Rethinking Sales Pipeline Management Jason Jordan, Vice President & Partner Vantage Point Performance
Ancient Greek Scientists (a.k.a. Observers)
Fun with the Ancient Greeks Socrates Everything revolves around the Earth! Slide 3
Fun with the Ancient Greeks Anaximenes Everything is made of air! Slide 4
Fun with the Ancient Greeks Democritus There are atoms! (kind of) Slide 5
When Common Sense Is Your Guide Slide 6
Sales Management: The Neglected Science
Sales Management: Confined to Common Sense
Now the Sales Pipeline
What is a Pipeline? Slide 10
How Is It Used? Common Management Rhythm Su M Tu W Th F Sa
How Is It Used? Common Management Rhythm Su M Tu W Th F Sa
How Is It Used? Common Management Rhythm Su M Tu W Th F Sa
How Is It Used? Common Meeting Agenda Walk me through your opportunities
Common Meeting Agenda Common Meeting Agenda Walk me through your opportunities okay
It Would Appear that Sales Pipeline = Important Stuff
Just One Problem Common Sense Is at Work
Common Sense and the Pipeline (4 Easy Choices)
Choice #1 Which is better? BIG PIPELINE -- or -- small pipeline Slide 19
Common Sense Says BIG PIPELINE small pipeline Slide 20
Real-World Counterpoint Slide 21
Shape Determines How Big It Should Be in Sum Close Rate = 20% $35 million $10 million $2 million $20 million $10 million $2 million
Common Sense Is BIG small pipeline PIPELINE Slide 23
Choice #2 Where can a manager have the biggest impact on rep performance? HELP QUALIFY THE DEAL -- or -- HELP CLOSE THE DEAL
Common Sense Says HELP QUALIFY THE DEAL HELP CLOSE THE DEAL
A Typical Sales Pipeline Slide 26
The Perfect Sales Pipeline Slide 27
Bad Deals = Wasted Effort Slide 28
The Hard Truth Coaching has High Impact Influence needs and Criteria Dislodges Bad Deals Coaching has Low Impact Fate Often Already Decided Driven by Fun and Forecasting
Recall Our Rock Star Slide 30
The Superstar s Secret Sauce A Balanced Pipeline Management Approach Su M Tu W Th F Sa Late Stage Deals New Opportunities Late Stage Deals New Opportunities Slide 31
Less Junk = Less Funk Slide 32
Less Junk = Less Funk Slide 33
The Impact of Early-Stage Intervention Win Rates Training Conducted September 2010 71% 49% 54% 25% 37% 37% $ of Deals # of Deals Q1 2010 Q1 2011 Q1 2012
Common Sense Is HELP QUALIFY THE DEAL HELP CLOSE THE DEAL
Choice #3 What should be the primary focus of pipeline meetings? THE DATA -- or -- THE REP Slide 36
Senior Leadership Says THE DATA THE REP Slide 37
Observed: Constant Inspection of the Pipeline INSPECTION Focused on the data Scrubbing Extracting Short-term (or backward) focused Encourages sales rep compliance Required by manager, but low-value for rep Slide 38
Needed: Coach Reps through the Opportunities COACHING Focused on the rep Builds skills throughout deal pursuit On-the-Job Coaching Drives better near-term execution And has long-term impact Very time-intensive, but high-value for rep and manager
Eye Opening Survey Perceived Volume of Coaching Hours per Month Sales Manager <3 7% 3-5 55% >5 38%
Eye Opening Survey Perceived Volume of Coaching Hours per Month Sales Manager Sales Rep Gap <3 7% 56% + 49% 3-5 55% 32% - 23% >5 38% 12% - 26%
Senior Leadership can be (can be, sometimes, perhaps, maybe a wee little bit) INSPECT THE DATA COACH THE REP Slide 42
Choice #4 What is more important to monitor? HOW THE REP IS PERFORMIN G -- or -- WHAT THE REP IS DOING Slide 43
Common Sense Says HOW THE REP IS PERFORMIN G WHAT THE REP IS DOING Slide 44
A Little Research... 306 Sales Metrics Revenue Market Share Quota Achievement Pipeline Size Customer Satisfaction Call Outcomes Segment of Customer New/Existing Customers Ramp-Up Time Share-of-Wallet Deal Size Territory Coverage Customer Retention Skill Level Up/Cross-Selling New/Existing Product Tool Usage Call Volume Process Usage Coaching Prospect Type IT Investment Time Allocation Call Type Account Plan Completion Training Investment Number of Accounts Training Type
What Can You Really Manage? The outcomes of multiple objectives and cannot be managed Objectives that can be influenced, but require some type of consent Salesperson and manager activities that we can proactively direct and manage
Why this is a Breakthrough... Cause and Effect New Customers Sales Activities - Individual decisions that are highly manageable
Why this is a Breakthrough... Cause and Effect New Customers Sales Activities - Individual decisions that are highly manageable
A Predictable, Manageable Chain of Events
Sales Management s Critical Task Identify the Results you want to achieve Select and quantify the BEST Objectives to obtain those Results Link the Objectives to relevant Activities, then measure/manage the Activities relentlessly
We Live in an Outcome-Focused World
Common Sense Is ATTEND TO HOW THE REP IS PERFORMIN G ATTEND TO WHAT THE REP IS DOING Slide 52
In Sum 1. Smaller Can Be Better 2. Focus on the Front 3. It s about Improving the Rep 4. You Can Only Manage Activities
Parting Thoughts
Vantage Point: The Science of Sales Management Focus On Sales Management Thought Leadership through Research McGraw-Hill 2012
Vantage Point: The Science of Sales Management Sales Methodology Neutral SPIN Selling Miller Heiman Challenger Strategic Selling Home Grown Solution Selling Target Account Selling Process The First Sales Management Methodology Metrics Strategy Skills Tools
The Company We Keep...
Go Be Extraordinary!
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