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Walking into any new job, let alone a sales management job, can be overwhelming unless you have a plan.\u00a0 There are a number 90 day plan for new manager templates\u00a0available but these are by necessity generic in nature.\u00a0 For those of us in the Sales and Sales Operations profession we have unique considerations that should be quickly addressed once you\u2019re on board.<\/p>\n
What follows is a check list of tasks and questions, the answers to which will lead to other tasks.\u00a0 Nearly all of these could be the subject of an additional blog (and perhaps some will) but the purpose of this writing is to encourage you to think about these concepts as your develop your own plan.<\/p>\n
People \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n Meet F2F with all of your direct reports.\u00a0 This will help you to form an impression of their capabilities and character.\u00a0 Find out what motivates your team.\u00a0 How are they doing against targets?\u00a0 What are the successful members doing to distinguish themselves from the rest of the team?\u00a0 Listen and learn to uncover their perceptions of any internal roadblocks or inefficiencies in the current processes.\u00a0\u00a0 It is also an opportunity for you to begin to build trust and credibility with them.<\/p>\n Meet with your peers.\u00a0 Again, listen and learn about issues in your organization from the perspective of outsiders.\u00a0 Find out how they support Sales.\u00a0 Uncover internal resources that can be helpful in addressing customer satisfaction, product challenges and administrative delays.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s only a matter of time before you will need their help in booking the next non-standard mega-deal.<\/p>\n Evaluate the coverage model. Is\u00a0it aligned with your sales strategy?\u00a0 Is it time to revisit the GTM strategy?\u00a0 Does vertical segmentation make sense?\u00a0 What organizational changes do you need to make to attain your number?\u00a0 Do you need more\u00a0“feet on the street”\u00a0or simply to improve the productivity of your existing team? \u00a0Will increased investment yield improved productivity in direct, inside, sales development, or channels teams?<\/p>\n Close out any pending issues or incomplete tasks remaining from your predecessor.<\/p>\n Challenge assumptions.\u00a0 As the newcomer you have significant personal capital to spend in your first few months that\u00a0can evaporate if not used.\u00a0 Leverage that capital sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n Process \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n Understand the product roadmap and release cycle with the intention of managing that timing to best exploit your GA products and support revenue stream as well as minimize customer anxiety.<\/p>\n Is the funnel being filled with appropriately qualified leads?\u00a0 If leads are not \u201cSales ready\u201d is this the right time to employ a Sales Development<\/a> team?<\/p>\n How is the health of your pipeline and how is it measured?\u00a0 Have you applied velocity and conversion metrics to the pipelines of individual contributors before diving into discussions with them?\u00a0 How much of the pipeline is window dressing, deals that are not moving left over from your predecessor?<\/p>\n Physically diagram all sales related processes with a thorough understanding of the reason for every step as well as the \u201cvalue-add\u201d for each of the decision branches.\u00a0\u00a0Consider the processes for lead generation and funnel management, CRM and pipeline management, and data aggregation for sales compensation calculations.\u00a0 Focus on the processes that can cost effectively be automated with scalability in mind.<\/p>\n Determine the metrics you will need to drive your business and insure your supporting systems are up to the task of supplying accurate data required.\u00a0 It is particularly effective to apply automation in this area\u00a0to minimize compensation errors.<\/p>\n Establish a cadence and share your expectations both inside and outside of your organization regarding sales communications, forecast management, discount and exception approvals, and bookings.<\/p>\n Enablement \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n Evaluate the on-boarding process and new hire training for optimized productivity.\u00a0 As a new-hire you might subject yourself to the current on-boarding and training processes reserved for individual contributors to personally determine their efficacy.<\/p>\n Arrange to receive product training.\u00a0 Learn the strengths and weaknesses of the value proposition and determine what is necessary to improve it.\u00a0\u00a0Study the competition’s products\u00a0and how a product comparison\u00a0should affect your sales messaging.<\/p>\n Evaluate the current Sales (and Marketing)\u00a0methodologies.\u00a0 Are they aligned with\u00a0your customer\u2019s current buying processes?\u00a0 Does lack of adoption or inconsistent application of the sales methodology signal that you should consider reevaluating it?\u00a0 What is the adoption\/utilization rate of your CRM system and why?\u00a0 Does using the CRM system add value for your team in their day-to-day selling activities or is this data entry considered administravia only to enable management oversight?\u00a0 Is the methodology effectively embedded into your CRM system to optimize efficiency?<\/p>\n Evaluate the current commission plan. When was the last validation of OTE and leverage\u00a0with comparable organizations?\u00a0 Is your cost of sales in line with the industry for your particular organizational structure?\u00a0 Is there a high correlation between revenue and payout?\u00a0 Consider how you will smoothly transition the plan through its evolution to next year.<\/p>\n In Summary –<\/strong><\/p>\n If the scope of your company\u2019s Sales Operation\u2019s responsibilities is comprehensive, as outlined on my home page<\/a>, then all of the above concerns could be borne by Sales Operations. \u00a0More typically Sales Operations will act in an advisory capacity to the sales leader on strategic issues. \u00a0\u00a0If you are a sales leader without executive level Sales Operations support then you should be concerned with all of the above as well as tasks related to customer issues,\u00a0people issues and sales coaching.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve given the proper consideration to the above questions you should meet with your direct manager to review and mutually set expectations in light of your discoveries and analysis.\u00a0 When you walk into your new role be mindful that you will be setting the direction for the future of the company.\u00a0 Crisp execution based on your sound assessment of the above issues will be critical to\u00a0the company’s\u00a0success.<\/p>\n As always, I value your input and insights. Please feel free to add you suggestions in the comment box below.<\/p>\n Cheers!<\/p>\n Bob Bacon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Walking into any new job, let alone a sales management job, can be overwhelming unless you have a plan.\u00a0 There are a number 90 day plan for new manager templates\u00a0available but these are by necessity generic in nature.\u00a0 For those … Continue reading