Sales Behaviors Study - PleinAire Strategies · As part of CSO Insights 2016 Sales Performance Optimization Study (SPO)*, we asked the sales executives taking part in the survey to

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Sales Behaviors Study - 2016 Trends Analysis

Sales Behaviors Study 2016 Trends Analysis





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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all of the sales executives who shared their insights around the challenges their sales teams face in today’s

exciting world of sales. Without their support and insights, the development of this research knowledge base used to create the

Sales Behaviors Study 2016 Trends Analysis would not be possible.

As part of our mission to provide sales leaders with strategic analysis and decision-making support, CSO Insights leverages the

questions and data set of the 2016 Sales Best Practices Study to share highlights and trends into today’s selling organizations. Our

analysis is leveraged by sales leaders, globally, to refine strategies to improve the performance and productivity of their sales

teams.

We would like to thank Barry Trailer, Kim Cameron, and Anne Petrik for their contributions to this report as well as our editing

team whose hard work, diligence, and endless hours made this project possible. Thanks to Paul Maxwell, Diane Hodges, PhD,

Melissa Paulik, and Andy Jesmok.





Table of Contents

Sales Behaviors Study Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1

2016 Trends Analysis Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1

Trends Analysis: Use Sales Analytics to Measure and Predict Sales Performance ................................................................................... 4

Have an Effective Funnel Management Review Process to Drive Sales Force Effectiveness .......................................... 7

Sales Managers Are Held Accountable for the Effective Use of Sales Tools and Resources ......................................... 10

In an Average Month, Managers Definitely Spend Adequate Time Coaching Each Salesperson .................................. 12

We Have Relationships and Dialogues With the Highest Executive Levels in Strategic Accounts ................................. 15

Our Organizational Structure Allows Us to Easily Adapt to Customer’s Changing Needs ............................................ 17

Sales Channels Used in Go-to-Market Strategies in 2015 ........................................................................................... 20

Use of eLearning in Our Organization Significantly Improves Salesperson Productivity .............................................. 23

Effectively Leverage Mobile Applications to Improve Salesperson Productivity ......................................................... 25

Social Media is a Highly Effective Tool to Identify Decision Makers ............................................................................ 28

Behaviors that Drive World-Class Sales Performance ................................................................................................. 31

About CSO Insights .................................................................................................................................................... 32

Copyright © 2016 MHI Global. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this report may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the


Page 1


Sales Behaviors Study Introduction

The data used for this analysis were gathered as part of CSO Insights’ 13th annual Sales Best Practices Study. To date, this research

effort collected input from over 1,500 respondents worldwide, collecting information on 70+ selling and sales management

behaviors. Each year the analysis of the Sales Best Practices Study identifies the strategic issues in business-to-business (B2B) sales.

These issues are complex questions that require research, data, perspective, and knowledge for sales leadership of an organization

to be able to answer within the context of their organization. By addressing these issues effectively, sales organizations are able

to produce consistently superior results.

New to this year’s Sales Best Practices Study is the Sales Behaviors 2016 Trends Analysis, where our team has identified a select

set of behaviors driving sales excellence today by reviewing best practices observed in global sales organizations we work with as

well as through our analysis of emerging trends in B2B sales.

2016 Trends Analysis Introduction As part of CSO Insights 2016 Sales Performance Optimization Study (SPO)*, we asked the sales executives taking part in the survey

to share what percentage of their sales force met or exceeded their quotas for 2015. Looking back at that metric historically, the

figure hit an all-time high in 2011 at 63%. Since then, it has been trending downward, coming in at 57.1% last year. In the face of

that decline, what did sales organizations do in terms of setting revenue targets for 2016? We found that 92% of those companies

raised targets for this year.

For those of us who have lived in the world of sales for any length of time, this action should not come as a surprise. Investors

expect, if not demand, that the companies they invest in achieve growth, and we owe it to them to deliver on that expectation.

But there is another constituency that we owe something to as well: the sales organization. Simply expecting sales teams to “work

harder” has a finite end point, as there are a fixed number of hours in a work week. When we raise revenue goals, we should also

be telling our sales teams what we are going to be doing to help them achieve those goals: what we plan to do to help them “work

smarter.”

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/special-report/2016-sales-performance-optimization-study-key-tren



Page 2


Since 2003, analysis of the Sales Best Practices Study has assessed the effectiveness of the actions and attributes of sales teams as

they engage customers. By gathering input from 1000+ global sales professionals each year, we have been able to establish a

foundation for benchmarking organizations against world-class sales performers based on vertical industry, geography, and top

performers. This report, the Sales Behaviors 2016 Trends Analysis, is a report derived from the Sales Best Practices Study.

In addition to this 2016 Trends Analysis, we will release the analysis that identifies the behaviors that drive World-Class Sales

Performance in May. In addition to qualitatively identifying the best practices that drive performance, our advisory board asked if

we could also use the data gathered to assess the value of “conventional wisdom.” As we discussed what they were looking for,

we started to identify areas where a growing number of companies are making investments in the “hope” of increasing the

effectiveness of sales teams. They wanted to know if the study data backed up these areas as worth considering, and if so, how

companies can optimize the success of those initiatives.

