It’s easy to conclude that success is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. After all, when we study people and groups who’ve done amazing things we can usually identify certain factors, inherent to the underlying situation and circumstances, which made those things possible.
In other words, we can clearly see that the “stars were aligned”.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, however, I would contend that these types of alignments are not at all rare or infrequent. As change is a constant, advantageous situations and circumstances are presenting themselves all the time. It’s like the stars are aligning every other week.
So it’s not just about being in the right place at the right time—because we’re actually in that place more frequently than we realize. To my mind, the real key to success is about recognizing when you’re in the right place at the right time and then making the most of it.
In the Crucial Sales Ops Concepts webinar, we discuss five major ways in which the stars have aligned for successful Sales Operations groups:
- LOCATION — Sales Ops’ position within the organizational structure allows it to be a functional interface for other departments, while also affording it the flexibility to be very tight with the sales team in some situations and more arms-length in others.
- LEVERAGE — As Sales Ops drives a number of programs and processes that affect the entire sales team and influence a lot of in-market activity, all at once, the function can have a tremendous amount of leverage on overall business performance.
- HARD DATA — With ready access to a variety of performance metrics and copious amounts of historical sales data, Sales Ops is ideally positioned to deliver on the promise of data-driven strategic and tactical decision-making.
- PERSPECTIVE — While others will tend to be focused on specific reps and deals in the short term, Sales Ops’ is working to ensure that the overall “sales machine” can deliver consistent results into the future.
- LICENSE — The somewhat nebulous role definitions around Sales Ops can provide broad “cover” or “license” to pursue and improve virtually anything that affects performance, no matter how seemingly far-removed from the tactical sales function.
Understand, however, that these advantages aren’t just available to the most successful groups. In fact, these factors are somewhat inherent to the underlying situation and circumstances for most Sales Operations groups. The critical difference is that the most successful groups have actually recognized these inherent advantages and leveraged them to the hilt.
The point is that if you’re in Sales Operations, you’re already in the right place at the right time. And a lot of stars are already aligned to make great things possible. You just need to recognize the opportunity that’s presenting itself and get after it.
Crucial Sales Operations Concepts
What sets a great Sales Ops team apart often comes down the core concepts and principles they embrace. In this on-demand webinar, you'll learn about 15 fundamental concepts that every Sales Ops leader and practitioner needs to understand inside and out.
Exceptional Sales Ops Teams
Sales Ops is still evolving and there are no long-standing rules for how everything should work. But there's a lot to learn from teams with a track record of success. In this on-demand webinar, we explore the common traits and mindsets of successful Sales Operations groups.
Building a Data-Driven Sales Operation
Building a data-driven sales operation where anecdotes and opinions have ruled for years is no easy task. In this on-demand webinar, learn about transforming your sales processes and team culture to make much better use of data.
