Sales ops slows everything down.
By the time sales ops finishes their analysis, the deal’s gone.
Sales ops makes everything harder than it has to be.
Sales ops is where deals go to die.
If you’ve worked in sales ops for very long, you’ve probably heard these gripes — or a close variation.
Reps love to complain. They get frustrated when deals don’t close, and sales ops is a handy scapegoat. All those irritating requirements that the sales ops teams places on the sales team, all those extra steps in the CRM must be the blocker that is slowing down revenue.
In reality, the bottleneck isn’t the sales ops team. The bottleneck is treating sales ops as a tactical service desk.
Time and again, SellingBrew research has consistently proven that top sales ops teams don’t impede growth — they actually accelerate it. When they are empowered and focused on the right levers, sales ops removes friction, clarifies priorities, and keeps the whole sales machine humming.
But that focus is key.
Top teams aren’t mired in the details of filling out spreadsheets and generating reports. Yes, they complete those activities as part of their work, but their real priority is on creating the conditions for profitable outcomes. They are actively developing the systems, processes, and decisions that enable the sales team. They aren’t just reacting to deals already in motion, they’re proactively shaping the environment so that more profitable deals, with better customers, become the natural result.
4 ways sales ops accelerates sales
What does that look like in the real world? Here are four activities top sales teams do to eliminate bottlenecks:</p?
- Strategic territory design: Top teams create balanced, data-driven territories that maximize coverage and selling potential. They use the latest advances in data science and technology to help each sales rep become more effective. We explain how in Rethinking Sales Coverage.
- Compensation alignment: The best sales ops practitioners design incentive plans that drive the right behaviors and prevent quarter-end chaos. They avoid common gotchas like sacrificing margin for greater revenue, and they align comp with their business goals. Learn more by watching Improving Sales Compensation to Boost Results.
- Sales Process optimization: Leading B2B companies streamline and refine workflows so deals progress efficiently and the teams use resources wisely. Instead of just pointing the finger at sales ops, they identify the real bottlenecks that are sabotaging deals. Sales Process Improvement describes how.
- Accurate forecasting: Sales ops should deliver insights so leaders can spot risks and opportunities before they become crises. That means using predictive analytics to refresh the analysis on an ongoing basis, and they deliver the information to management in a diplomatic way that helps drive appropriate action. Watch Dynamic Sales Forecasting for a step-by-step guide.
We cover these approaches and a lot more in the webinar on Exceptional Sales Ops Teams. It explores the traits and characteristics of groups that have a track record of success. And it offers an inside glimpse at how the best teams proactively create conditions where profitable deals and strong customer relationships are the default outcome.
If your team is tired of getting blamed for blocking deals, now is the time to flip that script on its head. Dive into these webinars to start learning how your team can increasing velocity instead of standing in the way.
Rethinking Sales Coverage
For decades, teams have approached territory design and coverage planning in largely the same way. But current market conditions are forcing everyone to question the status quo and explore new possibilities,
Improving Sales Compensation to Boost Results
It's hard to devise a comp plan that nails the objectives without a bunch of unintended consequences. In this webinar, learn about strategies and tactics for more effective sales incentives and compensation plans.
Sales Process Improvement
In this session, we share how to identify bottlenecks, develop procedures, and prioritize improvements. And, we discuss how to leverage technology to streamline and scale your sales processes.
Dynamic Sales Forecasting
Learn how leading sales operations are embracing dynamic, data-driven approaches that allow forecasts to evolve in real time, enabling better decisions, faster course corrections, and fewer surprises.
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.
