Categories: Sales Transformation
Industry trends show more sales leaders are counting on trusted third-party advisors to help them prioritize and implement sales initiatives that drive high-impact results.
Research conducted by the Aberdeen Group found that tapping third-party partners is a growing trend among successful companies. More than 42 percent of respondents in 2012 used customized coaching from third-party providers, compared to just 33 percent two years earlier.
Aberdeen surveyed more than 300 end-user organizations, asking about sales effectiveness and, more specifically, sales training deployment. Companies were best-in-class if:- More than 80% achieved quota
- 15.4% year-over-year increase in revenue
- 5.3% year-over-year increase in average deal size
Aberdeen’s study found was that among this elite group, 85 percent used a formal sales methodology, which they preferred to deploy from an outside third-party partner. An outside perspective can drive the measurable results you, as a sales leader, are trying to achieve. Here are two reasons why:
Benefits of Impartiality
As a sales leader, you may be so close to your organization's short-falls, it becomes difficult to pinpoint the areas where you can make the greatest impact. Or, you may know exactly what needs to happen, but have difficulty making the sell internally to your own managers. Outside experts bring impartiality to the process. Their subject matter expertise can help identify and address problems without any hidden agendas or biases, conditions nearly impossible to replicate in-house.
Your Success is Their Success
A third party needs you to thrive in order to sustain their own success. If they can’t provide references or proof of results, they aren’t going to be able to drive new business. They also have the benefits of executing patterns of success. They know what needs to be done to replicate the success they’ve achieved in other companies. True transformation partners are committed to your results.
When it comes to seeking the perspective of third-party partners in B2B sales organizations the stumbling block often is a belief that no outside expert could adequately understand the industry idiosyncrasies or company culture well enough to successfully bring about sales transformation. That’s why it’s important to find the right outside perspective.
Hear are four ways to find the right partner for customized sales transformation:
1. Don’t fix what isn’t broken
A true sales transformation partner should help you build on what you are already doing well, and at the same time, be able to draft-in to your current initiatives. Solutions that are customized and tailored will help build on your company’s current best practices, and drive change in the areas with the greatest potential in your sales organization.
2. A Plan for Alignment
The greatest sales transformation success comes when there is cross-functional alignment with strategy. Seek a methodology that will gather leaders from various departments of your organization at the onset, planting the seeds for buy-in and participation across the organization. Assembling a cross-functional team early will foster a vested interest in results, which in turn drives consistency of the overall transformation process.
3. Process Ownership
When executives own the process, they can drive the necessary results. Executives and managers should play an integral role in the content and the planning surrounding the initiative. This ownership also allows company sales leaders to analyze the value of the partnership on an ongoing basis, while ensuring continued engagements match your organization's culture and contribute to overall goals.
4. Measurement
Define how you are going to measure success with your initiative. Measurement should be built into the offered methodology to ensure you receive a comprehensive program that continually provides necessary feedback to benchmark success. If you’ve got a plan to measure results, you lay the groundwork for implementing true change and not one-off success.
The key to successful adoption of any sales strategy is a mindset, rather than a single action. The right mindset—or the wrong one— will affect reaction to design, development, delivery and reinforcement of any initiative. Do the work up front to find the right partner for your revenue goals. This due diligence will ensure you improve revenue and drive measurable results.
