripted sales presentation that provides conversation starters with the prospect
in this ‘new area’, along with a summary that encompasses the key features of the new
offering
Sound bites on how this new product is different from some of the competitors' in this
space
A list of FAQs with non-technical jargon that guides sales reps to respond to anticipated
customer questions or objections
As many ‘proof points’ or customer adoption stories as possible
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A few key pieces of marketing collateral that they can share with buyers after their first
conversations (e.g., product sell sheets, screenshots, analyst briefings, etc.)
Give your sales reps the information needed to start the dialogue with a prospect and to begin
to develop their confidence in offering the new solutions. Videotaping and role-playing are also
useful tactics to fine-tune those early first conversations. As sales reps move along the sales
path with a buyer, then they need to know the internal contact to call in to supplement these
initial opportunities. Some organizations even offer a spiff for a period of time so that the reps
are incentivized to come out of their comfort zones and promote these new offerings.
5. Can the sales reps easily deliver a consistent message and image across the span of the sales cycle?
It's your complete corporate messaging,
compelling story, and brand that
differentiates you from your competitors and
persuades customers to purchase your
product/service. It’s not uncommon for sales
reps to have the best content and start
strong during the early stages of the sales
lifecycle, but then flatten out when
messaging becomes confusing or scarce in
the latter-critical stages of the opportunity (contracts, negotiations, implementation planning,
customer success, etc). A sales rep must present convincing content and messaging early in the
sales cycle; but, when the deal gets over the 50% close probability, information and process
must remain powerful. The support, tools, and collateral provided to the sales rep after the
deal’s half-way point must be easily accessible, personalized, and targeted to keep the prospect
engaged. The sales reps need the same level of focused content, coaching tips, and process
guidance across the span and duration of the sale to bring the deal over the finish line.
As the content needed at the later stages of the opportunity is different, you are likely to need
more proof points, references, case studies, ROI examples, and technical instructions. The
overview is over, the prospect needs deeper levels of information to ensure they’re making the
right choice. The subject matter is now different and more relationships need to be built. And
sales reps will need procedures to access and utilize internal senior executives efficiently to
solidify the buying decision. If your products/services meet 100% of a buyer’s needs, great – but
don’t count on it. Facilitating a discussion with a product management executive and with the
buyer to talk about your roadmap, R&D staffing, and commitment to innovation can be very
powerful. It can position the buyer at the onset as a player in your organization’s product
development.
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Keeping messaging consistent and momentum high in the last half of the sales cycle requires
materials and cooperation from other parts of your organization such as: engineering, product
management, customer services, and finance. The sales rep needs to be aligned and in
cooperation across different business units to gather the sales messaging and expertise the
buyer wants to know. There must be a company-wide desire to help Sales make the sale
coupled with a clearly outlined sales process clarifying roles, timing, and expectations of the
various parties.
6. Is there an extended sales team structure in place to work deals, with clarity on roles and responsibilities?
Sales Reps are the lead in the deal and,
therefore, it is essential that they work
cooperatively with anyone in the
organization who can contribute to product
knowledge. Of course they don’t have the
time to tap everyone, and this is where the
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) come in to
play, Statistics show that when they do, the
sales cycle greatly improves sales success
rates. The most successful sales teams have
a clear cross-functional map (identifying other sales resources, marketing, client services
resource, etc.) and sales reps know how and when to enlist these experts in the sales cycle.
Along with this roadmap, sales reps should be one click away one click away from accessing the
knowledge experts and other reps with tools such as social networking blogs, wikis, and social
groups.
During an opportunity’s lifecycle, the sales rep is front and center in the beginning qualification
and relationship-building stages and at the end of the deal to ensure negotiations are successful
and contracts are signed. In the key stages of the deal, sales reps should, however, be in
partnership with SMEs to help in defining the prospect’s problem, preparing a customized
solution and presentation, and sharing your company’s vision and roadmap with a prospect. For
all sales reps (tenured or new), the key is to identify where in the various stages of the deal
lifecycle and in which activities will the sales rep benefit from additional team resources. For
those activities, an internal SME route map, listing areas of expertise with contact information
should be provided to the sales rep. This can reside in your SFA via a Sales Playbook with
electronic workflow, or simply a document with the information attached to the activity. Either
way, helping the sales rep feel comfortable introducing the right new resources to the prospect,
or integrating them into the specifics of the opportunity is extremely powerful. Successful joint
collaborations will also ensure that the implementation and ongoing relationship is long-term.
