Managing University Start-ups using Sales Force Automation ......sales efforts. The team at the...
Transcript of Managing University Start-ups using Sales Force Automation ......sales efforts. The team at the...
Managing University Start-ups using
Sales Force Automation Techniques Eric Alan Hill, Mississippi State University
Abstract As in the commercial sector, managing relationships and providing
adequate visibility to the highest value deals is essential to prioritize
sales efforts. The team at the Mississippi State Entrepreneurship
Center has adapted a number of sales force automation techniques
to better track start-ups through a defined pipeline and more
effectively identify key value-adds that the university can provide at
critical points along the way. The system and approach has allowed
the center's small team to scale its support from 15 potential deals
to 50 in less than 6-months.
Common Challenges
▲ Increase start-up support activity & quality?
▲ Proactively engage start-ups?
▲ Maintain continuity among staff?
▲ Increase visibility of active start-ups among
internal & external partners?
▲ Push more start-ups, further?
How Does One...
Many entrepreneurial support organizations face similar challenges,
which can be magnified within the university and academic
environment. The MSU team searched for a tool and management
methodology to target the following questions:
What is Sales Force Automation?
Abbreviated SFA, sales force automation is a technique of using
software to automate the business tasks of sales, including order
processing, contact management, information sharing, inventory
monitoring and control, order tracking, customer management, sales
forecast analysis and employee performance evaluation. SFA is often
used interchangeably with CRM; however, CRM does not necessarily
imply automation of sales tasks.1
Our team proposed adopting SFA and applying it to the
process of supporting start-ups.
Graduating a viable start-up
is “closing the deal.”
1) Idea
2) Customer Discovery
3) Structuring
4) Prototyping
5) Early Adopters
6) Product Refinement
7) Establish Trajectory
8) Graduate
Using familiar stages from modern start-up frameworks, the MSU team
adopted the following as sales process steps:
Tool Adopted The MSU team evaluated four tools, and ultimately because of its
focus on visibility of process, activity, and customizable flexibility,
the team selected Pipedrive. Four accounts were created for the
three team members and one account for external mentors.
End Result ▲ 3x volume of start-ups under guidance of our Center with same
staffing levels
▲ Activity emphasis materially increased retention and proactive
engagement – daily drive becomes, “What do we do to help the
start-ups listed here move one more step to the right?”
▲ Visibility for entire team and outside supporting mentors
▲ Meaningful metrics of office’s effectivity rather than
▲ Pace of start-ups reflecting the “fail fast, fail early” ideology
▲ Applied effort & resources vs. start-up outcome easily identified
Tracking the velocity of
a start-up team’s motion
through these process
steps has often proved
an indicator of
increased probability of
successful graduation.