When advising e-commerce brands, Shawn Kemslov often starts with the sales side of things. He is the co-founder of Strategic Design and Development Agency Electric EyeSean knows that an effective sales operations strategy can mean the difference between having a promising product and having a thriving business.
“To really run a successful business, you need to make sure your sales operation is set up properly,” says Sean.
Even if you develop a great product that definitely fills a need in the market, you may not always be able to sell it. Implementing a more efficient sales process can help you save costs, reach a wider range of customers, and set up your sales team for success.
What is Sales Operations?
Sales operations is a critical support process behind any successful sales team. As part of a comprehensive sales strategy, operations team members optimize workflows, identify useful tools, track sales data, and perform many other tasks to make the sales organization more efficient.
Sales Operations and Sales Enablement
Some organizations may use these terms interchangeably because both aim to improve sales effectiveness and the efficiency of their sales teams, but there are some differences:
Sales Operations is the management, technology and process-oriented aspect of sales, including sales process optimization, performance analysis and technology management. Sales forecastand Pricing Strategy.
in contrast, Sales Enablement This often happens early in the process, and sales enablement teams are focused on providing the resources and training that sales teams need to succeed, including skills training, mentorship and coaching, and information about customers’ changing needs.
What does your sales job involve?
Sales duties include a variety of responsibilities, including but not limited to:
Process Optimization
Salesperson Expenses Less than 30% of time spent actually sellingThe rest of their time is spent on support activities like administrative tasks, research, travel planning, expenses, creating pitches, etc. Sales Operations works to streamline these ancillary tasks so that sales reps can spend more time serving prospects and customers.
Data Management and Analysis
Tracking is crucial for sales teams looking to optimize and improve. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Revenue, conversion rate, average, etc. Sales Cycle The sales team will help set goals and monitor these key metrics and provide regular reports to sales leaders. These reports will include not only KPI data, but also: Consumer Trends And opportunity.
Sales forecasting and pricing
One of the key outcomes of data analytics is sales forecasting – predicting how many deals a sales rep or team will close in a specific time period and setting goals. Sales forecasting helps guide important decisions across your business, such as budgets, sales goals, pricing, and hiring plans.
compensation
Sales operations departments often help develop compensation plans for their sales teams. These plans are designed to motivate sellers to do their best and are aligned with business goals. Sales operations professionals also often track the results of these incentives.
Technology Management
Successful sales teams rely on customer relationship management (Customer Relationship Management) They are familiar with the software, communications platforms, sales automation tools, and other technologies that help sellers do their jobs more efficiently. They keep abreast of new products and changes in sales technology and often train sellers on how to use these tools.
Definition of territory
Sales operations carefully define and manage sales territories to ensure there are enough sales reps available to serve customers in each region. Over time, they may want to adjust sales territory definitions based on changes in the market and rebalance workload among reps to improve sales productivity.
Lead Management
As a Sales Operations Professional, you will be responsible for managing the following: Lead GenerationIt may involve booking meetings with leads, etc. It may also involve tracking the progress of each lead, recording the dates and results of sales activities, and helping salespeople manage their time better.
Sales Operations Best Practices
While sales strategies and activities vary from business to business, some best practices apply to most ecommerce companies.
Focus on the right sales operations functions
A full sales operations team structure may be overkill for smaller e-commerce businesses, many of which don’t have or need a large sales department with numerous salespeople across the country.
But that doesn’t mean you should ignore your sales operations. Even small businesses can benefit from optimizing their sales function to streamline processes, improve sales performance, and build systems to track revenue. Doing so now will set your business up for success in the future.
“Even if you’re a solopreneur who doesn’t have a team yet, it’s possible to build processes into your sales operations,” says Sean. “Whether you decide to hire more people or simply scale your business down the line, it’s much easier to build on an existing foundation.”
Leverage platforms and partners
Not every business has the budget for a full-time sales role, but platforms like Shopify allow you to take on some of the responsibilities of sales at an affordable price.
“Platforms like Shopify offer so much more functionality, including data, reporting, and back-end processes, and they also provide a lot of documentation to help you understand,” says Shawn. “Agency partners like (Electric Eye) can also help you get the right setup for your specific business, which can help you increase your sales while saving you a lot of time and effort.”
Choose your sales tools carefully
The wealth of tools available to salespeople can be appealing but also overwhelming, so Sean recommends starting slow and focusing on your skills. Return on Investment (ROI) As you add more sales tools over time, you also need to look at how technology impacts your business operations.
“I’ve seen stores that have 50 apps and don’t even realize it,” says Sean. “Check your tools every month to see if they’re still adding value. There are a lot of tools out there that are appealing, but it’s easy to get carried away and cut into your profits. Ask yourself questions like: can I do it differently, can I code it cheaper in the long run, and most importantly, do I really need this?”
Align sales operations with business goals
As you begin or expand your sales operations strategy, don’t lose sight of your overall business goals. Sales operations work best when they’re aligned with the goals your company wants to achieve. For example, if you’re looking to improve customer retention, a sales operations professional can coach sales managers to initiate monthly check-ins with customers to ensure satisfaction and offer support.
Frequently asked questions about sales operations
What is your role in sales?
Depending on the size of the company, the sales operations team typically includes multiple types of roles and responsibilities. These sales operations roles include sales operations managers, sales operations analysts, CRM managers, sales enablement specialists, compensation managers, and territory managers.
What tools can help you with your sales efforts?
There are several tools and technologies available to assist with sales operations. CRM softwaresales analysis and reporting tools, Marketing Automation platform, and territory management software.
What are your sales tasks?
Sales operations specialists perform several tasks to support sales reps, including sales planning, optimizing processes, managing sales techniques and tools, and tracking sales and other data. Sales Pipeline Sales cycle length, lead generation support, and more.
