Sales Ranking Reports

To increase salesperson competitiveness, we in sales effectiveness teams often use what we call is a sales ranking report which can be produced monthly or weekly and distributed amongst the salespeople to give them an idea where they stand.  As they usually help in controlling the sales pipeline  while simultaneously helping in the auditing process  when tallying the numbers with information provided by the accounts receivables department to analyze the variance in the margins and also motivate the team.

We can also modify the report to portray details of a particular region, sales director, or a particular product using pivot tables

Although as a note of warning I should mention that  I know enough about numbers and presentations to tell you that numbers can be manipulated to deceive. However, that’s not the case with sales ranking reports. A sales ranking report must be an honest assessment of overall sales attainment.

These are the few metrics that we usually include in our reports

• MTD $ Quota
• MTD $ Sales Attainment
• MTD % of Quota
• MTD $ Forecast
• MTD % of Forecast
• YTD % of Quota
• Salesperson Ranking

 

If you want some perspective on how you or  your company needs to enhance their Sales/Client Management Capabilities, please email me at shubhanjan.saha@gmail.com

Basic Quantitative Analysis Techniques

To project data in my reports I have often used the below mentioned techniques to elicit information out of my Point of Contacts (POC), please be advised that the most important thing in this whole exercise is establishing RAPPORT and promoting your own CREDIBILITYwith your POC’s rather than just pumping them for answers.

1. Questionnaires:  Questionnaires are among the range of techniques that a Consultant can use to elicit requirements or gather other information, or to validate with a wider group of people the information already gained from smaller groups by using, for example, interview calls or Conference calls
2. Sampling :  Sampling is one of the techniques that can be used to obtain quantitative data during a business analysis assignment – particularly data about how people spend their time. This is valuable because it enables the Consultant to understand where the real problems and issue lie, and it also provides input to the business case for change.
3. Document analysis : Document analysis is the systematic examination of data sources, usually forms, but also screen layouts and reports if there is an existing system, to analyze the data requirements of a proposed computerized information system.
4. Mind maps :   The basic concept of a mind map as a visual representation of a set of ideas, words things or tasks. They can be used in several situations, for note taking during interviews or other meetings and of-course in workshops
5. Context diagram : Its just an extend form of a mind map, the essential idea of a context diagram is that it shows a proposed IT system in relation to the wider world – to the people and other systems with which it must interface. The system itself is regarded as a “Black-box” with things going on within it.

 If you want some perspective on how you or  your company needs to enhance their Sales/Client Management Capabilities, please email me at shubhanjan.saha@gmail.com

Requirements Projection: MoSCoW prioritization Analysis

I have initially faced problems with identifying & explaining the prioritization of requirements for the project, so I have often used the MoSCoW rules which have helped me to analyze and project the requirements for the prospective client

Must have (Mo): Usually such requirements are classified as essential, without which the deliverable automatically gets termed as unworkable and useless. Their delivery at the end of the appropriate timebox is guaranteed. If any one of these ‘Must haves’ is not ready then nothing can be released: if it could be, then they were not really ‘Must haves’ in the first place.

Should have(S): These are important requirements for which there is a work-around in the short term, or where expectations can be managed. They are things that would have normally have been classified as ‘Must haves’ in a less time-constrained situation, but the deliverable will still be useful and usable without them initially. They would, however, be expected to be delivered soon afterwards, since the work-around is not usually a long term solution.

Could have(Co): These are requirements that can more easily be left out at this point. They may well be included in this delivery if their inclusion is easy to achieve without jeopardizing the delivery of the ‘Must haves’ and ‘Should haves’. A ‘Could have’ may be differentiated from a ‘Should have’ by considering the degree of pain caused by its non-inclusion in terms of business value or number of people affected.

Want to have but won’t have this time round (W)): This refers to those valuable requirements that can wait until later. It is often useful to keep these in the initial priority list, since, although they are not due for delivery yet, knowledge that they will be coming later may influence design decisions and the approach taken to the planning of subsequent deliveries

  If you want some perspective on how you or  your company needs to enhance their Sales/Client Management Capabilities, please email me at shubhanjan.saha@gmail.com

Time Series Analysis Factors

The most common way to forecast sales is using the Time Series Analysis which is actually prepared on the basis of past sales. By utilizing a time series analysis the business leader is able to keep his sales teams more efficient by helping in :

•    Smoothing out the erratic factors (e.g. by using a moving average)
•    Adjust for seasonal variation
•    Identify and estimate the effect of specific marketing responses

A Time series analysis covers  four components which I have observed in majority of the scenarios that I have encountered:

