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Metrics and the Art of Sales

Metrics and the Art of Sales

Is Sales an Art or a Science

It’s an age-old argument that still persists today: is sales an art or a science? The old timers will firmly argue the former, and the modern-day salesperson armed with the latest smartphone and steeped in technology will often argue the latter. But the truth is, that both are true for a sales force – but only in the right combination.

A sales rep today is armed with plentiful technological assistance. But he or she still must be able to rapidly relate to a prospect and engender trust, know when to pitch and when to hold back, and be able to read the prospect well to ascertain when to go in for that close or when to address other issues.

The job is far easier with the pattern of an agreed-upon sales process, an intuitive CRM solution, and instant access to an infinite amount of data through the web – but in the end it is still ability and skill that will bring the sale finally to its close. A sales force operates with both art and science. A skillful combining of the two will mean steadily increasing sales for your company.

Make the Metrics of Sales Work For You

Managing a reliable sales process is undoubtedly one of the most important functions of a sales leader. All you need to do is gather the data, right?

In actuality it is not enough to rely on sales process metrics alone. Those metrics must also have context — and especially a relationship to each other so you can put them to work for you. In this eBook you will learn:

  • How sales process metrics have changed over the last decade
  • How to measure each and every step of the sales process
  • How to understand and leverage the context of your sales process metrics

Download this free eBook and and discover some great tools for effective sales process measurement and control.

A good part of the reason you want a sales process is so you can actually view and measure the progress of sales as they go along, and monitor sales rep performance. Without a sales process, the only real measure of success you have is the total number of sales closed and the total dollar figures.

1. Is the Sales Force Running on Art…or Science?

In the end it can be seen that a sales force is operating with both art and science. A skillful combining of the two will mean steadily increasing sales for your company.

2. 4 Ways to an Accurate Sales Process

If you look back through business history, the evolution of the sales process was an attempt to adapt the methodologies of manufacturing or computing to sales. Essentially you have certain inputs that go through a specific process; given the same inputs and the same process you should end up with the same results every time.

3. Sales Force Automation and ROI

Due to these considerably reduced costs, it would seem that the question of rapid ROI has been solved – or has it? Taking a closer look, it will be found that evaluating CRM ROI is just as important as it ever was, perhaps even more so. It just has a different set of factors necessary for evaluation than it once did.

4. Sales Process Metrics: Know Your Context

Take the one final step and understand the full context of sales process metrics – and raise the number of closes consistently into the future.

5. Sales Process: Measuring “Now” Versus “Then”

You need to be able to accurately measure progress through each step of the sales process (sales pipeline) in order to fully control and predict sales. Additionally such measures have to show what’s happening now as opposed to only reviewing what happened last quarter or last year.

6. CRM Solutions: The Sales Force and Beyond

A flexible, intuitive CRM solution is crucial for a sales force to survive, let alone succeed. But that same carefully chosen and well-implemented CRM application is just as important to other key company departments whose input comes before and after sales.

Maximizing the ROI of CRM

Maximizing the ROI of CRM

Because a CRM solution is such an integral part of your company’s operation, precisely establishing ROI for CRM is vital. In taking the time to do so, you are also taking the time to fully support and empower your sales efforts for years to come.

This simple guide will put you firmly on track to evaluate CRM ROI for your company–and choose the CRM solution that meets those criteria.

Chapter 1: 3 Steps to CRM Solution ROI

ROI (return on investment) is normally part of every proposal for a software purchase. For a CRM solution, a full ROI statement should not be skimped, and should be given considerably more time and effort than other software purchases.

Chapter 2: CRM Solution ROI: Why Mirror Your Sales Process?

One vital key to getting the most ROI from your CRM solution is to ensure your CRM application mirrors your sales process. Today there is every reason for CRM to mirror a sales process and to gain rapid ROI for a CRM solution—and there exist CRM solutions that make it very easy.

Chapter 3: CRM Solution ROI: Fully Know Before You Go

When CRM solution ROI falls short, it’s because of a failure to gather information from every sector of the company and every individual who will be engaged with CRM, finding out exactly what they would need in a CRM solution, and assessing ROI for each of these areas.

Chapter 4: For True ROI, a CRM Solution Must Be the One You Really Need

Before any particular CRM application has been decided upon, you must consult with anyone and everyone within the company that will have any interaction with CRM at all. You must establish for each what a CRM solution would need to be. Summed up, you will then have a company-wide perspective on the ideal CRM solution for your operation.

Chapter 5: CRM Solution ROI: It Starts with the Sales Force

Often inadequately researched is the impact a CRM application will have on the sales force, along with the potential (considerable) ROI that can be obtained from making the right choice for Sales.

Chapter 6: CRM Solution ROI – It Should Begin with Startup

With a startup, CRM ROI might not seem to be the most important issue to address. Selling product and obtaining clients may appear to be the one and only mandate. But in actuality there is no more crucial time to conclusively figure out CRM ROI than right at the beginning of the life of a business.