This request became the basis for the new Sales Behaviors 2016 Trends Analysis in which we look at the following ten topics:

Leveraging Sales Analytics to Better Measure and Improve Sales Performance

Improving the Funnel Management Process to Increase Sales Effectiveness

Increasing the Effective Utilization of Sales Tools and Content by Sales Teams

Optimizing Sales Management’s Coaching of Sales Professionals

Improving the Dialogues Between Salespeople and High Level Executives

Adapting the Sales Process to Better Align with Changing Customer Needs

Effectively Leverage Channels to Better Service the Marketplace

Finding New Ways to Optimize the Enforcement and Reinforcement of Sales Training

Better Enabling Mobile Sales Professionals to More Effective Engage Clients During Sales Calls

Leveraging Social Media to Support the Sales Process



Page 4


Observations and Insights

Sales organizations are often one of the most objectively

measured departments in a business. When judging

performance, it is the numbers that speak for success or

failure, and often this performance is binary. Did the sales professional, frontline sales manager, or chief sales officer make the

number? Either they did, or they didn’t. The use of analytics allows us to look deeper into the historical performance of the sales

organization, and with this information, model future performance or identify revenue opportunities.

In the Sales Behaviors Study, less than half of all respondents reported that their organizations are using sales analytics to measure

and predict sales performance. That is a drop of 10 percentage points from the 2015 study. There are no hard data to indicate

why the decline in the use of analytics year-over-year occurred. But one could read into this that purchasing an analytics tool set

alone is not the answer, and there is more to obtaining a selling advantage from analytics than technology. In the CSO Insights

blog post, Sales Operations: Strategic Issues 2016, we identified a challenge with analytical tools. These tools provide sales leaders

with exponentially more data than they have had in the past, and it's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Chief sales officers

Key Findings

Overall, the use of analytics has

notably decreased year-over-year.

Organizations that exceed quota

are more likely to leverage

analytics.

Analytics are most useful when

they drive action.

Use Sales Analytics to Measure and Predict Sales Performance

https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/december-2015/sales-operations-strategic-issues-2016-part-1



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should focus their analytical efforts on specific questions, such as: What sales activities lead to wins? What is the historical forecast

win rate? And then use the data to model their current pipeline to identify issues within the funnel and predict future performance.

When we looked at the use of analytics from the perspective of respondents who exceeded, met, or missed quota, there was a

substantial difference in the use of analytics between the three groups. Over half of the respondents who exceeded quota used

sales analytics to measure and predict sales performance, as compared to 40% of respondents who missed hitting their quota.

This gap represents an 11.8% percentage point difference between the two groups.

What are the organizations that are exceeding quota doing with analytics that others are not? Analytics provide the ability to

calculate historical trends. By leveraging the data and using them to model current pipeline, organizations can identify potential

issues with their pipeline or forecast while there is still time to do something about it. For example, the analytics may indicate that

the number of new logo customers in the forecast is disproportionately high as compared to past quarters. The sales leadership

team can alert the legal staff to be prepared for a higher than usual volume of contract work and place more resources on the

new opportunities to close them earlier in the quarter, reducing the risk to the quarter. Analytics allow organizations to identify



Page 6


and anticipate obstacles to meeting quota, so it is not a surprise that organizations that use this tool are more likely to exceed

quota.

In our CSO Insights online briefing, Using Analytics to Enable High Performing Sales Teams, we covered three specific applications

of analytics: prioritization, coaching, and change management. For example, not every account or opportunity is the same, and

analytics can help sales organizations prioritize their focus. Analytics can reveal non-obvious characteristics of vertical markets,

accounts, geographies, stakeholders, problems, and competitors and identify those areas where the team has an existing inherent

advantage. Prioritizing a team’s efforts in areas where there is a strong competitive advantage is another way to meet or exceed

quota.

Analytics can bring more data to the desk of chief sales officers than ever before. To turn the data into information, sales leaders

must specifically focus their analytics programs on areas that will enable them to exceed quota.

http://www.brainshark.com/csoinsights/vu?pi=zGezpREMUz35Lwz0&tx=SBS



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Effectively and efficiently managing a sales funnel is a

critical process. The scope of the funnel management

process ranges from the demand generation activities at

the top of the pipeline to the final disposition of opportunities at the bottom of the funnel. How efficiently a sales organization

manages the funnel will dictate the number of sales professionals required and the associated cost structure. How effective sales

professionals are in managing opportunities in the funnel will determine the success or failure of the sales organization. In the

Sales Behaviors Study Trends Analysis, 71% of the respondents indicated that their funnel management review process was “good

enough” (Neutral to Strongly Agree), and this response has changed little from 2015 when the figure was 70%.

At first glance, this finding might suggest that the funnel management review process may not be a primary area of concern for

chief sales officers, and perhaps there are other areas they should focus on. But as we looked more deeply into this behavior, we

found areas of concern that indicate respondents might be overly optimistic about the capabilities of their funnel management

review process.

Key Findings

Sales leaders are optimistic about

their funnel review process.

Forecast win rates do not support

this optimism.

Driving the right outcome is the

measure of the funnel

management review process.

