SAP Executive Insight
Best Practices of the
Best-Run Sales Organizations
Sales Opportunity BlueprintingWhy are we talking about blueprints? After all, blueprints are used in the construction of buildings, highways, or airplanes - providing a plan of action for pulling together complex materials and steps to successfully accomplish a project.
No one would compare sales activities to construction. But we can say that deciding where to direct our time, energy, and assets can be a difficult decision, a decision that may mean the success or failure of the company. That's why some of the most proficient and effective sales organizations today use a "blueprint" to evaluate their sales opportunities and create the best chance for success.
Leadership teams in today's strongest sales groups have discovered best practices to achieve exponential results. This SAP Executive Insight looks at leading-edge companies and examines how they excel in areas where most sales organizations struggle.
To move your sales team to the next level, you need answers to the following:. H ow do you determine which customers provide the greatest opportunity for a successful sale?. C an you develop and present a comprehensive view of your value position to a prospect?. H ow do you drive sales activity to ensure optimal coverage?. W hat is the role of IT and talent management in driving a best-run sales organization?
2 SAP Executive Insight - Best Practices of the Best-Run Sales OrganizationsEXECUTIVE AGENDA
At a Glance
Determining the Right Customers ..Make customer data visible to sales ..Qualifying the business to understand teams via a centralized customer data- the opportunity both by products and Sales managers and sellers are continual- base that supports internal communica- financial viability.ly challenged to increase their sales vol- tion, sales team strategy, and execution ..Qualifying the opportunity to under-umes and margins in a growing and ..Quantify the value your customer stand the value for both companies. dynamic market. Sellers are routinely gains from the relationship with your How does it fit into each company's stretched to broader territories and prod- company in comparison to the cost of competitive landscape?uct lines. Determining which customers your product ..Developing the sales strategy based to pursue and qualifying your customers ..Analyze the information from sales on a comprehensive understanding of are essential steps for effective sales teams to dramatically improve the com- the customer, the opportunity, and the activities. But how do you know which pany's understanding of both the cus- effect of the opportunity on the selling customers to focus your effort on? tomer and market company. Furthermore, what resources are needed to achieve success?A recent benchmarking survey conducted Blueprinting the Sales Cycleby Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG) Continuing to Excel Through and SAP shows that the greatest gap Best-run sales teams are effective at Talent and Processesbetween importance and actual perfor- determining who their best prospects and mance is in the area of opportunity man- customers are by working effectively with Developing sales skills to better under-agement and activity management (see their customer contacts to build a broad stand and evaluate the customer is a diffi-1Figure 1). information base on customers. cult task for all companies.
To determine which customers to focus Essential elements in the sales cycle Many of today's best-run sales groups on, you should: blueprint include: focus their sales training on:..Analyze the territory to quantitatively ..Qualifying the contact to understand ..Internal processes such as forecast-determine where your best opportuni- how to best approach the opportunity. ing, pricing, and supply chainties exist What is the contact's buyer type? How ..Sales tools like customer relationship ..Blueprint the opportunity to gain a are buyers evaluated in their perfor- management (CRM) and price and mar-greater understanding of the customer mance, and how can the seller match gin management (PMM)and potential opportunity the sales strategy to the buyer? ..Customer and opportunity evaluation to develop a demonstrated need, ready market, and the ability to provide a sol-id return on investment for both partiesImportance Actual performance ..Business and financial acumen... [download for more]