1. Trending factors: This pertains to the basic judgment of the sales are going up, down or just flattening.
2. Seasonal or cyclical factors : I have noticed that most sales are affected by swings in general economic activity or seasons (e.g. : Majority of the B2B sales go down during the End of year in the western markets due to the holidays) Usually such seasonal and cyclical factors occur in a regular pattern.
3. Change in Marketing Strategy : This component could be taken into consideration as something that includes the results of particular measures that have been taken to increase sales
4. Unexpected Events: This could include various disturbances like the start of the recession, or industry collapse, they can be easily identified by isolating from the past data , so as to help in projecting a more accurate sales forecast

If you want some perspective on how you or  your company needs to enhance their Sales/Client Management Capabilities, please email me at shubhanjan.saha@gmail.com

Goal & Target setting

Goal & Target setting is a important and crucial aspect that helps the organization to determine its performance, I have mentioned some critical points that have helped me in deciding or setting goals

Annual Target - This is the target that you have decided that you need to meet in order for to be considered successful or profitable (usually set by the finance teams).

Average Monthly leads - On average how many leads per month are are being generated from your target markets. It is important to determine the number of leads for each geographic region for your target market..

Win Rate - This is the rate at which your sales rep can convert a lead to a client. As calculating this win rate is usually necessary and can be achieved by constantly tracking and monitoring each lead in the pipeline with their chances of being successful (I have written a separate article on pipeline analysis for this please refer to that), and is one of the most important performance indicators that you should monitor.

Average Value Per Sale - This is the average value of each sale that is converted from a lead. If you are not selling products then then usually this is the estimated value of each conversion to your company.

Monthly Growth - Assuming that you are seeking to improve your current position. What is the monthly growth you expect from your current operations. This should be a realistic figure that can be achieved.

If you want some perspective on how you or  your company needs to enhance their Sales/Client Management Capabilities, please email me at shubhanjan.saha@gmail.com

TCO Summary & Components

(Please be advised that this is as per my experience with  the Software/Services industry components could vary according to product or marketing strategy)

TCO has now become an industry standard for measuring and managing project-related costs over time. It looks beyond a one-year budget cycle. It showcases the  changes as an organization while it finalizes its purchasing contracts, determines feasibility of various components of the project, and adapts to new opportunities (in services or technologies that become available, for example). The “final” TCO therefore evolves as planning and discussions progress.

A thorough TCO analysis engages all stakeholders, not only to gain their support and perspectives
concerning  the service  but also to ensure that the final TCO report accurately reflects all costs, benefits, goals and expectations

The TCO attempts to estimate all costs related to the ownership, management, support and usage of the components comprising the project. The Indirect costs are a key component of the TCO because,
as mentioned, many costs cross organizational boundaries and reside outside of the budget of the project sponsor. 

Direct and indirect costs might include:

• Capital purchases
• Hardware
• Software
• Implementation
• System Downtime
• Management and Administration
• Research of vendors & contracts
• Service & System Downtime
• Support & training
• Upgrades & related re-training
• Indirect labor if any
• Subscriptions
• System integration
• Maintenance

If you want some perspective on how you or  your company needs to enhance their Sales/Client Management Capabilities, please email me at shubhanjan.saha@gmail.com

Sales Pipeline Analysis Summary

Sales pipeline analysis usually focuses on the continual tracking and study of sales opportunities from
raw lead to closed sale.This in turn can be effectively utilized by Sales managers to monitor key performance indicators to ensure that the various  marketing activities and efforts are generating the number, quality and flow of leads necessary to meet sales targets and ensure that sales cycles are progressing towards closure.

These Sales pipeline reports show the status and value of the various deals that are currently in the pipeline and probability-weighted forecasts. They play an important role by allowing the sales teams to effectively drill in to particular deal terms and conditions, and update material deal terms as the negotiations occur.

Usually many of the Business-intelligence enabled sales pipeline reporting not only generates and delivers these reports on a regular basis, but also allows managers to uncover competitive trends and performance anomalies by region, product or customer segment.

If you want some perspective on how you or  your company needs to enhance their Sales/Client Management Capabilities, please email me at shubhanjan.saha@gmail.com

Sales Performance Analysis Summary

Sales Performance Analysis provides some valuable insight into expected and actual achievement of the
Sales representatives along with the hierarchy of the sales organization. As this empowers Executives and sales managers to view dashboards summarizing sales representatives quota achievements, detailed reports on sales representatives’ pipelines, and benchmark reports that compare sales representative performance.

Further Drilling in to pipeline detail can reveal factors contributing to the over- and under-performance of regions and/or representatives. Thus by constantly reviewing sales representative performance versus quota and bench-marked relative to relevant peers, sales management can proactively develop performance improvement plans for under-performing sales representatives and provide appropriate motivational recognition for top performers

This can be based upon the following Key Performance Indicators which I have explained in an earlier article with the help of some presentation decks

If you want some perspective on how you or  your company needs to enhance their Sales/Client Management Capabilities, please email me at shubhanjan.saha@gmail.com