Best Practice Report

Direct Sales Best Practices Adoption

January 10th, 2008
William Band, null
William Band
With contributors:
Sharyn Leaver , Mary Ann Rogan

Summary

We surveyed 73 business and technology decision-makers and influencers to discover their strengths and weaknesses compared to 12 direct sales best practices capabilities. We found that embracing sales best practices is a challenge for many organizations. Nearly 20% evaluate their use of direct sales best practices as poor/below average. And about one-third of the organizations surveyed report that they are only average in their use of best practices in the areas of sales contact and activity management, sales opportunity management, sales performance management, and sales analysis. If your sales engine starts to sputter, revenue targets will be missed, leading to slowed or negative growth rates, diminished profits, and even layoffs. How well does your organization stack up? Compare your organization to direct sales best practices, pinpoint the best opportunities for quick wins, and build an action plan to close the gaps.

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