Have an Effective Funnel Management Review Process to Drive Sales Force Effectiveness



Page 8


In the CSO Insights 2016 Sales Performance Optimization Study Summary of Charts*, we can see that respondents reported only

45.8% of forecasted opportunities closed, 30.7% were lost, and 23.5% were “no decision.” This suggests a failure of the funnel

management review process, as over a fifth of all opportunities ended in the customer not making a decision. An effective funnel

management review process would identify and cull opportunities where customers are not making a decision before the

opportunity reached a forecast. Also, if the funnel management process were functioning properly, CSOs should expect that the

percentage of wins within a forecast would, at least, be better than the odds of a coin toss—greater than 50%.

Let’s explore another data point to illustrate further how the funnel

management review process needs attention. As is shown in the

2016 Sales Performance Optimization Study Summary of Charts*,

we asked survey participants to assess the frequency with which

deals closed in the time frame originally forecasted. Only 37.2% of

respondents indicated that their processes met or exceeded

expectations. The majority felt that this was an area that needs

improvement or a major redesign. A disciplined funnel

management review process would be able to identify gaps in their

understanding of the customer buying process before the

opportunity reached the forecast.

These data points raise the fundamental idea that there is a need

for all sales organizations to have a funnel management review

process, as 70% of respondents indicate. But having a funnel review

process does not, by itself, equal success. The objective of the reviews is to identify issues and help drive results; this is the

measuring stick of success.

For example, a global multi-billion dollar manufacturer of tools and storage equipment needed to make sense of the data coming

out of its CRM system and develop one version of the truth across its sales force so that it could answer the question, “Are we

improving performance?” One aspect of the solution this company developed was a pipeline manager playbook. The funnel

management process started with frontline sales managers meeting individually with their team members. These one-on-one

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/special-report/2016-sales-performance-optimization-study-summary

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/special-report/2016-sales-performance-optimization-study-summary



Page 9


sessions focused on four pipeline management metrics: growth, health, movement, and change. The outputs of the meetings

were rolled up to the next level of sales management, and finally to the chief sales officer. The effect of the consistently focused

pipeline manager playbook was that it motivated the right manager and sales behaviors while driving efficiencies in the process.

The business impact was that the total pipeline amount decreased by 35%, while overall closed revenue increased by 47%, thus

driving both efficiency and effectiveness in the funnel management process.



Page 10



The role of sales managers cannot be valued highly

enough. Frontline sales managers (FSMs) have to be leaders, coaches, and business managers while simultaneously navigating

the dynamics across the customers, business, and people areas. They have the most important role in every sales organization,

especially when it comes to sales execution and transformation. If execution and adoption don’t happen on the frontline, they

don’t happen at all. This makes FSMs indispensable linchpins.

Because of this role’s relevance to sales performance, they are also held accountable for the sales force's effective use of resources

and tools. Two-thirds (66%) of the participants agreed on holding sales managers accountable for the effective use of sales tools

and resources by the sales force; 14% answered neutral, and 20% disagreed. These results are comparable to the previous year.

Executing this behavior requires FSMs to be aware of the complexity of their role and to coach and lead accordingly.

Key Findings

Majority of sales managers (66%)

are held accountable for the

effective use of tools and

resources.

Top barrier to FSM effectiveness is

the lack of specific FSM

development programs.

Concept of FSM triangle helps to

develop a case for FSM

development.

Sales Managers Are Held Accountable for the Effective Use of Sales Tools and Resources

https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/july-2015/what-driving-licenses-have-to-do-with-fsm-developm



Page 11


The complexity of the FSM’s role is represented by the FSM triangle.

The FSM triangle is equilateral, which means all sides have the same

length and are of equal importance. Navigating the dynamics of all

three areas (i.e., customers, business, and people) is the key to an

FSM’s effectiveness, good decision-making, and successful coaching

of salespeople. The triangle’s foundation is based on core principles

and values that work as a guideline across the triangle. This

foundation is about conscious collaboration and accountability*.

These elements are exactly the prerequisite for being successful with

this behavior. Details to this foundational concept are defined in the

Research Note Frontline Sales Manager Triangle*. The FSM maturity

model* and the FSM capability model are based on this foundational

concept.

Coaching and leading are not the entirety of the FSM’s complex role. FSMs also have to balance multiple top priorities at the same

time, as reported in our CSO Insights 2015 Sales Management Optimization Study. Improving lead generation was reported to be

the top priority (47.9%), followed by improving the ability to show strategic benefits and value (34.7%), and improving the ability

to increase customer loyalty (32%). Then, other priorities followed: optimizing the sales process (28.3%), improving coaching skills

(26.9%), improving the ability to reach people with power (25.1%) and reducing no decisions (25.1%).

Holding sales managers accountable for the effective use of resources and tools by the salesforce requires FSMs to be developed

and enabled with the skills to be accountable. But the reality is that most FSMs are poorly developed and enabled. The number of

organizations that have shifted their investment priorities from salespeople to their managers with dedicated FSM development

programs based on maturity models* and capability frameworks is still small. One of the rare exceptions is ADP, an organization

that focuses on the development of their sales managers. For details click here.* If an investment in one sales manager can impact

the performance of six, eight, or ten salespeople, why would a sales leader not prioritize the investment in FSMs over others? See

also Four Reasons to Invest in FSMs*.

https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/october-2014/what-triangles-have-to-do-with-frontline-sales-man



https://www.csoinsights.com/getattachment/74cd15f5-bf42-454a-a85c-b7fa2f6ec898/A-Culture-of-Accountability-Starts-With-Coaching.aspx

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/research-notes/2014/frontline-sales-manager-triangle

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/research-notes/2014/fsm-maturity-model


https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/december-2014/frontline-sales-managers-what-are-their-key-capabi

https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/november-2014/frontline-sales-managers-key-role-but-poorly-devel


https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/december-2014/frontline-sales-managers-what-are-their-key-capabi

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/white-papers/ken-powell-adp-ebook-interview

https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/july-2015/what-driving-licenses-have-to-do-with-fsm-developm

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/research-notes/2015/four-reasons-to-invest-in-sales-enablement



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The role of the frontline sales manager is one of the most

challenging roles in a sales organization. Based on the

concept of the FSM triangle, working with each sales professional on the team represents the people area.

