Process Flow, Before Sales 2.0 – 10 Ideas To Improve Productivity Without Technology

By Marci Reynolds, Sales Operations Blog

Here are some fun stats… In 2009, on average, sales representatives achieved only 52% of quota, sales departments achieved only 79% of plan and most companies do not plan to invest in more sales training or technology in 2010. To add to the fun, most companies plan to raise sales quotas in 2010 by 10% or higher. (Source: CSO Insight’s 16^th annual, Sales Effectiveness Research Project, 3,000 participants.)

Yikes! I learned about these statistics last week in an excellent webinar called “Strategies for Sales Success in 2010”, which was facilitated by Jim Dickie, the Managing Partner from CSO Insights and Gerhard Gschwandtner, the President of Selling Power magazine.

The three key messages from the webinar were:

From 2007 to 2009, sales teams have progressively performed worse against achievement of quota and achievement of plan.
Most companies plan to raise quotas in 2010.
Companies that invest in sales 2.0 technologies will achieve better performance than companies that don’t. They defined Sales 2.0 as “the use of sales practices enabled by technology to improve”. (Check out my earlier blog post titled, “Sales 2.0, a buzzword that every sales leader must know”.)

While the webinar was in session, we were encouraged to text message questions and comments. About 30 minutes in, I sent the following note, “This is great information. But, shouldn’t companies define their current and future state processes first, before adding technology.” Gerhard saw my note, and read the question to the webinar audience. Jim Dickie responded, that yes, companies should do a process audit before adding technology.

I am a huge fan of technology and my husband often calls me a geek (in a loving way, of course), but I strongly believe in “process flow, before sales 2.0”. And, perhaps it’s my Six Sigma Greenbelt talking, but we need to understand the root causes of productivity issues, before we can look for solutions.

How can you help reverse the challenging, sales attainment trends from 2009? How can you drive better sales productivity without jumping to a technology solution? Here are 10 ideas:

Become an expert in your “current state”: considering people, processes, technology, data and the work environment. Get 360 feedback to truly understand what’s working and where the roadblocks are.
Prioritize the work. Start with and spend the most time on the best sales opportunities.. usually the 20% that drive 80% of your sales. Ask your friends in Marketing to help with “sales modeling”. (Check out the High Probability Selling methodology.)
Stop work that does not directly contribute to sales achievement. How many cross-functional or strategic projects are sales personnel focusing on in addition to generating sales?
Consider work schedules. Are sales reps selling at the best, most productive times, or do they have a standard 9 – 5 schedule, Monday- Friday?
Ramp up sales coaching and skills development. Require sales supervisors to be more visible and hands on. (Check out “Sales Manager Effectiveness, the Key To Sales Productivity“)
Examine sales compensation plans. Do they need a makeover? Are they driving the correct behaviors?
Evaluate whether noise, interruptions and/or the seating arrangements are negatively impacting productivity.
Empower sales managers and reps to make more decisions. Remove the rubber stamps.
Investigate the admin and customer service work that sales reps spend time on. Can work be delegated to other departments? Are there too many steps in existing processes? Find ways to streamline and speed up non-selling activities.
Ensure that your sales policies are clearly documented, communicated and enforced. Without policies, Reps and managers will spend too much time dealing with “one offs” and adjustments.

What other ideas do you have for improving productivity, without jumping to a technology solution? Please add your comments…