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7. How is your organization addressing the sales rep usage adoption issues of your SFA?
If sales reps are reluctant to use a leading
SFA, then maybe the system needs to be
implemented first and foremost with the
intent to give something valuable back to
them. When sales reps view the
application as merely a monitoring
application where they have to feed it
information so their management can
report on progress being made and deals
about to close, you have lost the battle. If
a sales rep can find a value to use it for day to day activities, they will.
One of the common activities a sales rep may have to do during the selling process is prepare a
write-up of the ‘proposed solution’ for their buyer. In a standard implementation of an SFA
system, the sales rep updates the opportunity record to indicate that they are working on this
specific task. But they are on their own to figure out how to do this activity, and to search for a
similar deliverable that they can re-use. The sales rep would find benefit if the SFA system
provides the following:
Details and coaching tips on when the ‘proposed solution definition’ should be shared
with the buyer. (If this is done too early without proper qualification of the deal or
without a deep discovery to understand the current situation and competitive landscape,
then the rep hasn’t put their best foot forward).
Names/numbers of the internal subject matter experts that can help them assemble this
quickly, with the latest and greatest options.
The best sample template of a ‘Proposed Solution Document’ that they can quickly grab,
personalize, and use to present the information to their buyers. (Provide the template
that’s been used on winning deals and contains the latest product information from your
Marketing Group.)
The two or three compelling things to add to the solution definition so they can beat out
the competition. (Tell the sales rep the sharp-sticks to use against specific competitors, or
what traps they can set to ensure the buyer is aware of the competitor’s weaknesses).
If the SFA can provide this level of knowledge and content to the rep to help them close their
deals, then there is something in the SFA for them, and they’ll definitely use it. And if they use
it, management can then measure what works and doesn’t work so that they can propagate it
across the full sales team structure.
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8. What kind of review is done after the opportunity is closed? Effective sales enablement strategies
allocate time to take a look at what
happened with key deals. It’s not fun –
but, for the next opportunity, it pays off
because you’ve drilled down to what
contributed to the outcome of important
opportunities. Conducting an after-
decision interview with the buyer
uncovers the distinctive ‘one thing’
(feature, message, and proof point) that
tipped the scale! Statistics show that
many organizations do not do this, and, those that do, only do it 20% of the time. Here are
some reasons they don’t perform this post analysis:
The process is considered optional with no completion deadline imposed
There are no actionable goals following the completion
There isn’t a template to use to capture the information
It’s not clear where it goes when it is completed
Here are some reasons why it’s important to perform a post analysis:
These reviews are vital to tune-in to market perception
You gain competitive advantage by diagnosing your sales performance
You’re able to verify your differentiation and messaging
Your selling process can be tuned to closely align with your buyer’s process
Feedback on specific features/functions can be shared with your Product Management
group for insight into examining positive and negative product aspects.
After-decision reviews should be embraced and acted on, but they need to be completed in a
timely manner and they need to be easy and quick for the sales rep and team members to
complete. Understanding what actually led to the deal’s outcome is usually ‘in the details’ and
needs to be uncovered to be replicated or eliminated.
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One more time
Organizations allocating time and energy to gauge success levels in Sales Enablement and
Effectiveness can really begin to fine tune their efforts and progress. Straight 8 helps zero in on
and drill down into the areas where improvements can have a big impact. Focusing on the most
important sales metrics and providing Sales Playbooks to the reps to support selling situations is
vital. Ensuring that the sales team has the best content and tactics across the full span of the
sales cycle is a must. Arm the reps with the information on how to successfully navigate
opportunities ‘internally’ and deliver it all through your SFA technology solution. Then you’re
paving the way to deal acceleration and higher win rates!
About Qvidian From first contact to creating loyal customers, Qvidian enables your sales organization to confidently engage prospects and win more often using proven, dynamic tools, and integrated best practices. Qvidian’s cloud-computing sales effectiveness platform combines Sales Playbooks & Analytics, Proposal Automation, and a robust Content Library. See it in action at www.Qvidian.com. To learn more about Qvidian’s proposal solutions, visit www.Qvidian.com, or call 877-523-4368 (USA) or +44 (0)870 734 7778 (UK).