Download Maximizing the ROI of CRM now.

10 Reasons Why Salespeople Will Always Be Absolutely Essential: The Printable Poster

10 Reasons Why Salespeople Will Always Be Absolutely Essential: The Printable Poster

Salespeople Are Genuinely Invested in Their Companies’ Doing Well

The Pipeliner CRM blog post by sales expert Tony Hughes inspired this poster.

In the post, Hughes contends that free enterprise selling makes the world a safer and more tolerant place. He argues that selling connects people, exchanges ideas, and improves the way everything is done in the world.

The poster celebrates the idea that selling causes us to understand other people and their cultures, values and beliefs, but in a way where we have empathy rather than judgment.

The poster focuses on how:

  • Salespeople drive our economy.
  • Salespeople display unique, valuable attributes.
  • Salespeople inspire positive social change.

Download this poster and join us in celebrating Tony Hughes’ passionate words! Put it on your wall for all to see!

Build the Best Lists Ever! A RingLead Downloadable eBook

Build the Best Lists Ever! A RingLead Downloadable eBook

Today, contact data can be more targeted, specific, and useful than ever before. Make data work for you!

Gone are the days of building lists out of the yellow pages

Today, the contact data available can be more targeted and specific than ever before. This free downloadable RingLead ebook sets out the steps necessary to build complete, clean lists, including:

  • Planning your lists — best practices
  • Creating targeted niche lists
  • Tracking emerging companies in specific markets
  • Segmenting larger sectors or lists

Good list building affects all aspects of business, including the funnel and pipeline. With today’s technology and this ebook you have the ability to gather an entire market, and then slice it, dice it, segment it — and go out and attack it.

Leicester City Football Club and Pipeliner Sales, Inc.: The Amazing Parallels

Leicester City Football Club and Pipeliner Sales, Inc.: The Amazing Parallels

By now, everyone has heard about England’s Leicester City Football Club and their incredible come-from-nowhere triumph.

You may have heard this story—but did you know that Pipeliner has a very similar story?

  • Both came from nearly anonymous humble beginnings, to perform on the world stage.
  • Neither had any “star power” to carry them to victory, only their experience and (amazing) talent.
  • Both were up against organizations many times their size and financial worth, yet still vanquished them.
  • Nobody cared about Leicester City a year ago—but now, everyone does. Similarly, 3 years ago nobody cared much about Pipeliner. But looking at Forbes and The Wall Street Journal, they sure do now.

Find out just how similar their stories are. Now that you know who to watch in English football, learn (if you don’t already know) who to watch in the CRM world!

A year ago when their amazing success story started, it could certainly be seen that Leicester City was going to come up against some very well-financed and powerful clubs (The Manchester clubs, City and United come to mind). Yet the Foxes blasted through competitor after competitor to finally arrive on top, having beaten them all, no matter how big and powerful.

Leading and Lagging Indicators: The Key to Efficient Sales Management

Leading and Lagging Indicators: The Key to Efficient Sales Management

Using the Right KPIs

The use of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) is nothing new in business or sales. But if your KPIs are only of the lagging variety—the kind that shows the final results, such as gross sales, net revenue, or products sold—you’re missing out on the entire field of prediction.

This white paper explains how sales management must be conducted through the right combination of leading and lagging indicators, so that management is precise, and catches errors or issues well before they affect your final results.

KPIs are needed which help predict what those lagging indicators will be. These are called leading indicators, and they—along with their skillful combination with lagging indicators—are the subject of this white paper.

Nikolaus Kimla
CEO of Pipelinersales Inc.

The Combination of Leading and Lagging

The combining of leading and lagging indicators give you a full picture of your operation. Moreover, the combination gives you a comprehensive look at your risk, and allows you to make changes to improve the scene before your lagging indicators come into effect.

You should be able to utilize your leading indicators to show how your lagging indicators are going to appear, if nothing changes between now and the time of your lagging indicators. For example, if you add up the value of your opportunities in the pipeline, the percentage chances of their making it through, the rankings of each deal, and other leading factors, you see that, if all goes according to plan, you’ll have $1.5 million for the quarter. If you add up all your leading indicators and see that you’re falling short of your target, you then have time to do something about it.

Lagging Indicators

Far too often, sales management is conducted strictly with lagging indicators. A clue to the problem with analyzing and managing only through lagging indicators is right there in the name: lagging. It means, “what has already happened.” By the time lagging indicators become clear, it is too late to change anything.

But in managing for the future, we need something that will show us how the activities we are engaging in now will impact our figures for the quarter or the year.

Leading Indicators

Which leads us to the other kind of KPIs: leading indicators. Leading indicators could be said to be the KPIs that come between the big lagging-indicator victories.

The Combination of Leading and Lagging

The combining of leading and lagging indicators give you a full picture of your operation. Moreover, the combination gives you a comprehensive look at your risk, and allows you to make changes to improve the scene before your lagging indicators come into effect.

