KARA Sales 4.0
Sales Performance Optimization
Actionable Guidelines To Improve Your Bottom Line
Executive Summary
Sales 4.0 parallels Industry 4.0 in that it enables businesses to align their organization more strategically with critically important, leading edge, AI enabled digital marketing, sales management, and finance processes and technologies. From product or service launch, to entering a new vertical or territory, Sales 4.0 will quickly help you form the right plan and generate results. Sales 4.0 optimally positions a company for tactical, predictable growth. At KARA, we guarantee it!
10 things every sales manager should know about sales performance:
01. A full two-thirds of all Sales Rep’s miss quota.
02. More than half all SR’s close at less than 40%.
03. The best SR’s are 250% better at qualifying leads.
04. 40% of SR’s cannot correctly diagnose client pain.
05. Only 46% of SR’s think their pipelines are accurate.
06. 50% of all Sales Teams, do not have Playbooks.
07. Only 52% of SR’s can assess key players.
08. Align Sales and Marketing to add 25% to quota achievement and 15% to win rate.
09. Make the competition a part of your strategy to increase sales by 39%.
10. Enabling Sales to contribute to marketing strategy shows 15% revenue increases.
Sales management is the lifeblood of your business, as essential as oxygen for survival
Root causes of poor sales
• Organizational inertia
• Incorrect type of sales activity
• Poor selling techniques
• Not enough sales activity
• Marketing inconsistent with sales effort
• Poor understanding of marketplace
Symptoms of poor sales
• Sales activity without results
• High frequency of quotes that do not turn into business
• Lost leads
• Inordinate amount of sales time spent doing demonstrations
• Hot leads turn cold
• Losing customers
Hidden Costs
• Visibility challenges: A solid system of leading indicator oversight is required to head off performance issues
• Employee attrition: The #1 reason cited on exit interviews is poor direct leadership
• Staff under-performance: If nothing is measured or managed, what is getting done?
Sales Performance Excellence
Strategic Development
ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT
1
• Current state custom benchmarking report of salespeople, process & systems
• Review of lead generation efficiencies
• Tech audit of CRM, Social Media, AI Tools
• 1.5-hour discussion, 1-hour review and recommendations of actionable next-steps
2
PROCESS DESIGN
• Recommended technology & lead gen upgrades
• Sales Process + Pipeline Model + Mgt System = PRSP
• Proven Repeatable Sales Process Blueprint (PRSP)
• Pipeline model options
STRATEGY & COACHING
3
• KARA onsite to train, install and monitor PRSP
• Keep existing team intact, real-time 1:1 coaching & gently change behaviors toward high-impact activities
• Rising tide, Process/People, Freedom from dependence on superstars
PEOPLE ASSESSMENT
4
• Neutral perspective of strengths and weaknesses
• Individualized outside assessment of teams & members
• Recruitment & hiring as needed
• Training & reinforcement as a retention tool
SALES 4.0 IMPLEMENTATION
DEVELOP THE ROADMAP:
• Determine People, Process & Technology strengths
• Rank, advise, correct weaknesses
• Improve sales targets and pipeline models
• Design appropriate sales incentives
• Change or add marketing plan
• Set daily/weekly/monthly sales activity plans
• Follow up on those plans
INSTALL SALES 4.0:
• Align technology to sales processes
• Position the team for unprecedented success
• Maximize time in customer facing activities
• Thoughfully automate. McKinsey’s research shows that up to 30 percent of repetitive sales activities can and should be automated
MEASURE THE IMPACT OF PROCESS:
• High performing salespeople perform better than average salespeople in the short-run but average players will outsell in the long run if they use a repeatable sales system
• A true sales system will lessen reliance on high-price high-baggage superstars and create an ever-lasting sales machine. Rising tide lifts all boats. Elevate C players to B players, B players to A players.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT:
• If executive leadership isn’t invested in the sales process and building the team in measurable ways every day, you’ve identified a core issue
• A recent survey showed 91.2% of business owners feel they are under-investing their time in the area of sales execution management
Sales Best Practices Audit
Benchmark your sales system, tools, people, and practices against the best performing sales organizations
Custom benchmarking report of salespeople, process & systems • Review lead generation efficiencies • Tech leveraging, CRM, Social Media, Tools • 1.5-hour discussion, detailed report, 1-hour review and recommendations of actionable next-steps
Improve Sales Management
Assess skills, provide 1:1 Coaching along with training
Create a sales pipeline model, manage to it, create a culture of success and accountability so that sales become more predictable (shift from lagging indicators to leading indicators)
30% of an exceptional manager is worth more than 100% of a run of the mill sales manager
Increase Lead Gen Efficiency
Most companies under invest in some respects, over invest in others. Tool recommendations
Leverage Technology
Fully leverage the power of ever improving CRM, SEO, AI, and Social Media Tools
Manage to a Proven & Repeatable Process
Shift from dependence on the “rock stars” toward a scientific, process driven system where all reasonably talented members can excel (rising tide lifts all boats)
High performing salespeople perform better than average salespeople in the short-run but average players will outsell in the long run if they use a repeatable sales system
Improve Salesperson Performance
Align comp model to correct behaviors, which lowers the cost of sales
Studies confirm that the costs more than offset the gain in margin & retention. Imagine if your B & C players become A & B players
This lessens dependence on any single contributor