Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Improving Sales Force Performance
Improving Sales Force Performance
IMPROVING
05
FORCE
SALES
Getting started 18
References 19
Published in 2008
By Ogilvy & Mather
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_ 58% of companies have not formally defined the steps of their selling processes.
_ 80% of those companies that have defined their sales processes have not aligned that process
with the customer’s buying activities.
_ 75% of companies still do not have an effective process for dispersing and managing leads.
Most that do have not integrated that process with their sales force’s opportunity
management systems.
_ 85% of companies do not have an integrated marketing and sales prioritisation and planning
process.
Source: Fixing the Marketing-Sales Disconnect, Bob Schmonsees. April 2005.
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_ A strategic framework.
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The information gathered in the discovery phase allows Sales performance strategies are then developed into
alignment strategies to be designed. These focus on plans to enable and improve the readiness, capability and
aligning marketing and sales within a framework that performance of the sales force. A combination of bespoke
ultimately results in a coordinated go-to-market plan solutions and proprietary products are deployed to leverage
making the most of sales opportunities. the efficacy of sales and marketing.
_ A roadmap with key milestones _ Simplified access to the relevant information — from
customer needs, through competitor information to
_ Aligned goals and KPIs objection handling.
_ Message optimisation
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_ Sales training and a closed-loop feedback process. It’s not a sales cycle. It is a buying cycle. And prospects
_ Incentive programmes that are aligned to sales targets and set the pace.
performance improvement.
One of the easiest ways to increase the impact of your In this phase, we provide nurtured ‘ready to buy’ leads to
the sales force. Proprietary demand generation software
marketing investment is to include sales as a key audience optimises a database of prospects and customers by
for every campaign. By providing your sales force with using triggers to release leads at the optimum moment
in their buying cycle. This process provides the added
the information and insights they need to move the value of identifying the prospects’ needs to identify
conversation from broad market issues to needs to the most appropriate solution to be sold or the best
customer up-sell or cross-sell opportunities.
specific products and services, you can speed the buying
cycle and improve the overall performance of your Processes are put in place to ‘market’ the leads once
they are passed to sales, to maximise the conversion.
marketing investment. The R.L. Polk study mentioned earlier found that 32%
of sales converted within 30 days, with the remaining
68% after 90 days. Dealers who employed rigorous
follow-up strategies were able to exploit the opportunity.
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You know your company is ready to benefit from Sales 1. Pharma Marketing blog — Fewer sales reps leads to
Acceleration if you agree with any of the following higher costs
statements:
2. Face to face interview with pharma rep
_ I am planning to make cuts in my sales force, but could
do with a more scientific approach to determine how 3. IDC — CMO research study
deep they should be.
4. CSO Insights 2007 Sales performance optimization
_ Retaining my best sales people is key, especially in the report
current trading environment.
5. OgilvyOne client example — Automotive
_ I am sure that our company would benefit from closer
collaboration between sales and marketing. Acknowledgements
_ I see our company running marketing campaigns and Sherri Leopard — Leopard Communications
sales plays — but they’re completely disconnected from Rowan Jackson — Change Masters International
each other. Richard Harris PhD — Change Masters International
William Fonvielle — Change Masters International
_ I know that all customers are not created equal, yet I
often find our sales and marketing activities treat them
all the same.
_ I don’t want sales creating their own sales presentations
and promotional material. They usually don’t look good,
plus it’s a waste of their valuable time — I’d much
rather they were out with prospects and customers.
_ Finding an inexpensive way to keep all our sales
opportunities nurtured until they are ready is an
attractive proposition.
_ I see an opportunity to beat my competition in
today’s market.
Contact us for a free, confidential consultation from For more information please contact:
which you can get a greater understanding of how Toni Lee, North America (toni.lee@ogilvy.com)
Sales Acceleration can help you close your sales and Paula Bernasconi, Latina (paula.bernasconi@ogilvy.com)
marketing gap. Serge Nicholls, Europe, Middle East/Africa
(serge.nicholls@ogilvy.com) or
Soames Hines, Asia Pacific (soames.hines@ogilvy.com)
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