1. Sales Effectiveness
A Case for Solution-Sales Automation
2016

2. 1
Sales Effectiveness – A Case for Solution-Selling Automation
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................... 2
LEVELS OF SALES PROCESS .................................................................................... 3
SALES PERFORMANCE BASED ON LEVEL OF SALES PROCESS ................................ 4
SALES TALENT DEVELOPMENT THROUGH AUTOMATION ..................................... 8
SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 9
WHY OCCURRŌ? .................................................................................................. 10

3. 2
Sales Effectiveness – A Case for Solution-Selling Automation
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A new breed of sales organisation
Sales organisations which invest in training and development of their sales talent have
historically out-performed those that don't. In 2016 it's fair to say that nearly all successful
organisations now invest in some level of sales training and development whether effective
or not.
A new breed of sales organisations are now emerging that are outperforming even the
most ardent investors in sales talent and they don't necessarily spend the most on salaries,
CRM or training.
So what is it that distinguishes these new pioneering sales organisations?
They have been increasingly concentrating their sales investment in clearly defining
their sales process and how they dynamically monitor and provide continuous feedback on
their salespeople's prescribed sales skills.
This level of control and feedback has been made possible through the development of
'Solution-sales automation' which leverages existing CRM/ERP systems to cost-effectively
provide virtual reinforcement to sales people and managers anytime, anywhere.
The result?
Over 70% of sales people are achieving sales quota which have successfully implemented
solution-sales automation. Perhaps an even greater observation is the increase in sales
people achieving target who have historically been under-performers.
This study highlights mounting research and evidence from the world’s leading benchmark
research and advisory services firms. Research clearly revealing that investment in the
development of sales talent reinforced by solution sales automation, significantly improves
the ability of salespeople to close deals; and thereby meet or exceed their revenue targets.
This study also provides five fundamental attributes in the most successful sales-
effectiveness initiatives that facilitate the introduction of strictly enforced formalised sales
structures.

4. 3
Sales Effectiveness – A Case for Solution-Selling Automation
LEVELS OF SALES PROCESS
Four levels of sales process
In a study previously published in Harvard Business Review, almost all companies tend to
adopt one of four levels of adherence to sales process. To briefly summarise each:
Level 1 —Random process
A company may be perceived as being anti-process, though what they really lack is a single
standard process. Essentially, every salesperson does their own thing their own way.
Level 2 —Informal process
A company exposes their salespeople to sales training and indicates that they should use
these skills in their selling efforts, but that use is neither monitored nor measured.
Level 3 —Formal process
A company not only provides training, but also regularly reinforces the use of defined sales
skills (sometimes religiously). They conduct periodic reviews of the process to see how
effective it is, and then make changes based on that analysis.
Level 4 —Dynamic process
A company dynamically monitors and provides continuous feedback on salespeople’s
application of prescribed sales skills. The company also proactively modifies the process
when it detect key changes in market conditions.
This study reveals the direct correlation that exists between the level of sales process
adherence an organisation adopts and the level of sales performance it enjoys.

5. 4
Sales Effectiveness – A Case for Solution-Selling Automation
SALES PERFORMANCE BASED ON LEVEL OF SALES PROCESS
In starting to assess sales performance, the first figure we look at is the percentage of
salespeople who are meeting or achieving sales targets. The following graph summarises
the results from the study data.
We see that as sales reps move from Level 1 to 2, and 2 to 3, the percentage of salespeople
achieving their quotas increases, and then jumps significantly when they move from Level 3
to 4.
In looking to see what was contributing to this higher degree of sales success, we drilled
further into the data and compared the outcome of forecast deals between these four
groups. The following table shows the results of that analysis.
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
Level 1 -
Random
Proccess
Level 2 -
Informal
Process
Level 3 -
Formal
Process
Level 4 -
Dynamic
Process
59.9% 62.2% 63.7%
71.8%
Percentage of Reps Making Quota Based on Level
of Sales Process

