Organisations have all the infomraiton they need to improve sales. What most of the lack is insight in to that information.
With SFA applications, organisations automated the slaes process and managed data. The managers should have a clear picture of what works and what doesnt. They need this informaiton to tmake intellignet , proactive decisions, not two weeks after the quarter ends.
Mangers are challenged to determine such basic data points as sales by channel, cusotmer and territory or projects of revenu by product and sales rep before the end of the quarter. How these interdependent dynamics influence eaach other and how they can be tweaked to boost sales performance is often mere guessowrk.
In a recent study on sales effectiveness conducted by Accenture, out of 178 senior executives polled, th emost often cited sales performance issues were related to leads. Accoridng Accenture, " Along with problesm with qualifying and managing leads effectively, the lack of performance metrics, inadequate cusotmer data, and lack of capabilities ofr analyzing customer data rounded out the list of top permormance challenges." The study reported that a total of 55% of respondents found it difficult to assess which leads were qualified.
Thats where analytic application come in. Sales analytics can play a key role in driving greater productivity and efficiency, especially during periods of slow sales. Many organisations have realized they need to go beyond simplyaauotmating current sales operations. These companies are enhancing their sales operations and promoting shorter salescycles by providing the field with an intelligent, 360 degree veiw of their customers.
