Resources

Planning plays a crucial role when sales forces implement change, but few sales organizations plan effectively. This makes many slow to respond to market shifts, and poor at implementing transformational initiatives. Organizations effective in sales planning, on the other hand, are faster to market and more nimble. They reorganize and...Read more

Recent SMA research details the impressive productivity advantages enjoyed by sales forces with effective organization cultures. But many managers overlook the importance of aligning sales processes and culture. Poorly designed and supported processes can unwittingly undermine salesperson motivation and engagement, and contribute to salesperson burnout, disaffection, and churn. This web...Read more

Each year, salespeople receive performance objectives that quantity "how much" they're expected to sell. What's often missing is guidance on "how" they'll make their number. Choosing how, where, and with whom to focus selling effort are decisions that define a salesperson's or sales team's success, but rarely are well supported with data, decision tools,...Read more

Analytics inform a growing number of management decisions, but not all managers are well equipped to lead in the age of analytics. It's a competency gap acutely felt in the sales organization, a firm function typically slower than others in adopting analytics-based management. However, this is changing quickly in high-performing...Read more

Another in our instructional series on sales operations topics, this session focuses on strategies for measuring and managing sales force activity, capacity, and workload. It surveys the various ways managers gain insight into what salespeople do, and offers managerial decision frameworks that ensure salesperson effort is put to the best...Read more

Estimating potential at the market, segment, territory, or customer level is critically important for sales organizations. By correctly sizing potential, sales forces are better able to deploy resources, set achievable goals, and measure performance. This webcast addresses aspects of market potential estimation that are most important for sales leaders and...Read more

Sales organizations are often distinguished by culture – the unique set of values, traits, and characteristics that seem to define their salespeople and approach to selling. This research investigates the impact of culture on sales organization effectiveness. It focuses on how companies value sales culture, their approaches to defining or...Read more

The well-known maxim, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” is especially applicable to sales organizations. Sales forces with robust, performance-based cultures wield an advantage over peers based on their ability to attract, motivate, and retain the best sales talent. Just as strategy requires updating in response to changing circumstances, maintaining a...Read more