Heads of Sales Are Getting Back to Basics in 2017

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We speak with heads of sales every week. It’s what we do as a business. Here’s what we’re hearing out in the market…

The world ran to cool new tools, technologies, data, training systems, sales methodologies, and a series of experiments in the post-recession era. But rather than fixing the sales problem, it led to a convoluted sales process with too much to manage and a data mess.

Today, sales leaders are focused on getting back to basics in 3 ways:

    1. Organizational Redesign
      Everyone knows the buying process has changed and it’s now understood across the entire organization. Board teams and C-level teams are asking themselves, “Do we have the right skills for the right role in this new buying era? How do I redesign my organization to think through the kinds of skills we need?” As a result, companies are scaling down the number of field reps they have in the field and increasing the number of sales development reps on their inside sales teams.
    2. Process and Incentive Redesign
      The next category is sales process. A lot is being done to make the buying process easier on the customer. Steps are being taken to rework contracts, rework communications plans, and/or move from an annual-based revenue model to a monthly recurring revenue model. These changes are key in making it easier for customers to do business.
    3. Getting Better Data and Content into Workflow
      Lastly, getting back to basics means strategizing the workflow and process of the seller. Thinking through the selling motions of each salesperson and identifying coverage gaps across their territory is a huge priority for folks. Prescribing who, what, when and how to go after potential buyers has become extremely important.

At MarketBridge we believe getting back to basics is important – especially getting better data and content directly into a solid workflow. Having the right data and content is the only way to uncover critical information about your customers. With the right data and content, sales teams can maximize cross-sell opportunities, expand their coverage, and reduce the number of tech tools sales reps access on a daily basis. In our next blog, we dive into how data and content can guide sales reps to the most-likely buyers every single day. Stay tuned…