Sales Productivity and Accelerated Growth for your Company
Many hold the opinion that there will be a shift from the siloed, individual seller to a team based approach. In a recent interview (Covid-19 is Transforming Sales) I spoke to the future of the sales function. A great level of strategic planning and coordination will be needed to optimizing targeted selling across a team and team based selling well begin long before the organization and tactical execution of workflow development and resource assignment.
Written by: Steven Bate - Managing Partner/Sales Architect, PROACT Sales Management
Image from: Lisa Horner - SVP Marketing, AppFolio
Team based selling will need the development of a collective and coordinated workflow(s). The goal becoming cross-functional alignment across all revenue related functions identifying the ideal customer (profile) and coordinated touchpoints along the customer's journey. In developing the sales processes, opportunity pipeline, and qualifying leads that meet the ideal customer profile, the holistic approach will increase salesperson productivity, shorten sales cycles, and accelerate growth.
1. Everyone aligned around the same market definition. The cross-functional team develops a common go to market strategy that defines the ideal market or segment.
2. Clarity on product Market Fit, therefore the best accounts to target. The team will collaborate, normally lead by marketing, to develop the ideal customer profile.
3. Understanding of the market segment and how best to source the pipeline that drives the annual plan. Addressing the Total Addressable market and Segmented Addressable Market, what can be expected and forecasted based upon current segmentation and the ideal customer profile.
4. Ability to precisely reach intended audiences and specific accounts + contracts - known and unknown. Develop team roles to identify, reach, engage, and onboard customers as prospects from pre-sales through post-sales.
5. Content, assets and enablement that flow in vehicle of reach and inspire buyers to act. In that, once the where and how to reach the ideal customers in step four, the team collectively decides that what to deliver in the pre-sale proof of customer value.
When the 5 steps are completed with tangible, actionable actions for: what market is being addressed; the ideal customer profile; the primary target markets identified; where to reach the ideal customer; and what content needs to be delivered to demonstrate value against customer needs... the sales process and sales playbook(s) can begin to be developed, again including members of the revenue and service teams.
A additional objective and outcome will be to map the customer lifecycle. This, inclusive of the strategic sales process and pipeline development not only through sales close, but post sales management to seed, fertilize, and harvest on the "perpetual motion of ongoing sales revenue".