Sales Management
Improve sales force effectiveness with an analytical approach to sales force structure, deployment and management
Selling is part art and part science. We provide the science, so each salesperson can apply their artistry to maximum effect. We take a customer-focused approach to sales force management. Today’s sales rep rarely sells a product; he or she provides an end-to-end solution that can encompass multiple products, services and ongoing customer support. Selling to a ‘customer’ often involves numerous stakeholders who are influencers, gatekeepers, and decision makers. Your sales force structure must align with target customers, and each sales rep must be equipped to support the needs of these customers.
Our solutions align your sales force with your customer strategy to help maximize returns from your selling efforts. We do this through the use of extensive customer data and customer analytics. Our solutions often include software tools to embed capabilities in your organization; these tools can work independently or integrate with your enterprise systems. Our solutions include:
Sales Force Size and Structure
To define sales force size and structure, we first determine the role sales reps play with each high value customer segment. The involvement of the sales rep in acquisition, retention and growth influence the required effort and expertise to support customers in each distinct segment. Combining data on cost to serve and value to the company, we model the ROI of different selling strategies for different customer segments. Optimizing across customer segments, we solve for multiple sales force scenarios based upon key constraints including resource levels and financial targets.
Sales Force Deployment
Axtria’s proprietary tools help design territories and deploy reps to maximize sales force effectiveness. Our approach considers customer-level data on prospects, current customers and upsell opportunities to balance each territory. We identify competencies needed in specific territories given mix of business, and match to sales professionals considering performance history. We optimize across real-world constraints including rep location and travel time. We provide detailed call planning indicating who to call, when and for what opportunity.
Performance Management
To manage sales force performance, we establish linkages between sales rep activities, customer behaviors and financial performance. Our fact-based approach identifies true drivers at the sales rep and customer level, allowing managers to focus on select, meaningful metrics. By understanding linkages, we identify early indicators of performance issues. Managers can isolate issues, diagnose causes, and take action to address. We structure reporting tools tailored to the needs of senior management, field sales management and sales reps.
Incentive Compensation
Axtria’s solutions provide you the framework and tools to align sales incentives with business objectives, motivating the best performance from your sales team. With our solution, administrators have flexibility in setting and managing incentive schemes. Users in sales and sales management can track current incentive comp status and evaluate future potential. Our approach delivers customized solutions built on a core platform, for rapid deployment, ease of use, accuracy and reliability.
Distribution Management
Axtria creates competitive advantage from multi-channel distribution. Our solutions deliver an integrated channel design and channel management tools to reach your highest priority customers: to drive new business, retain existing business and realize up-sell opportunities.
Axtria’s approach starts with an understanding of your industry and your priorities to ensure distribution structure is aligned with business objectives. We then leverage data and analytics to maximize effectiveness of multi-channel distribution. Applications include:
Channel mix modeling. We determine optimal channel size given each channel’s role. Our analytical approach incorporates real-world constraints to capture cross-channel dynamics. We account for channel use patterns, channel costs, and logistical constraints such as field sales rep locations
Demand management. We provide bottom-up demand forecasts based upon in-depth customer insights and granular data to support accurate planning and budgeting. Allows for identification of mismatches in supply/demand, price adjustments, and refinement of promotions
Channel effectiveness. We identify drivers of effectiveness, design reporting capability to measure and monitor, and develop systems to institute best practices. Our solutions reveal meaningful metrics to assess important dimensions: key interactions, quality of customer experience, impact on business
Channel partner management. We take an ROI based approach to evaluate existing partners and new opportunities, to ensure investments add value. Our data-driven diagnostic process identifies steps to revitalize (or exit) low value relationships and sets metrics for ongoing management. We support deal negotiations with partners, and establish parameters for successful deal structure
An effective distribution management solution needs to be closely integrated with the broader sales and marketing organization. Many considerations including customer segmentation, product pricing, and incentive compensation link to distribution. Depending on the business need, our approach can be broad, solving simultaneously across multiple areas and channels, or focused, addressing a specific issue in one channel.
Distribution Management: Multi-Channel Structure and Effectiveness
- Assess utilization, cross-channel movement
- Evaluate alignment: customers, business, partners
- Benchmark against competitive set
- Identify strengths and weaknesses
- Define role of each channel
- Isolate cost and revenue drivers
- Solve across channels for optimal size
- Determine feasible scenarios and evaluate
- Specify capabilities to deliver desired experience
- Evaluate current state and determine gaps
- Requirements: information capture; cross channel interaction; personalization
- Capture information : activity, transactions, quality of interaction
- Determine key effectiveness metrics
- Set benchmarks and goals
- Assess performance against objectives
- Take appropriate actions
