The document explores the efficiency of sales organizations, emphasizing the importance of alignment between sales and marketing to effectively convert prospects into clients. It details a structured 4E process for engagement and highlights the necessity for innovative communication channels while leveraging key performance indicators to measure success. Ultimately, it concludes that successful sales organizations excel in execution and innovation, recognizing the need for empowering prospects rather than merely selling to them.

1. TABLE OF CONTENTS
 Efficiency of Sales Organisations
 Efficiently converting Prospects to Clients
 Aligned Sales & Marketing: 4E-Process
 Choosing Communication Channels
 Key Performance Indicators (KPI´s)
• Problem - Sales Quota
 Summary
Sales Performance

2. Efficiency of
Sales Organisations
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)
Mission
Leadership
Organisation
Focus & Targets
Success Criteria &
Reporting
Target oriented salary
(teams/single persons?)
References
Values
Sustainability
Integrated business
processes (end to end)
>> Ability to Execute Sales Processes >>
Focus on present
sales model,
future questionable
Little ability to innovate
and execute sales
processes, company
jeopardized
Strong ability to innovate
and successfully execute
sales processes and
projects
Innovative sales
approaches, insufficient
ability to execute,
sustainability
questionable
Actionable CRM + Social
Media + Analysis
Knowledge about
Competitors & Markets
Customer Journeys and
Touchpoints known?
Innovation Plan
Coaching Processes
Content & Creativity
Relationships &
Coalitions
Employee Engagement
Customer Engagement
Collaboration
Vision
>> Ability to Innovate Sales Processes and Projects >>

3. Efficiently converting Prospects to Clients
Marketers Wishful Thinking
Evaluate
Targets
Engage
with
Prospects
Empower
Prospects
Execute
Plan jointly
Aligned Sales & Marketing Effort
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)

4. Efficiently converting Prospects to Clients
The Real World:
Linear Sales
Pipeline!
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)

5. Efficiently converting Prospects to Clients
You can´t control customers journey -
But you can be the Lighthouse to inspire their way.
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)

6. Aligned Sales & Marketing: 4E Process
1. Evaluate
Markets & Communities
Target Accounts
Target Roles
Target Contacts
2. Engage
Listen & Learn
Relate & Attract
Connect, share Vision
Be patient
3. Empower
Listen & Learn
Share Content, Coach
Discuss
Build Trust to Act
4. Execute
Same Vision & Mission
Joint Action Plan
Proof Product /
Solution
Proposal & Order
LEAD Win People! OPPORTUNITY

7. Aligned Sales & Marketing: 4E Process
• Leads (= Business cards)
• Qualify Market, Need-Solution Fit, Upselling Potential, …
• Sales Project (focus on winning people)
• Engage and Empower Buying Center -> Results in RfP
• Ongoing Qualification Process
• Volume reflects Sales Potential
• Relevant for Sales Management (sales activity forecast)
• Opportunity (=solicited proposal)
• Proposal on SOLICITED Request for Proposal (RfP)
• Relevant for Management Board (business forecast)
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)

8. Choosing Communication Channels
Communication Channel Recipients impression / Engagement Advantage Disadvantage
Mailing Might be categorized as
advertisment and sorted out or
thrown away.
Available to everybody. Expensive, read rate can´t be
calculated.
Telephone (not
scheduled, cold call)
Very disturbing, no chance to
prepare, no information about
caller. Doesn´t fit in agenda.
Direct realtime interaction. Requires availability of person
called , very expensive and time
consuming for both caller and
person called . Inefficient.
E-Mail Unsolicited. Can be read at a
convenient time. Difficult to find
information on sender, company or
product using search engines. ?
Low cost, read rate can be
calculated. Easy to reach large
number of recipients.
Might get lost in junk mail
folder or unread mail.
Social Media Easy to get impression on partner,
networks, interests, references,
company and products.Full control.
Reading when it´s most convenient.
Engaged contact, transparency,
basis for networking and
individual offline interaction.
Success rate can be calculated.
Dependency on networking
platform.
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)

9. Choosing Communication Channels
Experiences:
• People don´t like cold calls
• Do you like getting cold calls?
• People like info and full control
• Good chances for successful contact
requests with elevator pitches focus
on recipient´s interests
• Interest on relevant Info and Content provided via Social Media way higher
than pure e-mailing campaigns
• Way higher interest in scheduled phone calls after contacting via social media
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)

10. Efficiency in Collaboration & Communication
Suitability in Sales Suitability in Management Suiteability in project
management
a) Develop
commonalities
 Perfect, allows alternate ways
 Good for dominant
contacts («leaders»)
Perfect, allows alternate
ways
Ok, possibly too time
consuming
b) Compromize Good in negotiations (win/win) Good in negotiations
(win/win)
Good when win/win
c) Coaching, asking
questions to motivate
developing solutions
 Good, requires open &
super relationship
 Contact gets a sales role
(internal risk)
Good, requires open &
super relationship
Ok
d) Teaching / preaching
(«consulting disease»)
Very dangearous,
better avoid

Good, when teacher acts
independent
Ok
e) Force No-Go Turn Around Turn Around
f) Lie No-Go No-Go No-Go
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)

11. Efficiency in Collaboration & Communication
And the Winner is…
…the Sales Team
developing/maintaining
a relationship against all odds
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141031205127-2184825-why-is-persistence-rewarded?trk=object-title

12. Efficiency in Collaboration & Communication
The Joint Action Plan
Realistic expectation
• The prospect/customer shares information
about the buying cycle
– People and interests involved
– Success criteria
– Schedule, Milestones
– Purchasing process requirements, …
Unlikely to happen…
• The prospect/customer does what you want,
just to your benefit (quarterly sales quota, …)

13. Key Performance Indicators (KPI´s)
Use exact metrics for Engagement
• Leads and Sales Projects
• Individual or Team achievements
• Number of leads
• Number of Sales Projects, etc…
• Milestones reached in Sales Projects
• Opportunities & Engagement Ratio
• Number of prospects contact attempts
in opportunities
• Number of own contact attempts in
opportunities
• Weighted value of proposals
Challenge results with Gut Feeling
• Communication in sales process
Was it better, the same, or worse?
• „Estimated“ Chance to win (%)
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)

14. Key Performance Indicators (KPI´s)
• How to predict Proposal Success Rate
1 Communication Prospect
• Chance = X X 100%
Total Number Offerors Communication Offeror
Optimum:
• Total Numer Offerors = 1
• Balanced communication offeror and prospect in both ways -> Engagement ratio (0% 100%)

15. Key Performance Indicators (KPI´s)
Problem - Sales Quota …
where is the right limit? Solution:
“There are only two tragedies in life:
• one is not getting what one wants,
• and the other is getting it.”
Oscar Wilde

16. Summary
1) Leading Sales Organisations have strong abilities to execute & innovate
2) Prospects buy – Offerors don´t sell
3) It´s an illusion, that Offerors control the Sales Process
4) Aligned Marketing & Sales offer the Chance to engage and empower
5) Use simple metrics to coach people for success
Rainer Tolksdorf (October 2014)