Listen up Chief Sales Officer. Take note CEO, marketing leader and CIO. It’s time that Sales Operations gets your undivided attention. They are uniquely positioned to improve the performance of your organization. Opportunity is ripe. Take advantage and sail ahead. Do nothing and risk running aground on the rocky shoreline.
Download the Leaders Guide to Sales Ops Enablement by clicking here. Find out if your company is maximizing the benefits this team can deliver.
There are multiple reasons why Sales Ops needs your attention now.
- Perspective: They have a ground-floor view of the essentials. Sales, marketing, IT, strategy, operations and customer service. Sales Ops hears it all and is involved in all in some way. They know how it fits holistically.
- Access: Although Sales Ops is within sales, they know all the people and the data. Constantly peppered by the field, they know how the organization really operates. When you need that summary report yesterday, Sales Ops is your go-to. Billing problems for a client, they can help get it corrected. Service issues, they have a line on resolution.
- Impact: Sales Ops directly influences performance of the sales team. Well-designed sales dashboards for reps and leaders. Efficient allocation of personnel. Territories and quotas that maximize output. Compensation that drives performance.
- Competence: Sales ops teams have the right people to get the job done. Often, sales, finance, marketing and IT professionals all converge in this group. Great sales ops leaders orchestrate these resources like no one else. Deployed correctly, this is like a Navy S.E.A.L. team to handle any situation.
- Timing: The opportunity is now. Two years ago might have been too early. Next year is certainly too late. The convergence of data, systems and processes needs your attention now. Buyer changes demand your action today.
Remove the Roadblocks
As a leader, you’re wondering what’s keeping you from getting more from this group. The most frequent obstacles can all be removed.
- People – Sales Ops needs to get great talent. Enable Sales Ops to pay well for their positions. Let them to design the team that’s suited to the challenge. This means hiring hybrids that have great technical ability and business acumen. Link some incentive to making the revenue goal. Valuable resources cost money.
- Data – This is when you get the CIO involved. Your sales ops team needs the right data. They need it on platforms they can use. IT has to provide the organization with a single, clear view of a customer. The time of CIO’s hiding behind the “Great Oz” curtain must end. IT needs to enable the commercial aspects of your business. Complex scoping documentation and bureaucracy has to go. The technology is there, delivering solutions can’t wait any longer.
- Trust: If you’ve given them the funding, it’s time to trust. Let them prove they can deliver and then let em’ go.
- Endorsement: Sales Ops needs your direct and visible support. When your Executive Committee meets, you need one version of the truth. Marketing and sales need alignment. With your support, Sales Ops can help achieve that. Endorse Sales Ops as the source of truth for commercial success. Back up your Sales Ops leader and the insight they deliver.
- Influence: Don’t let Sales Ops get trampled on. Shut-down that whining Sales Director that keeps complaining about some worthless, one-off report. Give Sales Ops the “air cover” they need to deliver lasting impact. Let sales management see that they carry weight in key decisions.
- Latitude: Often, Sales Ops isn’t given the freedom to develop new approaches. They are bogged down with tactical duties. Initiatives that are done because “we’ve always done it this way” require reevaluation. Throw out the status quo.
With the right people, tools, support, and clout, Sales Ops can transform the organization. Imagine the possibilities. Buyer Persona research living in your CRM. Delivering dashboards in 20% of the time. Conducting predictive analysis to find better prospects. Providing a holistic view of customer performance and related interactions.
The list goes on and Sales Ops is positioned to deliver. But without your direct and focused support, they can’t do it. Invest the time and resources – the return will impress the most jaded CFO.
Consider this an S.O.S. from Sales Ops. Answer with speed and foresight and set a new
course. Ignore it and watch your competitors sail by.
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