Coaching in sales is a leadership and questioning technique that aims to develop each salesperson's full potential to drive

performance. Applied in a formal way, coaching can improve the win rate of forecasted deals by up to 9%. Vital but often

overlooked, coaching requires not only a coach but also a “coachee”—the salesperson who is accountable for applying the

committed activities.

We often hear, “…but we don’t have time for coaching.” According to our CSO Insights 2015 Sales Management Optimization

Study, it’s the quality of coaching time that makes the difference. The majority of respondents reported coaching between 30–60

Key Findings

Only 52% of sales managers spend

adequate time coaching their

salespeople.

Still discrepancy between tangible

coaching impact and time to do so.

Regular coaching enables sales-

people to exceed (56.7%) or make

their quota (42%).

In an Average Month, Managers Definitely Spend Adequate Time Coaching Each Salesperson

https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/november-2014/frontline-sales-managers-key-role-but-poorly-devel


https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/june-2015/getting-serious-about-sales-coaching



Page 13


minutes per salesperson per week. In a team with eight salespeople, that’s about one working day to be spent in the people area

of the FSM Triangle.

What’s the impact of coaching on quota attainment?

Based on our data, there shouldn’t be any excuse not to coach as it helps salespeople make or exceed their quota. We mapped

the participants’ answers to their quota attainment category (i.e., missed, met, and exceeded quota). The data clearly show that

those who regularly coach their salespeople (56.7%) enable them to exceed their quota, whereas those who don’t (52.9%) impede

their salespeople, and they end up in the missed quota category.

Now, let’s look at the different coaching areas. Most of the time, the FSM’s focus is on opportunity coaching, but all four areas are

relevant as they interact with each other.

Coaching on leads and opportunities is the main coaching area. The coach and salesperson look closely at a lead or

opportunity. The primary objective is to determine where the lead or opportunity is relative to the customer’s journey and to

define the activities necessary to move the deal forward. The key to success is that the earlier the coaching begins along the


https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/april-2015/how-world-class-frontline-sales-managers-coach-dif




Page 14


customer’s journey, the more value can be created. The outcomes of a coaching session are learning how to get better and

identifying the activities the salesperson needs to perform before the next session. Another result may be to stop investing

resources in a specific deal because it cannot be won.

Funnel or pipeline coaching builds on opportunity coaching. It can only be successful if clarity on an opportunity level has first

been established. Here coaching is focused on the structure of a salesperson’s or the team’s funnel. This requires

understanding the types of opportunities in the funnel, e.g., many small ones or big deals, their volumes, assumed close dates,

and specific stages and risks. Funnel coaching is a mandatory step to focus resources on the most valuable deals that can be

won and manage the funnel risks. Funnel coaching also helps salespeople assess how their funnel translates into their quota

attainment and how to improve their funnel performance.

Account coaching is often overlooked, but it is equally important if an account strategy is in place. Here, it’s all about mapping

the account strategy to the current achievements within an account (also from a customer’s perspective) and deriving

adjustments or changes to strategy, focus area, relationship development, etc. Account coaching sessions can be held

quarterly, or depending on the firm’s rhythm; twice a year can also make sense.

Coaching on skills and competencies is an area where FSMs should work closely together with the enablement teams. Based

on our CSO Insights 2015 Sales Management Optimization Study, improving lead generation effectiveness is sales leaders’ top

priority (47.9%), followed by improving the ability to show strategic benefit and value (34.7%). The ability to communicate

value messages requires FSMs to coach very early on leads and opportunities AND to coach in parallel on improving these

skills. The times when one value proposition was differentiating are long over. To create value for prospects and customers,

tailored value messages are the key to success—tailored to the customer’s journey phase, buyer roles, the business challenges

they want to overcome, and the goals they want to achieve. Enablement has to provide these value messages and the related

training, and FSMs have to coach regularly to reinforce what has been taught to ensure reinforcement and adoption.

To be effective in coaching, it’s essential that the customer’s journey is mapped to the internal processes and that the gates

between each stage are clearly defined. Then a coaching framework has to be provided that builds on this mapping result. FSMs

have to be taught how to coach in general and how to coach specifically with such a sales coaching framework. Overall, the better

the coaching framework and the more the FSMs are developed, the greater the impact on win rates and quota attainment will be.




https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/august-2015/dynamic-value-messaging-part-3-value-messaging-typ

https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/july-2015/dynamic-value-messaging-part-1-defining-messaging

https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/july-2015/dynamic-value-messaging-part-1-defining-messaging


https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/january-2015-(1)/what-are-the-main-investments-in-productivity-(1)

https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/january-2015-(1)/what-are-the-main-investments-in-productivity-(1)



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One of our favorite quotes from Zig Ziglar is, “If people like

you, they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do

business with you.” Trust is something that is earned, and in today’s world, doing so is more complicated than ever before. Our

2016 Sales Performance Optimization Study found that on average there are 4.1 stakeholders involved in making a purchase

decision. Each of those people brings their own unique agenda, so salespeople need to be competent at having effective personal

dialogues with each stakeholder to determine their individual needs if they are going to be able to demonstrate why they are

worthy of trust.

