Sales Communication: From Field Organization to Corporate

Sales Communication: Sales Cadence Communication – From Field Organization to Corporate

Sales Communication: Posted by Tony Albachiara on Wed, Jun 06, 2012

In my previous blog, I wrote about the importance of maintaining good Sales Cadence. This steady, consistent, predictable flow of information between sales leaders and their sales teams can make a major difference in how efficient and effective your sales force is as a whole.

In this article, I have put together a breakdown (Who, What, When, Why) for a few calls that you should consistently schedule in order to keep a handle on your own Sales Cadence.

I. What? Sales Management Call

This meeting acts as a “check up” on the status of sales team productivity from week to week. It offers a somewhat “micro” perspective of what is happening with individual sales teams, sales reps, leads, opportunities, etc.

When? Bi-weekly, for 1 hour.

Who?

VP of Sales
Regional Sales Director (Team)
Sales Operations

Why?
This type of meeting platform provides a communication channel both upstream and downstream. Communication, coordination, and overall organization between both parties are crucial to maintaining a smooth, rhythmic Sales Cadence.

At the Sales Management Meeting, both Corporate and Field Organizations can discuss topics of interest or concern. It also allows an opportunity for updates on open issues from week to week. Altogether, a great way to keep efforts and expectations aligned.

II. What? Operations Review

When? Mid-quarter, for 1.5 hours.

Who?

VP of Sales
Regional Sales Directors (Individually)
Sales Operations

Why?
This meeting acts as an overall review of sales performance up to this point in the year. There are a number of topics that should be covered in order to affirm proper Sales Cadence:

Overall Sales Review: How is the sales team performing overall, as a whole?

Quarter-to-Date Performance
Pipeline Development and comparisons to previous years and quarters
Rep performance issues

Territory Review: Similarly, territories should then be broken down, and you should review three primary elements within each region:

Forecast – Address challenges in reaching your sales targets
Pipeline – Address issues in territory development and pipeline growth
People – Discuss personnel or performance issues that may need alteration

III. What? Quarterly Business Review

The purpose of this meeting should be somewhat obvious. It is a platform so that you can understand exactly where you are in terms of goals, as well as discuss how you can improve.

When? End of quarter, duration dependent on size of overall organization (4 hours-2 days)

Who?

VP of Sales
Regional Sales Director (Team)
Sales Operations
Executive Team (optional – select representatives, depending on your organization’s protocol)

Why?
Review of previous quarter performance, and discussions for any changes or improvements that need to occur in the upcoming quarter:

Results: Did your teams make their targets? Did you land any key deals or new major contracts?
Trends and Observations: Has anything changed in the previous quarter with either your sales team or the market landscape?
Are there any new Risks to take into account (personnel, pipeline, competition, etc.)?
Take-aways: What can you do to improve performance? What worked well for your sales teams and what did not?
Provide feedback to executive team on market, corporate, and product needs
Discuss strategies for addressing any sales challenges that have come to light in the previous quarter
Forecast for upcoming quarter

Sales Cadence is very important to your Sales Strategy, but takes dedication and planning in order to maintain. It is easy to let a few calls slide here or there, and then all of a sudden you realize that you have become out of touch with your sales teams’ struggles and don’t have the necessary intel to help them.

Download the Sales Cadence Sequencing Tool to help you through this process, and take your first step towards a more effective sales force today.

http://www.salesbenchmarkindex.com/bid/85135/Sales-Cadence-Communication-From-Field-Organization-to-Corporate

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To Discuss how these Solutions will add value for you, your organization and/or your clients, Affinity/Resale Opportunities, and/or Collaborative Efforts, Please Contact:

Tom McDonald, tsm@centurytel.net; 608-788-5144; Skype: tsmw5752