Unlock your sales potential in 2013 (part 1): Removing roadblocks

Do your salespeople complain that they spend too much time on administrative tasks? Are they frustrated by marketing campaigns that don't hit the mark? These are symptoms of an ailing sales process. Learn how you can remove sales roadblocks to close more deals with less effort in 2013. 

Ailing Sales Process Symptoms  Guesswork often replaces accurate data when determining where the team stands against its revenue target Promising sales opportunities are lost because deals languish in the pipeline Customers complain about inaccurate sales orders and delays Salespeople are scrambling for information during a call or prior to a meeting Accounting, marketing, and purchasing don’t know what’s happening in sales

Healthy Sales Process Symptoms  Everyone involved in the sales process can view relevant data and run reports The sales team has the tools they need to effectively manage leads and accounts Salespeople make accurate promises to customers through better visibility into what your company can deliver and when A complete view of your customers and their interactions with your company is easily accessible by sales and marketing

If you’re working with an ailing sales process, it’s tough to set good quotas. It’s even tougher to meet them, let alone exceed sales targets. Without the right sales processes and tools in place, even the best salespeople can't achieve their full potential.

Chicken soup for the sales process

The cure for an ailing sales process is simple – streamline, integrate, and automate. A high-quality customer relationship management (CRM) system will simplify your sales process, seamlessly share data across the company, and eliminate duplicate data entry. The result… 

• Pricing, demand planning, and revenue forecasting are more accurate using clear sales analytics
• Management and salespeople know your most profitable customers and the best revenue potential across regions, subsidiaries, and partners
• Better contracts are negotiated through a better understanding of the impact on your margins
• A real-time view of deals makes pipeline management proactive
• Lead, account, and territory management is optimized through effective contact management
• The right people are brought in at the right time using intuitive collaboration tools
• Key functions across the organization (e.g., marketing, invoicing, purchasing) are aligned with sales through shared access to accurate data
• Customer faith is restored through fewer errors and by demonstrating that you understand their business
• Automated alerts notify you if a key performance indicator (KPI) goes off track

Takeaway – An integrated CRM system helps you close more deals with less effort

If your sales process is ailing, you need to assess how well your CRM platform is serving your organization. A fully-integrated system will remove roadblocks that are preventing your sales team from achieving their full potential.

Useful links related to this article

> Whitepaper (CSO Insights) - Improving Sales Effectiveness in a Buyer’s Market

 

Next month's article

Unlock your sales potential in 2013 (part 2): Sell more to existing clients

When thinking about increasing sales, there's no better place to start than your current customers. This is where a good CRM system can pay for itself.

Article coming December 30 - enter your email address in the Stay Informed box on the right to automatically receive it.