6. 5
Sales Effectiveness – A Case for Solution-Selling Automation
The interesting trend is that as companies get more focused on sales process, the win rate
of forecast deals increases. The main contributor to this improvement in performance is
that competitive losses decrease.
And we also see that when companies get to level 4, the rate of ‘no decisions’ start to go
down as well.
We looked at one other set of metrics that helps point to why sales results improve based
on the level of sales process.
The second table we will share shows the percentage of salespeople who are actively
adopting the sales skills they have been taught consistently as they pursue new deals.
At Level 1 there are no companies reporting sales skills process adoption rates because
there is no process to adopt in the first place. But as salespeople move to Levels 2, 3, and 4,
we see that the percentage of companies reporting that at least 75% of their salespeople
are consistently/regularly using their sales process, sales skills adoption rates go from
25.4% to 52.9% to 84.8%.
The findings point to the high value of ensuring that salespeople consistently apply skills
after they learn them. Conducting training without a post-course strategy for how to
reinforce and enforce the sales process will significantly reduce the return-on-investment
companies generate from their training investments.

7. 6
Sales Effectiveness – A Case for Solution-Selling Automation
[Source HBR 2015 – ‘What top sales teams have in common in 5 charts’]
The HBR study shown above concluded that 50% of high-performing sales organisations
have sales processes which were closely monitored, strictly enforced or automated
compared to just 28% from underperforming sales organisations.
The study concluded that 48% percent of underperforming sales organisations indicated
they had non-existent or informal structured sales processes compared to only 29% from
high performing sales organisations.
A further HBR study ‘Companies with a formal sales process generate more revenue’
reinforced these findings and revealed that there is “a direct correlation between effective
pipeline management and strong revenue growth.”
Companies that had a clearly defined sales process, trained sales managers on proper
sales pipeline management, and spent at least three hours a month on sales pipeline
management “saw 28% higher revenue growth.”

8. 7
Sales Effectiveness – A Case for Solution-Selling Automation
Ventana Research complements HBR’s findings with “Inconsistent sales execution” topping
the reason cited by sales leadership for failure in meeting or exceeding revenue growth
expectations:
Weaknesses in Sales
A final trend where the enforcement and automation of strict sales process is providing a
significant competitive edge is highlighted by The Bridge Group’s ‘Sales Development 2016
– Metrics and Compensation Research Report’.
According to this recent study, the average tenure of Sales Development Reps (SDRs) is
1.4 years. This is down from nearly 2.2 years in 2014. For the first time in the history of
the report, SDRs are being hired with less experience than ever: today’s SDRs have fewer
than two years of experience, with an average of 1.3 years.
Four times as many companies are hiring reps with “less than 1-year sales experience” in
2016 as did in 2010.

9. 8
Sales Effectiveness – A Case for Solution-Selling Automation
SALES TALENT DEVELOPMENT THROUGH AUTOMATION
In benchmarking Level 4 firms, specifically in regards to their sales effectiveness initiatives,
the following five characteristics were common in all:
1. Sales Goals/Training Alignment: First, we see that training is directly aligned to the
company’s sales goals. For example, if the firm is focused on closing new accounts
then training skills courses on prospecting are a priority. If avoiding discounting is a
key objective, then education is provided on selling value. Or, if the emphasis for the
year is penetrating existing accounts more deeply, then the focus for training could
be on cross-selling/up-selling. The key point is that training is related to clear
business objectives that have an ROI associated with them from day one.
2. Training Customisation: Secondly, because these companies want the skills taught to
become part of a salesperson’s daily workflow, the courses are adapted to fit the
company versus expecting the company to adapt to fit the courses. This makes it
easier for reps to understand and see the value of what they are being asked to
learn.
3. Focus on Selling Skills: Thirdly, while product training will always be needed, Level 4
companies realise that prospects typically conduct significant online research before
meeting with a salesperson and, as a result, are no longer reliant on the salesperson
for information. So, the primary focus of these companies’ training initiatives is on
improving the selling skills of their salespeople so that they can have meaningful
business dialogues with prospects.
4. Manager/Rep Coaching Commitment: Fourthly, in addition to training salespeople
on how to use the skills, managers are also trained on how to reinforce them through
effective sales coaching. Once the initial training sessions are completed, managers
provide their salespeople with ongoing sales coaching in order to ensure that they
are applying the new sales skills on the job.
5. Virtual Reinforcement Through Automation: Finally, these sales organisations are
leveraging the power of technology to cost-effectively provide virtual reinforcement
to salespeople and managers. Anytime, anywhere, reps and managers can access
Internet-based courses and tools to review training concepts. (e.g. Deal Catalyst
Solution Selling Automation for CRM) – Solution Sales Automation