Above we see that two-thirds of the firms surveyed fall into the somewhat to strongly agree categories. On the surface, that would

appear to be a positive trend. But it begs the question, “What insights are the salespeople getting as a result of having dialogues

with those executives?” The results of our 2015 Sales Management Optimization Study raised a red flag that needs to be

understood and addressed relative to that question.

Key Findings

Minimal change in ability to

develop relationships with key

accounts.

Dialogues are not always

generating useful insights.

Best Practice: Include strategy

mapping and relationship mapping

in account planning process.

We Have Relationships and Dialogues with the Highest Executive Levels in Strategic Accounts



Page 16


In the Sales Management Optimization Study, we assessed how

effective salespeople were at meeting the needs of individual

stakeholders. The chart to the right paints a different picture than the

one on the previous page. Here we see that 56% of companies reported

they were not as effective as they need to be in relating what they

learned during meetings with key executives to the solutions they are

trying to sell.

This is why that is a red flag for us. When we looked at the win rate of

forecast deals as related to needs/solution linkage we found the

following:

Exceeds Expectations Group Win Rate: 64.2%

Meets Expectations Group Win Rate: 53.2%

Needs Improvement Group Win Rate: 45.1%

Needs Major Redesign Group Win Rate: 35.4%

So, how do companies get better at executing this aspect of selling? A best practice was shared by SAS, a trusted leader in analytics,

business intelligence, and data management. We Interviewed Jason Huckabee, Senior Director, SAS Global Talent Development.

He told us that it is a never-ending quest to always be innovating in terms of how SAS meets customer needs. While they felt they

were already doing a solid job of engaging key stakeholders within key accounts, SAS wanted to see if they could take that another

step further.

Jason overviewed a SAS initiative to provide a formal process for all account executives to use to identify key stakeholders within

major accounts, understand how they relate to each other, and to surface the specific goals they were trying to achieve. Based

this, account executives could determine the specific types of value-add SAS could bring to the table. As account executives started

to share the results of their strategy mapping analysis within the client companies, it wasn’t uncommon for their key contacts to

say, “I'd really like for you to talk to my manager or the CEO.” As a result of this initiative, account executives were able to engage

at a much higher level within the client organization than before. To view an online briefing of this initiative, click on the following

link: Sales Transformation in Action – SAS Case Study.

http://www.brainshark.com/csoinsights/vu?pi=zEez36DO3z35Lwz0&tx=SBS



Page 17



In a perfect sales world, companies would create a product, determine how to effectively position it in the marketplace relative

to the competition, price it correctly based on justifiable value, define the right sales messaging, and sell it in the marketplace:

wash/rinse/repeat, over and over again. But the real world of sales is a frail ecosystem, and the strategies and tactics that work

today may be ineffective tomorrow. The chart above illustrates that the ability to adapt to changes in customer needs varies

widely. While 35.7% (agree and strongly agree) of the companies surveyed view this as a core competency for their sales

organization, at the other end of the spectrum 27.1% (somewhat disagree to strongly disagree) see weaknesses in this area.

While adapting to changes in customers’ needs is important, other CSO Insights’ research shows that this is only part of the change

management equation. As part of our 2015 Sales Management Optimization Study, we asked the sales leaders to share the

magnitude of various changes impacting their sales organization. The following chart paints a fuller picture of the challenges facing

sales. Topping the list is change in customer expectations. But companies need to also be ready to adapt to changes in the

Key Findings

Many sales organizations are

finding it hard to effectively sell at

the speed of “change.”

Types of changes that sales teams

encounter come from a variety of

sources.

Best Practice: Formalizing sales

process improves a firm’s ability to

adapt to change.

Our Organizational Structure Allows Us to Easily Adapt to Customer’s Changing Needs



Page 18


competitive landscape. Customers are also being bombarded by changes in their marketplace; do companies understand what

they are? Lastly, three types of self-inflicted changes are apparent as companies enhance and expand their product lines. So how

do firms manage those changes?

