What is sales effectiveness?

Sales effectiveness is everything that has the potential to improve overall win rates for your sales team and more specifically conversion rates at different stages of the sales cycle.

That means its scope is almost endless – ranging from the effectiveness of sales collateral in generating leads, or enquiries, to the effectiveness of sales presentations and proposals.

 Indeed, sales effectiveness brings the notion of continuous improvement to all aspects of sales and sales led marketing.  Faced with real resource limitations, it is also the application of ‘work smarter, not just harder thinking’. 

Sales effectiveness necessitates closer alignment between sales and marketing – something that is lacking in many organisations.  The results are clearer joint goals, greater co-operation and fewer demarcations.  It also means an accelerated transition from traditional mass marketing (big events, expensive ads, etc.) to one-to-one marketing aimed at specific customers, niches and segments.

Sales effectiveness also means responding to marketplace changes.  More specifically it means more effectively tailoring the seller’s proposition (product or service) and sales efforts to the prospect’s individual and often idiosyncratic needs.