Comments on: What really drives an increase in the sales forecast?? http://www.jesubi.com/2009/12/what-really-drives-an-increase-in-the-sales-forecast/ Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:23:28 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Stuart Armstrong http://www.jesubi.com/2009/12/what-really-drives-an-increase-in-the-sales-forecast/comment-page-1/#comment-19 Stuart Armstrong Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:36:09 +0000 http://www.jesubi.com/?p=713#comment-19 Agree. Top of funnel metrics in a commoditized B2B IT/telecom world. When I first worked selling MITEL door to door, then at Digital, Arrow selling Novell, then Westcon, it seemed almost every VAR and/OR end user we contacted was a HPP high probability prospect, worthy of a funnel value. 10 contacts = .5 to 1 prospects. (45% hot rate on each telephone call or walk in). This had dropped a lot by the wimr I left Avaya in 2003. It seems that MOST ICT companies need large funnels, perhaps 500-1,000 companies PER REP (meeting their ideal customer profile) to net a decent flow of leads of which about 25% turn into closed sales. Even ERP, CRM etc "solutions sales" are not unique and MANY software companies are hiring Sr. "solutions" Reps, 10 yrs complexe sales experience - "must LOVE cold calling". This "activity" based old school management is removed from sales 2.0 reality. However many reps (65%) will call required the 4-5 hrs. per day x 110 days (to net 45 A leads @ 2.25 contacts/hr to reach a list of 1,250) IF they have the TOOLS> 1) CLEAN profiled list with IT contacts, emails, tel nos. (from Jigsaw, etc.) MARKETING has to supply this!!! 2) FRONT end prospecting leadgen tools (ie a basic spreadsheet or SFA that has company names, weblinks, contacts and BASIC fields to track CRITICAL CONTACT hits. (tel, email, FIRST conversations = A, B leads, 3) an EASY WAY to UPLOAD this csv. INTO the CRM system (for opportunity management every 2-3 days) Excel spreadsheet works OK, but jesubi seesm to have taken this a fewsteps farther! As in every auto factory there is a front end logistics area where raw materials are organized and work flow planned. My 2 cts from Canada. (productive Beavers up here!) Stuart Agree. Top of funnel metrics in a commoditized B2B IT/telecom world. When I first worked selling MITEL door to door, then at Digital, Arrow selling Novell, then Westcon, it seemed almost every VAR and/OR end user we contacted was a HPP high probability prospect, worthy of a funnel value. 10 contacts = .5 to 1 prospects. (45% hot rate on each telephone call or walk in). This had dropped a lot by the wimr I left Avaya in 2003. It seems that MOST ICT companies need large funnels, perhaps 500-1,000 companies PER REP (meeting their ideal customer profile) to net a decent flow of leads of which about 25% turn into closed sales. Even ERP, CRM etc “solutions sales” are not unique and MANY software companies are hiring Sr. “solutions” Reps, 10 yrs complexe sales experience – “must LOVE cold calling”.

This “activity” based old school management is removed from sales 2.0 reality. However many reps (65%) will call required the 4-5 hrs. per day x 110 days (to net 45 A leads @ 2.25 contacts/hr to reach a list of 1,250) IF they have the TOOLS> 1) CLEAN profiled list with IT contacts, emails, tel nos. (from Jigsaw, etc.) MARKETING has to supply this!!! 2) FRONT end prospecting leadgen tools (ie a basic spreadsheet or SFA that has company names, weblinks, contacts and BASIC fields to track CRITICAL CONTACT hits. (tel, email, FIRST conversations = A, B leads, 3) an EASY WAY to UPLOAD this csv. INTO the CRM system (for opportunity management every 2-3 days)

Excel spreadsheet works OK, but jesubi seesm to have taken this a fewsteps farther!

As in every auto factory there is a front end logistics area where raw materials are organized and work flow planned.

My 2 cts from Canada. (productive Beavers up here!)

Stuart

]]>