10. 9
Sales Effectiveness – A Case for Solution-Selling Automation
SUMMARY
With the rapid rate of change that sales teams are experiencing each day; new product
lines, enhancements to existing offerings, changes in the competitive landscape and higher
customer expectations, continuous invest in the professionalisation of sales has become
the norm. However, the gap in the return on an organisation’s sales investment is
increasing. The key is to ensure that the funds that are invested ultimately help move the
revenue dial.
Therefore, the more companies can bring science to the art of selling, the more effective
salespeople will be at closing deals. The new breed of successful sales organisations invest
directly in the level of sales process adherence, ensuring it is both formal and dynamic
through automation, via existing sales technologies.
With the average experience and tenure for new sales hires falling steeply, those that bring
this level of automation to sales will realise a far greater return on their considerable sales
talent investment. Consequences suffered by organisations with a more informal or
random sales process are increasing timescales for less experienced salespeople to make a
sales contribution and compounding levels of staff turnover.
Experts and practitioners point out that without analytics, sales organisations will continue
to struggle to grow revenues and optimise performance. In 2016, the tools and techniques
exist to gain control over the sales organisation and deliver more consistent processes,
messages, targets, monitoring and feedback vital to achieve sales growth success.
If you are creating the right tools, training, messaging and content and sales teams cannot
easily access them, then you are effectively fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
Furthermore, if you cannot track what is being used and how effective it is in helping sales
teams, the value of what you provide will diminish over time.
Today, businesses can no longer ignore the mismatch between what science knows and
what sales people do. The reality is that selling has become an exclusive club of highly
skilled professionals where there is less and less room for apprenticeship.

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Sales Effectiveness – A Case for Solution-Selling Automation
WHY OCCURRŌ?
Over the last 30-years, Occurrō has led the way in the formalisation of organisation’s
sales process with dramatic effect. Years in advance of mainstream published research
and findings, Occurrō was one of the first to recognise the immediate impact on sales and
early to pioneer the world’s first solution sales automation software. Today’s sales
leadership truly committed to consistent organisational growth are implementing sales
automation across the enterprise.
Occurrō is an established international sales consultancy, specialising in sales training, sales
process implementation and automation. We are pioneers in aligning businesses and IT to
improve sales performance.
Our extensive experience within business-to-business solution sales spans across Europe,
The Americas, Africa and Asia-Pac. Our clients range from small start-ups and SME’s
through to multi-national corporations. What unifies our clients is that they are bold and
ambitious leaders in their respective fields.
Our collaborative approach at a senior level creates empathy and in-depth understanding
of the on-going problems faced by business decision makers. As a result, we create practical
and innovative sales solutions which significantly enhance staff and business performance.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Our philosophy is based on an obsession to challenge and evolve stakeholders of core
business-processes. Our collaboration with our clients is as much about building
organisational capabilities as it is about developing individual skills.
Our relationships with our clients are based on a stakeholder mentality. We invest our time
extensively in understanding your business and take ownership of issues. We become part
of an on-going solution providing invaluable support to business managers and owners.
We build partnerships with our clients, working as part of their team, constantly challenging
and developing practical solutions to business critical issues.
We take immense pride in our ability to provide inspiration, direction and consistently
improve productivity and profitability of organisations globally through deliberate
development.

12. Pioneers in aligning businesses and IT to improve sales performance
+44 (0) 208 849 8120
www.occurroconsulting.com