To say it’s difficult to get an entire company aligned to support the sales effort is an understatement. Social gravity seems to pull groups (departments) into silos with separate agendas, often times working at cross-purposes. You would think this problem would keep most CEOs up at night, but in many cases, the CEO is unaware of the level of dysfunction.
Adding to this problem, the Executive Team is typically a level removed from the detailed process work required to align the company to the sales effort. Sales Operations, in particular, the Sales Operations leader, is in a unique position to be a catalyst for cross-functional synergy.
The diagram below describes some of these relationships and associated processes that are essential for an optimal performing sales effort.
Let’s take Capacity Planning. The Sales VP has just been given a Quota from “above”, perhaps the CEO, the Board, maybe Exec Team consensus. Before signing on to this Quota, an enlightened Sales Leader will want to ensure the he/she has the resources (headcount, specific sales roles, T&E budget) to make the goal. The Sales Operations leader and Finance leadership then work together to develop a Capacity Model that ensures Sales can succeed. Factors to be considered: Total Sales Personnel Cost (including benefits) by role; Ramp time by role; Attrition assumptions; considerations for new product introductions. The guiding principle for this process and model is that this is collaborative and both Sales and Finance must agree on the assumptions and validity of the model.
So, what does it take for Sales Operations Leadership to be successful as an advocate and cross-functional catalyst for Sales? Here are some ideas:
- Sales Ops Leader must excel at developing relationships with counterparts in other departments to foster meaningful collaboration
- Beyond the relationship, the Sales Ops Leader needs to work with other departments to establish and make clear:
- Rules of engagement: clear definitions of roles, responsibilities and ownership
- Mutually agreed to definitions, processes and KPIs
- Service Level Agreements. For example, working with Marketing and product on a cadence and schedule for updated product presentations, competitive battlecards etc.
- The Sales Operations Leader needs the strong support of the Sales VP. These two are in many ways “joined at the hip” – think Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock. If there are areas of contention that the Sales Ops Leader can’t resolve, the Sales VP needs to assist at perhaps a higher level. The Sales Ops Leader also relies on the Sales VP for strategic guidance.
- The Sales Ops Leader needs to track, measure and manage all of the critical cross-functional processes on a consistent basis. Persistence and consistency matter – these can’t be ad hoc initiatives.
In sum, the right Sales Operations Leadership can have a major impact on getting the company aligned on the sales effort and ultimately improving the bottom line.