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Marketers have traditionally been charged with

generating high-quality leads for the sales team.

Modern marketing teams are now partnering with

sales to move as many opportunities through the

pipeline as possible.

Alignment between the marketing and sales teams

is crucial in ensuring that the investments made

in developing leads actually result in revenue. IDC

Event Flash reports that 10% of annual revenue is

lost to sales and marketing misalignment.

Many companies are dealing with new hires,

shifting territories and product launches, making

it difficult to quickly ramp up to meet revenue

initiatives. The average company deploys 2.6

different sales methodologies, according to IDC’s

Sales Barometer Survey. And, only 46% of forecast

opportunities end up in the win column, 30% go

to the competition and 24% result in no decision,

according to a CSO Insights survey.

Here are 10 tips for sales teams to utilize when accelerating the sales cycle:

1. Prioritize the right leads.

All leads are not created equal. According to

MarketingSherpa, 61% of B2B marketers send all

leads directly to sales, while only 27% of those

leads will be qualified. A lead scoring system jointly

developed by marketing and sales can improve

lead conversion and accelerate the sales cycle.

2. Bring intelligence — not just product information — to the table.

The sales and marketing teams need to collaborate

so that the salesperson is presenting the buyer

with content and resources that address

their needs.

Marketing departments have to develop trustworthy

and unbiased content at all stages of the process.

In the B2B 2013 Content Preferences Survey, 61.6%

of survey respondents said that “sales heavy”

content is a problem.

The marketing department has to create content

to help salespeople converse with prospects

about industry trends and identify situational

selling opportunities.

3. Make it easy to find the right resources.

With a central hub for all of the content,

subject matter experts, sales sheets and other

information, marketers can serve up the right

information to support the sales team’s efforts

to accelerate opportunities.

In many organizations, salespeople rely on a

customer relationship management (CRM) system

for all of their daily activities.

4. Meet buyers where they are in the buying journey.

A buyer may have attended a webinar, visited

the web site and downloaded a white paper before

ever talking to a salesperson. Corporate Executive

Board estimates that 57% of the purchase decision

is complete before a customer even contacts

a supplier. Because buyers are coming to the

conversation more educated than ever, marketers

need to prep the sales team to be ready to

connect with buyers at whatever point they

are in the process.

10 TIPS FOR ACCELERATING OPPORTUNITIES AND DRIVING THE BOTTOM LINE

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5. Develop processes that can be applied in multiple situations.

Flesh out scenarios for different types of buyers

and different industries to address key concerns

and objections. Groups of buyers and buyers at

similar points in the buying journey often behave in

similar, predictable ways.

SiriusDecisions calls these “observable outcomes,”

and defines them as measurable, verifiable actions

or responses from a buyer. For example: Has the

buyer identified a budget is available? Has the

buyer provided decision criteria? Did the buyer

schedule a follow-up meeting for a demonstration?

6. Adapt to different selling situations.

While being adaptable seems to contradict point

No. 5, people still buy from people and every

purchase has its own set of requirements.

7. Foster a collaborative relationship between sales and marketing.

As marketing looks to improve the lead conversion

process and sales looks to accelerate the sales

cycle, responsibilities are blurring. The goal is more

closed deals.

8. Become a trusted advisor.

Buyers don’t need sales reps to spout the features

of their product, as they have already done as

much as 70% of their research online before

engaging with a salesperson. Buyers are looking

for partners who understand their industry and its

particular challenges. Vendors who support buyers

by providing subject matter experts and other

resources will have an edge.

9. Communicate efficiently and effectively.

The salesperson has just one shot on that first

call to capture the attention of the buyer. Marketing

and sales have to work together on the right

materials to ensure that the first call, and future

calls, are productive.

Speed of response is also essential. According

to research conducted by Dr. James Oldroyd,

Ph.D., the chances of entering the lead into the

sales cycle increase 21 times if called within five

minutes of the sales rep receiving a message from

the buyer compared to 30 minutes.

10. Don’t end the interaction once the deal is signed.

Check in with current customers to see how their

needs have changed and what challenges they

are facing.

When a company’s sales processes, sales tools

and sales training are in sync when and where the

sales team needs them most, they can accelerate

opportunities and drive greater revenue. To learn

more about accelerating the sales cycle, visit

www.savogroup.com.

Corporate Headquarters 155 N. Wacker Drive Suite 1000 Chicago, IL 60606 312.506.1700 877.542.7266