You should be able to utilize your leading indicators to show how your lagging indicators are going to appear, if nothing changes between now and the time of your lagging indicators. For example, if you add up the value of your opportunities in the pipeline, the percentage chances of their making it through, the rankings of each deal, and other leading factors, you see that, if all goes according to plan, you’ll have $1.5 million for the quarter. If you add up all your leading indicators and see that you’re falling short of your target, you then have time to do something about it.

Lead Management for Sales

Lead Management for Sales

Today astute companies have begun to institute ways to evaluate, categorize, and nurture leads before sending into the sales pipeline. In this way, any communication or outreach by a potential customer can be handled efficiently – and every potential lead can be properly identified and passed on to the sales team.

A lead can fall anywhere between “hot” (ready to buy) and “cold” (maybe once interested but has apparently moved on). A company that fully analyzes its sales process places these varying degrees of leads into precise categories indicating their viability. Successful methods of moving them along these categories are found and when they finally arrive at “hot” they are then and only then forwarded to sales reps to work.

Chapter 1: Lead Generation: The Call to Action

The call to action is the most important element of any lead generation activity. It is the part of your email, web page, landing page or other device that causes the reader to act (hence the name).

Chapter 2: Lead Generation: Sowing the Field

The internet dramatically changed yesterday’s lead generation scenario. Today a buyer will conduct extensive online research into your product category, comb through third-party product comparisons and evaluations, scope out trade shows, and interact with other buyers in forums and social media. Any promotion they might receive from you will likely hit the round file (virtually or literally) as they’re busy making up their own minds using their own sources.

Chapter 3: Lead Generation: Purchasing Lists for Leads

Today it is common to leave sales reps doing what they do best: closing sales. The job of lead generation is left to Marketing. As anyone informed will tell you, leads is a quantity game: The more prospective targets you can reach out to, the more leads you will get back. It often happens, then, that marketing will purchase lists of potential prospects instead of manually trying to seek them out, then isolate and promote to them.

Chapter 4: While You’re Home With Your Family, Your lead Generation Machine Rolls On

It used to be that businesses owners would sweat the holidays: leads and sales were not being made. But on a holiday, while your employees are enjoying time with their families, at least your lead generation machine can keep right on chugging—thanks to the internet.

Chapter 5: Lead Management: Nurturing the Leads

Today astute companies not wishing to simply waste the leads they get—whether super hot or lukewarm—are instituting ways of nurturing leads before sending them onto sales. It is part of an overall lead management system that makes it possible to utilize nearly everything that comes in the door.

Chapter 6: Lead Management: Five Cold Calling Basics

Today cold calling is normally done as a part of lead management. This calling is frequently done by an inside sales rep to qualify and make the lead “hotter” before sending it to a sales rep who will be going for the close. Nonetheless there is still a very narrow window in which to interest them, and an inside salesperson must have some basic operating actions and skills to bring prospects up to being “sellable.”

Download our ebook Opportunity Management now.

The Vital Importance of Metrics in Sales Management

The Vital Importance of Metrics in Sales Management

The sales manager’s job is arguably the the most difficult and demanding in a company. From above, the sales manager is being monitored and pressured to get those sales. From below, salespeople are looking to the sales manager for leadership, while at the same time harboring a bit of criticism because the sales manager isn’t out there selling on a daily basis.

One of the primary differences between success and failure in sales management is having, knowing and using the right sales metrics. These metrics must reflect:

  • Past and present sales of each rep, and predicted future sales for each rep for the sales period
  • Past and present sales for each sales group, and predicted future sales for each group for the sales period
  • Past and present sales for whole company, and predicted future sales for the company for the sales period
  • These metrics need to be the most reliable available, for the purpose of managing and predicting sales.

In this white paper, we explore:

  • The importance of both inbound and outbound leads, why there should be a balance, and the basics of tracking and measuring them.
  • The value of lead scoring, the criteria you create for scoring, and how it is accomplished.
  • How to figure out how many leads you need in your pipeline at any given time
  • Managing opportunities, and calculating their priority and value
  • Precisely calculating the number of opportunities needed to make a target
  • and much more!

Along the way numerous examples are utilized so that you can see how these metrics can be immediately applied to your sales pipeline.

Leads

The sales process for any organization begins with leads—for without leads (and an adequate number of them) there are no sales. No sales, no revenue, no revenue, no company. So it’s quite obvious that leads are of prime value.

Inbound vs. Outbound

There are 2 main categories of leads: inbound, and outbound.

Lead Scoring

The next set of metrics comes about in lead scoring.

Number of Leads Needed

Concurrently, you’ll need to know how many leads it takes to keep your sales machine viably up and running, as well as succeeding and making its targets.

Opportunities

Once leads convert to opportunities, then it is a matter of figuring out how many winning deals it takes to profitably sustain the company’s pipeline, and monitoring that.

Proper sales management begins with metrics…and proper use of metrics begins with this white paper. Download it and start using it right away.

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