Sales Intelligence, More than Ever

According to the CSO Insights report “Proactive Sales Intelligence: The New Requirements for Getting Into the Game,”

-The number of reps achieving quota is down
-Converting initial conversations into presentations is down
-Lead gen is tossing more leads in the hopper, but the conversion rate is dropping.

Why?

Buyers are bypassing the information stage of the game. Websites and available information are taking the initial stages upon themselves. The buying process has evolved. The buy cycle is starting much earlier than the sell cycle.

So, how does a company get into more sales opportunities and move them through to the presentation?

Turns out that sales intelligence may provide a benefit. According to CSO Insights:

“Firms that excel at Sales Intelligence not only get into the game more often
than their less-effective counterparts, they also win the game more often.” (Dickie, Jim and Barry Trailer, Proactive Sales Intelligence: The New Requirements for Getting Into the Game, CSO Insights (2007), page 3)

To demonstrate this point, CSO Insights found that the availability of Sales Intelligence seemed to measurably improve win rates of forecast deals:

Easy access to SI – 55.1% win rate
Limited access to SI – 49.2% win rate
Difficult/No access – 47.1%

If you do the math, sales reps can be substantially more effective across the board if Sales Intelligence is provided.

The report can be downloaded from CSO Insights here. Registration is required. The registration form can be accessed here.

If you would like more information, please let me know. I enjoy the chance to chat about these topics. (cdalley@primary-intel.com, 801-838-9600 x5050)