Planning for 2014 requires a fresh look at the metrics that will determine success. As noted by my colleague Vince Koehler, Marketing has adopted new capabilities. These capabilities force Marketing to transition to new metrics for determining effectiveness. Similarly, sales reps and managers require a new set of capabilities. Sales Operations must transform its reporting to track these key capabilities.
These are either in addition to, or in place of, your standard metrics tracked. They are all leading indicators that can help you forecast success in 2014. In this post we will dig into the top 5. By registering for SBI’s Sales & Marketing Research Review, you’ll get the “Top 15 Metrics to Track in 2014.” You’ll also get plenty of other tools to help you meet all types of Sales Ops challenges.
Five Sales Metrics You’re Not Tracking
Social Reach
Who you know is more important than what you know. In 2014, communicating with buyers is easier and quicker than ever. LinkedIn provides a network that includes a majority of those buyers. How many of your buyers are your reps and managers connected with? How many customers have your reps helped by sharing content and information?
Social reach is not measured by overall connections. It is measured by the number of buyers of your offerings. Have your reps ‘tag’ connections and bucket them based on buyer type or persona. You can now enable your team to send focused messages to targeted groups. You can determine how likely your reps are to be found by buyers. Social reach is worth measuring.
Social Debt
With great networks come great (likely to close) opportunities. But the network must be nurtured. Over 57% of the buying journey takes place without a rep present. When buyers are looking for help online, is your team there for the assist?
Constantly offer information and education to your network. Share insightful articles through your LinkedIn updates. Offer to help connect a buyer with a channel partner. Recommend a colleague for a position, or simply leave a recommendation on their profile. At the heart of your personal brand should be Advisor and Problem Solver. Give it out for free and the payoff will be great. Have your reps begin to offer this assistance daily through their networks. Could be the most effective 5 minutes of their day.
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