In CSO Insights’ Anatomy of a World-Class Sales Organization, we profiled the four levels of sales process: Level 1 – Random, Level

2 – Informal, Level 3 – Formal, Level 4 – Dynamic. When we segmented the Sales Management Optimization Study data based on

the level of sales process a company adopts, a significant impact on change management effectiveness surfaced as seen in the

following table. Only 22.8% of the companies that have a random sales process are able to manage change effectively. This is not

unexpected, because how can companies easily manage change when they have individual salespeople doing their own thing? As

we then move up the relationship hierarchy, we see increases in change management effectiveness up to where 62.5% of dynamic

process sales organizations feel confident in managing change.

https://www.csoinsights.com/anatomy-of-a-world-class-organizaion



Page 19


Level of Sales Process as Related to the

Ability of Sales to Adapt to Change Random

Process

Informal

Process

Formal

Process

Dynamic

Process

Ability to Adapt to Change:

Exceeds Expectations 2.3% 2.8% 7.7% 14.1%

Ability to Adapt to Change:

Meets Expectations 20.5% 34.5% 46.2% 48.4%

Dynamic Process is the combination of a formal process and the systems needed to constantly monitor the process for early

indicators of change. We did a sales transformation project review of how CT Corp was able to integrate their sales process into

their CRM system, and in doing so were able to generate and manage KPIs related to sales performance on a real-time basis. To

learn more, click here to view the online briefing: Sales Transformation in Action Case Study - CT Corp.

http://www.brainshark.com/csoinsights/vu?pi=zGWzkApT1z35Lwz0&tx=SBS



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Channels are frequently used by organizations to expand

their reach and capabilities. Other reasons organizations use channels are that partners can bring expertise and experience that

might not be readily available in a direct model, and channels provide organizations with expense flexibility in markets with

frequent economic fluctuations.

No significant changes in go-to-market strategies are anticipated in 2016. The direct go-to-market data remain at 69% of the

responses, while in 2015 inside sales made up 12% and channel sales 17%. Although when we looked deeper into the replies we

do see a small shift in the go-to-market strategies toward indirect channel sales. We compared the go-to-market strategies for

businesses that exceeded quota to organizations that met or missed quota and we observed a shift—an average of 9.3 percentage

points—to the anticipated use of channels in 2016. Regardless of last year’s results, it seems all organizations are looking for more

from channels in 2016.

Key Findings

Vast majority of go-to-market

strategies utilize both direct and

indirect sales.

Successful channel programs focus

on driving partner behaviors.

Go-to-market strategies should be

designed around the customer’s

route to purchase.

Sales Channels Used in Go-to-Market Strategies in 2015



Page 21


We looked deeper into the results and found only 23% of organizations reported they utilized a 100% direct sales force go-to-

market strategy. Only 3% of organizations reported that their go-to-market strategy was 100% indirect channel based. These study

results indicate that a majority of organizations used a hybrid model of direct and indirect channel sales in their go-to-market

strategies. We asked Rich Blakeman, Managing Director, Channel Enablers and author of The Hybrid Sales Channel: How to Ignite

Growth by Bridging the Gap Between Direct and Indirect Sales, to explain what the organizations that excel in indirect channel

sales do differently.

Blakeman says that there are three areas that distinguish successful channel programs from others.

• Behaviors: Successful channel programs have shifted the compensation paradigm based solely on revenue, margin, or

partner tiers and made a move to measuring and compensating on the achievement of behavioral and change objectives.

These programs reward the partners that change to execute the right behaviors that customers need.

• Consistency: Successful organizations uniformly apply, equally and impartially, the rules of the channel program so

partners can anticipate and organize their business around the rules. When the program rules of the game constantly

change, the partner cannot always align its business model with the new business environment.

https://www.channelenablers.com/

http://thehybridsaleschannel.com/

http://thehybridsaleschannel.com/



Page 22


• Planning: The execution of a true joint business planning process with the partner is vital. Valid joint business planning

starts by considering first the marketplace, next the customer, then the partner, and finally the vendor. Both parties

participate in the planning process and are held accountable for the execution of the resulting initiatives.

Blakeman says there are three challenges facing organizations implementing channel programs.

• The ability to quickly adjust to the changing customer buying habits in the market. This adjustment to buying habits is

more difficult in organizations with an indirect channel as they do not have direct control over the supply chain.

• Implementing the change in compensation measures—from compensation based solely on revenues to rewarding

executing the right activities by the right channels in the right way.

• Eliminating the duplication of effort, inconsistencies, and conflict in markets between direct and indirect sales forces.

With a majority of study respondents indicating that they will use a hybrid go-to-market strategy of direct field sales and indirect

channel sales, it is key that the fundamentals of channel management are not lost. Blakeman concludes, “Vendors need to

remember that channels make decisions based on their financials, strategy and business model, not on the vendor’s. Vendor value

propositions need to be customized to include the value added by the individual partner. Go-to-market strategies are most

effective when they are designed to the customers’ route to purchase, not the vendors’ route to the sale.”



Page 23



According to our 2015 Sales Enablement Optimization

Study*, sales training is the most important enablement

service. “Sales training” is still the term that’s used in the industry, even if the purpose of training is learning. Sales training covers

a broad range of services such as product, skills and competencies, methodology and process, tool and CRM training, as well as

other associated training services as part of an onboarding program. Training services can be provided in a variety of ways—

classroom, webinar, eLearning, mLearning, one-on-one training with sales managers, gamification, simulation-based learning, etc.

We define eLearning as a training service that’s based on using electronic technologies to access training programs outside of a

traditional classroom in an interactive way. eLearning is based on a specific learning approach and is not a recorded presentation

that is available on demand. That is the difference between eLearning and webinars that are more focused on presenting a topic

and allowing participants to ask questions. Mobile learning, also called mLearning, is a subset of eLearning. It takes the eLearning

approach even further and is focused on providing the training or learning sessions on mobile devices.

Key Findings

eLearning as an established

training format ranked in fourth

position.

New data point in 2016, neutral to

positive perception of behavior.

