The document serves as a non-technical introduction to sales analytics aimed at business leaders, emphasizing the importance of understanding sales drivers, leveraging good data through a CRM, and utilizing analytics for performance management. It discusses how to analyze past performance, forecast future sales, and integrate predictive models while considering external factors. Ultimately, the document encourages a continuous cycle of inquiry, action, and analysis to improve sales outcomes.

1. Sales Analytics
A NON-TECHNICAL INTRODUCTION for BUSINESS LEADERS

2. WHY ANALYTICS?
know thyself
“A measure of honest introspection
is worth more than an immeasurable
pile of pontification.”
- Bill Purdin
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3. PICK YOUR PATH
Flat sales?
Flat Sales GROWING Sales
The difference between knowing what drives sales
and not knowing can be dramatic.
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
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4. FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPT
Basic Math
f(X) or Y = x1 + x2 + ... Xn
one or more x’s (inputs)
creates a Y (output)
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5. GO TO THE ROOT DRIVERS OF YOUR SALES
Build upon SOLID foundationS
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6. BEFORE ANALYTICS
start here
Without good data, you can’t perform good analytics.
(Garbage in, garbage out).
Use a good Constituent Relationship Management
(CRM) Platform to capture sales and customer data.
Still using pen, paper, and unkempt spreadsheets? Call
me for help.
Good to go? Ok, let’s go to the next slide.
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7. LOOK BACK
Begin WITH THE BASICS
A simple, multi-dimensional view of sales by these
‣ SALES (Y) variables will quickly show your big winners and
‣ PROFITABILITY (Y) losers.
‣ BY PRODUCT (X) Action Item: Ask “why” enough times to arrive at the root
cause of why some items perform better and worse
‣ BY REGION (X) than others. Could you pare back the losers and grow
upon the winners? Are there interdependencies?
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8. ouch!
Yay!
Instant information: The Best and the Worst
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9. LOOK FORWARD
What’s in your pipeline?
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10. LOOK AT TODAY AND TOMORROW
ANALYZE CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES
‣ OPPORTUNITY SIZE (Y) A simple, multi-dimensional view should show your
best and worst sales opportunities.
‣ OPPORTUNITY STAGE (Y)
Action Item: Are the opportunities in your pipeline
‣ BY PRODUCT (X) consistent with your past sales (first analysis)? What
opportunities match your biggest winners and losers?
‣ BY REGION (X) How different are opportunities by product, region,
‣ BY SALESFORCE (X) and/or salesforce (sales rep)? Why?
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11. Multiple Instant insights
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12. THE PEOPLE SIDE
WHAT DRIVES YOUR SALESFORCE?
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13. REAL TIME DASHBOARDS + SCENARIO ANALYSIS
ANALYZE PERFORMANCE + INCENTIVES
‣ SALES REP PIPELINE SIZE (Y) A live sales performance dashboard gives immediate
‣ ACTUAL SALES (Y) insight into salesforce performance. You can use this
data to predict possible results from adjusting
‣ BY OPPORTUNITY ATTRIBUTE (X) compensation structures.
‣ BY REGION (X) Action Item: Integrate live sales performance tracking
into your management routine. Work towards
‣ BY SALES REP (X) understanding individual strengths as they relate to
opportunities. Build incentives that drive people
towards your strategic goals.
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14. REAL TIME ANALYTICS
Manage performance, test scenarios
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15. RELATIONSHIPS AND PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS
Predicting the future
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16. HOW TO DEVELOP A PREDICTIVE MODEL
TYPICAL VARIABLES
Good forecasting models
GOOD ‘OLE
arise over time from a
R E L AT I O N S H I P S
I N D ATA
FASHIONED balanced approach utilizing
INTUITION
these inputs.
EXTERNAL
HISTORICAL
“MACRO”
I N F O R M AT I O N
FACTORS
Don’t forget to backtest,
check, and refresh.
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17. START WITH TREND ANALYSIS
STRAIGHT LINE
SALES
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
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18. WHAT VARIABLES AFFECT YOUR SALES?
VISUALIZE RELATIONSHIPS
It is very likely that a combination of variables will
provide a statistically significant basis for predicting
your sales.
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19. WHAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIPS?
IMPORTANT VARIABLES
Sales could have risen or dropped in your firm for a
very large number of reasons. Consider the
‣ promotions
relationship of these important variables from other ‣ pricing
areas that could have had an impact on your sales.
‣ brand awareness
‣ volume of advertising
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20. DON’T FORGET TO FACTOR FOR MACROECONOMIC AND COMPETITIVE FACTORS
The big PICTURE
Products have life cycles, competitors are, well,
competitive, and “it’s the economy, stupid.”
Conditions change, so should your model. It’s easy to
look at what you have internally and use that solely
for predictions. Sometimes sales drop or spike simply
because of factors outside our control.
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21. THOSE PICTURES SURE ARE PRETTY, BUT HOW DO I GET RESULTS OUT OF THEM?
ASK, Drill down, act, then analyze again
The previous examples are starting points, not
immediate solutions.
Analytics is an exercise of asking questions, finding
answers, devising strategies, deploying these, and
then doing it all over again.
That is, you have to translate insights into actions
then test, measure, and verify new results.
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22. BE CAREFUL ON HOW HUMANS USE ANALYTICS
use data wisely
"Most people use statistics the way a
drunkard uses a lamp post, more for
support than illumination."
Mark twain
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23. PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE
Lequire THANK YOU
new projects and customers
makes us HAPPY.
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24. WHO IS LEQUIRE?
JOSH LEQUIRE
I’m a husband, father, and nerdy guy who loves taking
data and making something really cool pop out of it.
There is real opportunity to give your business a big
boost, just by analyzing your data. I’d love to show
you how.
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