Having a lot of deals is great, but accelerating them can be a problem for many sales teams. But hey, that’s why we have sales enablement – check out these 10 tips for accelerating opportunities and driving the bottom line.

1. CHECKLIST
10 TIPS FOR ACCELERATING OPPORTUNITIES
AND DRIVING THE BOTTOM LINE
Marketers have traditionally been charged with
generating high-quality leads for the sales team.
Modern marketing teams are now partnering with
sales to move as many opportunities through the
pipeline as possible.
Alignment between the marketing and sales teams
is crucial in ensuring that the investments made
in developing leads actually result in revenue. IDC
Event Flash reports that 10% of annual revenue is
lost to sales and marketing misalignment.
Many companies are dealing with new hires,
shifting territories and product launches, making
it difficult to quickly ramp up to meet revenue
initiatives. The average company deploys 2.6
different sales methodologies, according to IDC’s
Sales Barometer Survey. And, only 46% of forecast
opportunities end up in the win column, 30% go
to the competition and 24% result in no decision,
according to a CSO Insights survey.
with content and resources that address
their needs.
Marketing departments have to develop trustworthy
and unbiased content at all stages of the process.
In the B2B 2013 Content Preferences Survey, 61.6%
of survey respondents said that “sales heavy”
content is a problem.
The marketing department has to create content
to help salespeople converse with prospects
about industry trends and identify situational
selling opportunities.
3.
Make it easy to find the right resources.
With a central hub for all of the content,
subject matter experts, sales sheets and other
information, marketers can serve up the right
information to support the sales team’s efforts
to accelerate opportunities.
Here are 10 tips for sales teams to utilize
when accelerating the sales cycle:
In many organizations, salespeople rely on a
customer relationship management (CRM) system
for all of their daily activities.
1.
4.
Prioritize the right leads.
All leads are not created equal. According to
MarketingSherpa, 61% of B2B marketers send all
leads directly to sales, while only 27% of those
leads will be qualified. A lead scoring system jointly
developed by marketing and sales can improve
lead conversion and accelerate the sales cycle.
Meet buyers where they are in the
buying journey.
A buyer may have attended a webinar, visited
the web site and downloaded a white paper before
ever talking to a salesperson. Corporate Executive
Board estimates that 57% of the purchase decision
is complete before a customer even contacts
a supplier. Because buyers are coming to the
2.
Bring intelligence — not just product
conversation more educated than ever, marketers
information — to the table.
need to prep the sales team to be ready to
The sales and marketing teams need to collaborate connect with buyers at whatever point they
so that the salesperson is presenting the buyer
are in the process.
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2. 5.
Develop processes that can be applied
in multiple situations.
Flesh out scenarios for different types of buyers
and different industries to address key concerns
and objections. Groups of buyers and buyers at
similar points in the buying journey often behave in
similar, predictable ways.
SiriusDecisions calls these “observable outcomes,”
and defines them as measurable, verifiable actions
or responses from a buyer. For example: Has the
buyer identified a budget is available? Has the
buyer provided decision criteria? Did the buyer
schedule a follow-up meeting for a demonstration?
6.
Adapt to different selling situations.
While being adaptable seems to contradict point
No. 5, people still buy from people and every
purchase has its own set of requirements.
7.
Foster a collaborative relationship
between sales and marketing.
Communicate efficiently and effectively.
The salesperson has just one shot on that first
call to capture the attention of the buyer. Marketing
and sales have to work together on the right
materials to ensure that the first call, and future
calls, are productive.
Speed of response is also essential. According
to research conducted by Dr. James Oldroyd,
Ph.D., the chances of entering the lead into the
sales cycle increase 21 times if called within five
minutes of the sales rep receiving a message from
the buyer compared to 30 minutes.
10.
Don’t end the interaction once the deal
is signed.
Check in with current customers to see how their
needs have changed and what challenges they
are facing.
As marketing looks to improve the lead conversion
process and sales looks to accelerate the sales
cycle, responsibilities are blurring. The goal is more
closed deals.
8.
9.
When a company’s sales processes, sales tools
and sales training are in sync when and where the
sales team needs them most, they can accelerate
opportunities and drive greater revenue. To learn
more about accelerating the sales cycle, visit
www.savogroup.com.
Become a trusted advisor.
Buyers don’t need sales reps to spout the features
of their product, as they have already done as
much as 70% of their research online before
engaging with a salesperson. Buyers are looking
for partners who understand their industry and its
particular challenges. Vendors who support buyers
by providing subject matter experts and other
resources will have an edge.
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