Salespeople who make or exceed

their quota leverage eLearning to

drive their productivity.

Use of eLearning in Our Organization Significantly Improves Salesperson Productivity

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/special-report/2015-sales-enablement-optimization-study-key-trend


https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/january-2016/enablement-services-training-content-and-what-e



Page 24


How does eLearning rank across various training formats? The participants in our 2015 Sales Enablement Optimization Study*

ranked eLearning fourth. Classroom training services are still the most actively used training service (74%), followed by one-on-

one training with sales managers (71.4%) and webinar-based training services (58.2%). eLearning follows with 51% indicating that

it is already a well-established training format. All other training formats, such as mobile learning (17.3%), simulation-based

learning (9.2%), and gamification–based learning (7.1%) have yet to make their way to the top of the list.

This Sales Behaviors Study focused on the core question — how eLearning impacts salespeople’s productivity. As indicated in the

chart, 38% of the participants reported that eLearning increased salespeople’s productivity, whereas 27% answered with neutral,

and another 34% disagreed that eLearning was effective. Just looking at this data point is not enough to define a trend or analyze

causes. When we mapped the data to quota attainment, the meaning of this data point became clearer.

It’s interesting to see that those who exceeded their

quota agree with the statement that eLearning

improves salespeople’s productivity in notably higher

numbers (45.5%) than those who just met their quota

(33.9%) or missed it (35.1%). Then, it’s interesting that

the neutral statement is almost the same in all three

categories. It’s not surprising that the highest

disagreement comes from those organizations not

making quota (39.8%). Just these two numbers, 39.8%

disagreement in the “missed quota” category versus

45.5% agreement in the “exceeded quota” category

speak for themselves: eLearning services drive

salespeople’s productivity and help them achieve their quota. The advantages are obvious―salespeople don’t need to spend time

traveling to classroom training sessions and can access eLearning modules when it fits their schedules.

All of these elements contribute to salespeople’s productivity when the eLearning modules are thoughtfully designed, based on

proven learning methods, and delivered in a highly interactive way that keeps learners engaged.




Page 25



When iPads first hit the marketplace in spring of 2010, the initial buzz was primarily around how consumers could leverage the

platform. But by mid-summer, reports were surfacing about how 50% of the Fortune 100 were exploring the use of iPads, and that

number grew to 80% by the end of 2010. Sales was the functional area most interested, as the idea of having a mobile device that

salespeople could use to access information and sales content when they were with a customer sounded like the Holy Grail for

improving sales call effectiveness.

As cited in the 2016 Sales Performance Optimization Study, 73.5% of companies that have implemented a CRM system provide

support for salespeople to access corporate data and applications via mobile devices. Within those firms, two-thirds reported that

more than 75% of their salespeople are active users of mobile CRM. So what impact has all of this had on sales performance? In

Key Findings

Few sales organizations see mobile

CRM noticeably improving sales

performance.

While many companies support

mobile CRM, what they are doing

with the apps is very basic.

Best Practice: Develop robust

applications to optimize the way

salespeople engage customers.

Effectively Leverage Mobile Applications to Improve Salesperson Productivity



Page 26


the above chart, only 18% of the 2016 Sales Behaviors Study participants see mobile CRM improving sales productivity, down from

23% in 2015. So is mobile CRM another example of an over-hyped fad?

A closer look at the 2016 Sales Performance Optimization Study

data surfaced details on what salespeople are doing with mobile

CRM. The chart to the right summarizes the use cases. In

considering the top four items on the list, the thing they seem to

have in common is that they help salespeople easily access things

remotely. While useful, these tasks are not awe-inspiring.

But now consider the next five uses on the chart. Mobile CRM is

being used to help salespeople remotely perform specific selling

tasks such as conduct a needs analysis, configure and propose a

solution, and close and submit an order. If salespeople can

technology-enable the sales process steps they execute when

working remotely, they have the potential to increase efficiency

and effectiveness.

A case in point is a mobile CRM project we benchmarked on a medical products manufacturer. This company teamed up with one

of its distribution partners to develop a mobile CRM application to help the distributor's salespeople sell the manufacturer’s

examination tables by automating several key sales processes: the needs analysis, product overviews, and order processing. The

intent of the application was to give the salespeople access to a virtual product manager in a tablet. The app guided salespeople

through the conversation with a prospect—from needs analysis to education to solution proposal—by serving up the sales content

they needed based on the flow of the sales call. The project team tracked the usage patterns of 234 salespeople over a three-

month period and found that the active tablet users generated 400% more leads than those who opted not to use the application.

On a year-over-year basis, tablet sales increased by 240%, with 60% of the total sales derived from salespeople who hadn’t sold

any examination tables the previous year.



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The perception that mobile CRM is not having a significant impact on sales productivity may not be the fault of technology, but

rather what companies are doing (or not doing) with these mobile solutions. There are other use cases within industries such as

financial services, telecommunications, technology, etc., that show the true impact that mobile sales applications can have on

sales performance by serving up knowledge and insights at the point of face-to-face selling. Advisory services clients can contact

their CSO Insights analyst to explore how mobile CRM can transform the way their salespeople sell.



