2. 2
Missing Revenue Targets
Declining Margins
Shrinking Market Share
High Seller Turnover
Inability To Enter New Markets
Inconsistent Marketing Messaging
High Cost Of Sales
Common Problems We Solve
3. 3
Identifies areas of strength and areas in need of improvement across sales
and marketing organizations
Typical activities include:
Review of sales strategy, structure, process, sales support systems, and roles
Interviews with a cross section of sellers, sales managers, sales executives, and sales
support personnel
Observation of sellers interacting with potential clients either in person or remotely
Customer Interviews
On line surveys to gather feedback from key leadership personnel and identify
strengths and weaknesses of selling skills across organization (14 critical skill areas)
Information would be compiled to produce an easy to implement roadmap
for immediate, long lasting improvement in revenues and margins
What Is A Sales & Marketing Assessment?
4. 4
Assessment Focus Areas
Strategy and
Marketing
Sales Support
Systems and
Tools
Sales Process
Seller Skills
and Behavior
• Solution Orientation
• Differentiators
• Go To Market Strategy
• Brand Marketing
• Product Marketing
• Lead Generation
• Automation Tools
• Sales Tools
• Social Media Usage
• Organization Structure
• Performance Management
• Recruiting and On-
Boarding
• Compensation and
Rewards
• Sales Process
• Sales Management
Process
• Planning Process
• Sales Culture
• Forecasting and Financial
Plans
• Selling Skills- Tactical
• Selling Skills- Strategic
• Seller Time Utilization
• Manager Skills
• Manager Time Utilization
5. 5
Typical Assessment Process
Interviews with Sellers, Managers, and Sales Support Personnel
Ride Alongs With Sellers and/or Mangers
Review Of Available Documentation About Sales Activities
Customer Interviews
Web Surveys – Skills Assessment and Organizational Assessment
9. 9
Sample Interview Guide
Topic Focus Specific Questions
Purpose
Let seller know the reason for the interview
session.
General Background Of Interviewee and role in
organization
Understand the seller’s role and personal and
professional background.
If a manger, role in organization?
Products
Determine what products the seller (or manager) is
involved in selling
Discuss the sellers role in each product line;
Sales Process
Have the seller discuss the typical sales process
from lead inception to close. Also, discuss
variations.
Take typical opportunity. Discuss of inception
(planning) to close. Who is called on? Face to face
or on phone? Access to power an issue?
Presentations given? Other resources involved?
Are proposals written? Are RFP’s part of the
world?
Non-Sales Activities
Discuss what, if any, non-sales activities the seller
is involved with.
Customer service? Administrative?
Automation Tools What, if any, automation tools are used? CRM?
Relationship With Manager
In general, how does the seller interface with his
or her manager?
Sales Training Experience And Sales Skill
What, if any, exposure has the seller had to sales
training methodologies? Are there specific skills
that the seller feels needs to be addressed?
What do sellers in general do well? What skills
could sellers improve upon?
Wage and Compensation
How is the seller compensated? (Base,
commission, etc.) Does the seller feel the
compensation plan incents proper behavior?
Performance Measurement
How is the performance of the seller measured?
Are there metrics in addition to achievement of
revenue goals?
Activity metrics?
Competition
Who does the seller compete against most often?
What strategies does the seller use to position
against competition?
Differentiators?
Marketing
What marketing activities or campaigns does or
the company use to support seller activities?
10. 10
Sample Assessment Heat Map
Strategy and
Marketing
Sales Support
Systems and
Tools
Sales Process
Seller Skills
and Behavior
• Solution Orientation
• Differentiators
• Go To Market Strategy
• Brand Marketing
• Product Marketing
• Lead Generation
• Automation Tools
• Sales Tools
• Social Media
• Organization Structure
• Performance
Management
• Recruiting and On-
Boarding
• Compensation and
Rewards
• Sales Process
• Sales Management
Process
• Planning Process
• Sales Culture
• Forecasting and
Financial Plans
• Selling Skills- Tactical
• Selling Skills- Strategic
• Seller Time Utilization
• Manager Skills
• Manager Time
Utilization
High Low
Score
Required Focus
Red – Address
Yellow – Monitor
Green – Model
11. 11
Findings And Recommendations
Upon completion of the Sales and Marketing Assessment, Lawson Associates will provide you
with a detailed report that outlines your strengths as an organization and highlights your
opportunities for improvement. Report recommendations will be prioritized and time lined so
you achieve maximum benefit in the shortest time possible.
In addition to the Sales and Marketing Assessment, Lawson Associates provides sales
consulting services in many areas. These services include but are not limited to:
Sales process creation and implementation
Go To Market strategies
Seller and management training
New hire profiling
Sales and Marketing alignment
Automation tool training and implementation
Productivity and efficiency strategy
Wage and compensation plans
12. 12
Sample Findings
Sales Support
Systems and Tools
Automation Tools - Findings
Salesforce.com (SFDC) in use by inside and
outside sales teams
Should consider migration to enterprise
version to enable easier app configuration
Quality of data in SFDC could be improved.
Review of 35 opportunity records revealed
improper stage coding on 15 records
May benefit from some SFDC add-ons such
as ‘Inside View’
SFDC forecasting should segregate ‘booked
business’ from projected revenue
attainment. Project revenue attainment
should be projected over at least six
quarters in SFDC
s Process
• Automation Tools
• Sales Tools
• Social Media Usage
• Organization Structure
• Performance Management
• Recruiting and On-Boarding
• Compensation and Rewards
13. 13
Sample Recommendations
Recommendation Specific Actions
1. Develop a formal hiring process for
new sales staff
Define competencies for each sales position
Consider hiring a recruiter to help fill staff positions
Develop more formal processes for resume screening and interviewing
Develop a formal talent assessment process for potential new hires
Develop a formal on-boarding and training process
2. Develop a formal sales process and
define methods for improving time from
contract to revenue and cross selling
Identify selling strategies – small trial/pilot versus exclusive contract
Identify add-on sales strategy and process
Develop Customer buying process
Develop more formal ACME Sales Process
Align existing 10 steps into 5 to 6 steps
For each step, identify activities, sales tools, verifiable outcomes, and yield probabilities
Align SFDC with the new sales process
Adopt the new language of the sales process in weekly account and opportunity reviews
3. Formalize the opportunity planning
process
Define what a key opportunity is in the ACME world (i.e. revenues > X, strategic, etc.)
Develop formal (but simple) opportunity planning process. Process should have
templates to analyze players in the opportunity, competitive strategies, and a formal win
plan
Develop a cadence for opportunity planning and communicate to the sales force
4. Better define and incent the role of the
Client Services in the sales process
Define sales and account growth expectations for Client services managers
Improve CSM sales skills
Modify CSM wage and compensation plan
Measure improvement in time to revenue and sale of tech docs and prosecution services
14. 14
Sample Project Schedule
TASK 1 2 3 4 5 6
Project Planning And Kick Off
Conduct Interviews
Conduct Ride Alongs
Conduct Customer Interviews
Conduct On-Line Assessments
Analyze Data And Build Report
Final Report Out
Week Number
*Timeline will vary depending on size of the organization
15. 15
Get the most out of your sales department. We want to help you create a more efficient and
disciplined sales force.
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