Large firms typically have both a sales function, and a “sales force effectiveness” (SFE) function. With names like “sales operations,” “commercial effectiveness,” “revenue operations" (RevOps), or “sales excellence,” they provide direction and support to the sales organization, which remains focused on execution.
Corporate SFE functions require an unusual combination of strategic and tactical capabilities, and the professionals working within them often have unique backgrounds, skills, and career trajectories.
Practitioners interested in this topic should participate in the research (participants receive the full research report and summary data). Find the survey here: Corporate Sales Force Effectiveness research.
This research identifies the competencies important to corporate SFE functions at both the company and individual manager level. It prioritizes these based on importance, and identifies emerging competencies judged increasingly important in recent years. And, it benchmarks firms’ success in staffing, developing, and fielding the competencies required for an effective corporate SFE function.
