Are your sales efforts producing diminishing returns?

It’s inevitable that at some point sales processes and sales technologies will fail to maximize revenue. Perhaps this is due to a changing economy or changes in buyer behavior. Perhaps it stems from a recent shift in the strategic direction of the business or a competitive threat. Regardless of the reason, sales processes require constant optimization and attention. But who has the time? This Deep Dive will explore how Top Performing organizations overcome and stay ahead of stagnating sales growth.

How do you know if your customer relationship management (CRM) approach is producing diminishing returns? Much like a doctor evaluates a sick patient, diagnosing the problem starts with identifying symptoms. Symptoms that go hand in hand with a stagnating pipeline include:

• Longer-than-average sales cycles
• High sales rep turnover
• Recent loss of market share
• Difficulty accurately forecasting sales results

Research reveals that 9 out of 10 sales leaders will readily admit there is “room for improvement” with respect to internal CRM processes or technologies. It’s easy for a depressed global economy to mask internal issues. While buyers may be savvy, and purchase decisions generally take longer, there’s also a good chance internal initiatives such as optimizing sales processes or improving the availability of information could give your sales reps the competitive edge they desperately need.