Page 28



Social selling is growing up. The data show that 52% of all respondents consider social media an effective tool for identifying

decision makers. The results are stable compared to last year, with a slight increase in the “agree” area. On the other hand, the

skeptics didn’t change. A third of the participants still disagree, just as they did last year. Several data points across our various

studies indicate that the tangible impact of social selling on sales performance is increasing year by year. But first, let’s clarify what

social selling actually means.

The term social selling is often considered and presented as the silver bullet to sales success. But there are no shortcuts to success

and no silver bullets to sales performance. Social selling does not replace the ability to sell, to create tangible value for prospects

and customers at each phase of their customer’s journey. Customers buy the value they can get from products and services, but

they don’t necessarily buy because they were approached via social media.

Key Findings

The use of social media is the new

normal, but there are still skeptics.

Salespeople who make (49%) or

exceed (52%) quota leverage social

media to identify decision makers.

Social selling needs to be

integrated in sales enablement

frameworks and services and

requires shareable content.

Social Media is a Highly Effective Tool to Identify Decision Makers



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Social selling is another skill that adds to the variety of ways (e.g., email, phone, personal, web conferences, and video) to engage

and connect with prospects and customers, based on social technologies and social networks. With socially active customers, the

social communications channel remains active throughout the entire customer’s journey.

This is where social selling has to become social engagement—a strategy that integrates social communication into all aspects of

customer management, along the entire customer’s journey. For details, refer to CSO Insights’ Research Notes Social Engagement:

Beyond Social Selling*, Social Selling: Increasing Adoption*, and Social Selling: Impact on Performance*.

There is an area where social engagement’s

usefulness is not disputed—identifying

decision makers via social media is fast and

effective and is related to sales

performance, especially to quota

attainment. We mapped the respondents’

information on quota attainment in their

organizations against how they execute this

behavior.

There is a strong trend that cannot be

ignored by sales leaders. Those who missed

their quota can be called the social selling

skeptics; they don’t leverage social media to identify decision makers (45.6%) in contrast to 26.3% who do. The trend changes for

those who met their quota. The majority indicated they leverage social media to identify decision makers (48.7%) versus 31% who

don’t. And the trend continues for those who exceeded their quota: 55% execute this behavior versus 28.1% who don’t. Social

engagement is not the silver bullet, but it helps salespeople achieve better quota attainment. The assumption is that they don’t

spend their time on unprepared cold calls and focus on fewer and better calls or email messages to the right prospects.

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/research-notes/2014/social-engagement-beyond-social-selling

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/research-notes/2014/social-engagement-beyond-social-selling

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/research-notes/2014/social-selling-increasing-adoption

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/research-notes/2014/social-selling-impact-on-performance



Page 30


Social selling and social engagement are more than leveraging social networks. And that’s why they require more from enablement

than tool-focused social selling training services*.This is how social selling was taught in the very beginning, but this kind of social

selling training is now ranked as very ineffective. In our CSO Insights 2015 Sales Enablement Optimization Study, social selling

training services were ranked with the highest need for major redesign (33.1%) and improvement (30.5%). Based on our analysis

and client experiences, social selling is not yet fully integrated into sales systems and enablement frameworks.

https://www.csoinsights.com/research-library/research-notes/2016/social-selling-the-key-to-effective-training



Page 31


Behaviors that Drive World-Class Sales Performance

The Sales Behaviors Study is a collection of best practices we have observed from top

performing sales organizations, as well as from monitoring the latest trends in what sales

leaders are doing to drive performance. Using the framework of the MHI Global Sales

System®, we look at effective customer management strategies tied to creating

opportunities, managing opportunities and managing relationships. We examine best

practices related to business management; how human capital is leveraged and developed;

the roles of technology, enablement and measurement; and finally the managers’ role in

accountability and execution.

For the past 13 years, data from this

study has provided our research

analysts with the ability to identify

the behaviors that are most closely associated with sales performance

improvement. In our next report, the 12 Behaviors that Drive World-Class

Sales Performance, we will look at the behaviors that are most statistically

relevant to driving performance. This analysis will help you focus your

attention on the best practices that have been found to improve revenue

performance. We’ll offer insights on areas that have the biggest pay-off, as

determined by our analysis of data collected from sales professionals all

over the world.



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About CSO Insights

CSO Insights is dedicated to improving the performance and productivity of complex B2B sales organizations. We measure

and analyze the behaviors, metrics, and strategies behind world-class sales performance, providing our members with the

research, data, and expertise required to build strategies for sales performance improvement.

With over 20 years of sales research experience, the CSO Insights team is comprised of respected analysts with decades of success

as sales practitioners and sales executives. This unique perspective, along with our wealth of sales performance metrics and

benchmarks, give us the exceptional ability to collaborate directly with sales leaders around the world to explore the best

practices, strategic trends, and next-generation capabilities driving sales performance.

Our research, data, and expertise help sales leaders create and execute strategies to find more, win more, and keep and grow

more business. CSO Insights’ annual sales and marketing effectiveness studies have become industry standards for sales leaders

seeking operational metrics, data, and analysis, most notably the Sales Best Practices Study, Sales Performance Optimization Study,

and Lead Management and Social Engagement Study.

http://www.csoinsights.com/

Documents

Sales Behaviors Study - PleinAire Strategies · As part of CSO Insights 2016 Sales Performance Optimization Study (SPO)*, we asked the sales executives taking part in the survey to