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Case Studies: Inside Sales and Lead Generation Performance
From an underperforming unit, inside sales at a mid-sized manufacturer became revenue-positive within sixty day.
"Sales is about growing the top line, but our Inside Sales group was more focused on customer service. If we wanted them to sell we had to take away the distractions, put the focus back on performance, and empower them. We went from a department that was costing us money to a revenue machine, and Adroit Consulting got us there in record time."
Business Issue
The failure of inside sales to meet revenue goals was only the most visible symptom. Contributing to that performance were a variety of conditions that needed to be addressed, from targeting and account management to sales process, and from processes and tools to hiring, training, and coaching:
- A lack of clear roles and responsibilities led to poor coordination between inside sales and field sales
- Formal processes, procedures and, in some cases, training did not exist
- Metrics reßected activity levels rather than outcomes, and compensation rewarded unproductive behaviors instead of being tied to revenue
Supervisors lacked coaching and management skills
- Territories were not well-defined, so that reps 'designed' their own
- Customer service reps had been 'converted' to sales positions, and supervisors varied widely in experience and ability
Adroit's Role
The redesign and operational improvement work focused on generating net income quickly. The Adroit project manager took on the vacant inside sales manager role during implementation.
Activities included:
- Assess skills, investigate market norms for compensation, write new compensation plans, and hire experienced staff
- Redraw sales territories and strategies to raise performance expectations
- Create a training program in basic sales skills - how to probe, make an offer, manage a territory, etc.
- Develop detailed processes and procedures, design training, and monitor compliance
- Train supervisors in management and coaching skills
- Lead twice-weekly huddle sessions with supervisors and sales reps to reinforce changed behavior and expectations
- Work with lines of business to develop strategies for inside sales and field sales to work effectively as a team
Outcome
The restructuring initiative - including consistent processes, focused training and clear goals - gave the staff a better chance to succeed. Measures have become sales. Within 60 days, performance reached 98% of quota, despite territory targets that had doubled or more in size. Supervisor skills have improved, and reps are demonstrating greater proficiency in sales skills such as account profiling.
The newly restructured department went "live" just in time to support the strategic initiative of moving a large number of smaller customers to this lower cost, highly efficient channel. Finally, an orchestrated strategy between inside sales and field sales is helping Line of Business executives to meet their strategic goals, and for Sales and Marketing to collaborate more effectively on cross- and up-selling. The group has become a functioning part of Sales, supporting either team selling where a high account value justifies that approach; or operating with clear ownership in dedicated territories of smaller accounts.
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