Empowering SAP Channel Partners: Unleashing the Potential of Sales Play System℠ and Technology
With competition getting more aggressive as the market experiences turmoil, achieving sales targets and outperforming the competition requires a strategic and technology-driven approach. To catalyze go-to-market strategies and optimize sales success, many companies have turned to commercial operations teams and sales plays. However, deploying sales plays in an ad hoc manner and struggling to maximize return on investment (ROI) on sales technologies remain common challenges.
Maximizing Sales Technologies for Success
Sales technologies play a pivotal role in optimizing sales performance and productivity. The Sales Play System℠ focuses on breaking down the sales function into its key components and leveraging technology to automate processes, provide high-quality data, and enable sales teams to focus on high-value activities. Companies that adopt all five components of Sales Play System℠ are nearly three times more likely to outperform the market in key growth metrics.
There are two key differentiators among leading companies when it comes to sales play:
- Strategic Investment in Sales Technologies:
Leading companies invest in a wide range of sales technologies, averaging over 11 compared to laggards’ average of fewer than eight. (Source: Bain.com) Leaders extract more value from their technology investments, experiencing a sales productivity lift four times greater than laggards. This gap is expected to widen as leaders continue to increase their investment in sales tech. - Maximizing Value from Technology Investments:
Leaders fully deploy and integrate the technologies they acquire with their existing IT infrastructure. They prioritize user adoption by providing training and enablement to ensure employees embrace the technology. High-fidelity data and enthusiastic adoption are crucial factors in driving maximum value from customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
The Critical Role of CRM in Go-to-Market Success
CRM systems are the backbone of any go-to-market organization. Leading companies view CRM as a process-people-technology endeavor, integrating it with all relevant business processes and ensuring proper training and adoption. High-quality data and user adoption are key factors in harnessing the full potential of CRM systems.
Successful companies leverage CRM systems to:
- Gain a holistic view of sales forecasts beyond quarterly close
- Optimize the sales funnel and make data-driven interventions
- Ensure a robust pipeline for sustainable growth
While CRM is foundational, leading companies augment it with specialized sales technologies, investing in 10 or more additional technologies on average. Notably, the five technologies where leaders outspend laggards align closely with the five components of Sales Play System.
Leveraging Sales Technologies for Superior Performance
To fully harness the power of sales technologies, SAP Channel Partners can leverage specific components of Sales Play System:
- Sales Enablement:
Leading enablement platforms serve as curated libraries of effective plays, fostering a social network for peer sharing and collective experience. Sales teams can up-vote, comment, and tap into the best plays, enhancing collaboration and knowledge sharing. - Market Opportunity Sizing:
Tools for dynamically targeting and deploying resources enable SAP Channel Partners to identify actionable opportunities at the account level. Granular insights inform GTM planning, deployment, and execution, ensuring the right plays are implemented for maximum impact. - Account Planning:
Account planning focuses on selecting the best sales plays tailored to specific accounts. By aligning corporate strategy at the account level, SAP Channel Partners can execute targeted plays to drive revenue growth and market share. - Sales Training Technology:
AI-based conversational intelligence tools empower sales managers to provide real-time coaching insights, focusing on critical points in the sales play. Scalable standards and consistent coaching practices contribute to higher sales effectiveness. - Sales Engagement Software:
Capturing the best practices of top performers, sales engagement software translates them into repeatable processes for the entire sales team. These tools enable revenue operations teams to optimize sales motions and increase effectiveness and efficiency.
No Time to Waste: Achieving Sustainable Success
Leading companies differentiate themselves by building and implementing Sales Play System and harnessing technology to its full potential. Investing in a systematic approach that encompasses people, processes, and technology is crucial for joining the ranks of industry leaders and maintaining a competitive edge.
Mastery of a technology-fueled Sales Play System gives SAP Channel Partners a significant advantage, with commercial operations teams displaying digital fluency that surpasses laggards by 40%. By embracing the Sales Play System and adopting a continuous improvement mindset, SAP Channel Partners can outperform the market, unlock sales potential, and ensure sustained success.
