When it comes to sales analysis, people often discount the importance of having meaningful goals and objectives. Maybe they’re in such a hurry to get at the data and “see what they can see” that they just skip that step. Or maybe they think that the proper objectives are already “baked in” to whatever toolset they happen to be using.
Or maybe they think that the goals and objectives for sales analysis are so blatantly obvious that they require no further thought or careful consideration.
However, through our interactions with various sales operations, it’s clear that meaningful sales analysis goals and objectives are not obvious. From our perspective, there are far too many groups operating under no explicit or stated objectives at all, or operating under goals that are relatively weak and ineffectual.
And it’s unfortunate, because having powerful goals can make all the difference.
For example, imagine there are two different groups with the same tools, same skillsets, and so on. From nearly every angle, these two groups appear to have the same capabilities and competencies. But when you compare their sales analysis goals and objectives side-by-side, they look like this:
Now…which group do you think will ultimately produce more significant results? Over the course of a year, which group would you bet your paycheck on having more impact on overall sales performance? And which of these two groups would you expect to be viewed as a more valuable contributor to their company’s success?
The point is that your objectives matter. After all, they provide the “why” behind your efforts and define “where” you’re ultimately trying to go. So put some thought into it and be deliberate about choosing objectives and goals that are really worth pursuing.
To learn more about what leading sales operations are doing differently with sales analytics, check out these on-demand resources:
- Four Ways to Get More Out of Sales Analytics — A video guide for producing more meaningful results from your sales analytics efforts.
- Driving Strategic Decisions with Sales Analytics — A guide showing how to use sales analytics to answer much more powerful questions.
- Beyond Reporting with Sales & Pipeline Analysis — A webinar exposing strategies for driving improved sales performance at-scale.
- Delivering Answers to the Point of Sale — A tutorial explaining a more realistic way to help salespeople make data-driven decisions.
