This is the 2nd in a series of articles we’ll be posting in the coming weeks designed to provide sales leaders with tips and best practices on how your organization can optimize your sales cycle. Read our first post here.
Any sales manager will tell you that you can’t accelerate your sales cycle until you have a well-defined sales process that your team can easily replicate on every call. No argument here, but all too often when we ask sales managers to tell us what their buyers purchase cycle is we are faced with blank stares.
Focus on the Buyer Process: Regrettably, while tremendous value can be gained from a well-defined sales process, sales managers are too often lulled into process nirvana (aka sales process, call planning, sales playbook, sales motions, etc.) and often neglect to consider—and we would argue– the more important part of the process equation: the buyer’s purchasing process. (more…)
September 19th, 2011
Over the last 18-20 months or so, we have been following developments in the airline ancillary merchandising space and published recommendations on how airlines and their WiFi service providers, Aircell and Row44, could capitalize on the explosive growth in digital media – video, eBooks, games, and music – and mobile technology to transform the traditional models of in-flight entertainment (IFE).
Ideally, the airline industry would recognize the opportunity in this era of baggage fees and other penalty charges to deliver a compelling consumer experience and to drive revenue.
Progress has been slow, focusing on plane WiFi installations, communications technology, and holding on to the original model of trying to have travelers pay for WiFi service, going against broader consumer trends.
The good news is we are now seeing a transformation of Gogo’s and airlines’ approach and a positive step for consumer experience that also could be, depending on how well they execute, economically beneficial. Gogo has done an admirable job in aggregating airline passengers to create a potentially effective channel and opportunity, and Row44 seems to have an updated focus on consumer content experience. (more…)
September 14th, 2011
A few weeks ago, Aircell, the company responsible for most airlines’ in-flight WiFi service, announced a fairly comprehensive transformation of its consumer experience and custom branding partnership model with airlines, as the pay-for-access model has not gained as much traction as anticipated.
Hopefully, all the better for both travelers and industry economics. After all, a better consumer experience and higher-margin airline revenue models, unlike most baggage fee policies, do not have to be mutually exclusive, correct? (more…)
August 15th, 2011
Sales leaders are held accountable for top line performance, but many are not aware of the underlying factors hampering results. In a recent market research study conducted by Lenati, 57% of the participating inside sales leaders reported not having metrics in place for measuring the effectiveness of their inside sales programs.
Ineffective measurement (or a lack thereof) means an inability to detect trends and improve processes. Sales leaders that are able to effectively measure Inside Sales performance are better equipped to understand where they need to focus their efforts for improvement.
When defining and building a measurement program, focus on KPI’s that:
- Enable you to make more informed decisions
- Help your sales people be more effective
- Align to your compensation plans (more…)
July 26th, 2011
To kick off our blog for Lenati’s Inside Sales Optimization practice area, this is the first in a five part series of articles we’ll be posting in the coming weeks designed to provide sales leaders with best practices — gleaned from current consulting engagements, market research and insights shared by other sales leaders — on how your organization can optimize your sales cycle.
A sales manager’s nirvana: Maintaining a high sales volume with the shortest possible sales cycle for each sale. While factors like price and product features may influence overall sales volume and may not be within the control of the sales team, managing the sales cycle should be not only within your control, but optimized to ensure that every transaction opportunity entering your funnel moves through the pipeline as quickly as possible.
Experienced sales pros will tell you that their most satisfying wins are the ones they have earned by being able to effectively respond to the harsh scrutiny of a savvy buyer who asks tough questions and does their homework before rewarding them with a purchase. When buyers ask detailed and informed questions, rather than be intimidated, let your sellers know that they should seize the opportunity to not only address their questions, but add some qualifiers of their own: (more…)
July 13th, 2011
For several years, tech pundits have predicted that mobile TV will become popular with North American consumers. However, it hasn’t taken off yet, even though broadband connectivity has increased and a variety of mobile TV models have been experimented with. Standalone mobile TV devices, for example, have arrived too late; falling victim to increasing mainstream adoption of smartphones.
And mobile TV apps on smartphones are where the future of mobile TV is, at least for the near-term. A variety of TV apps are available on the iOS and Android platforms, and will be available on Windows Phone 7 devices as well. Smartphone owners don’t expect mobile TV apps to fully replicate their home TV viewing experience – that’s what their living room TVs are for. They’re looking to mobile TV apps to provide a light-weight entertainment experience that is inexpensive (preferably free) and viewable (functional app, good audio and video). (more…)
October 18th, 2010
Small-town 19th-century newspapers commonly included neighborhood columns, with details on local gossip: relatives visiting town, birthday celebrations. Fast-forward to the early 21st century, and Facebook Wall discussions play a very similar role. Take a quick browse through your Facebook News Feed, and you get a status check on how your friends and family are doing.
In today’s neighborhood column, you’re not confined to your local community, as you were with historical newspapers. On Facebook, your current social circle is stitched together from various periods in your life – family members, old school friends, former coworkers. Generally you lived or worked nearby most of these people at one point, but now your community exists in the cloud. (more…)
August 2nd, 2010
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