Sales execution is the process of turning an opportunity into a sale. It can be one of the most difficult parts of any sales job, but it doesn't have to be. 

This blog post will give you tips and tricks on how to execute your sales more effectively. We'll talk about the importance of consistency in your approach, overcoming objections, and other strategies that can help make your sales goals come true!

What Is Sales Execution?

Sales execution refers to the sales management and supervision of sales reps. It also includes sales forecasting, sales forecasting models, sales metrics, sales enablement and others.

There are several factors that determine the impact of execution on a business: 

*Firstly, what is referred to as sales execution? The intrinsic definition usually relates to setting up processes that deliver features needed by sales people to meet their objectives under limited resources. Every company that has sales will need this to some extent. 

More general definitions are about how well features are delivered with regard to customer/user needs in order to satisfy customers. For example, IBM has developed its own concept for this called 'sales force alignment'. 

This refers to aligning internal organization strengths with the requirements of sales executives so they can accomplish sales objectives. So it  is about how well sales resources are used to achieve sales targets.

*Secondly, the impact of sales execution depends on various factors like; what does overall business performance depend on? One way of looking at this is to look at some of the areas that impact sales force effectiveness. 

For instance, learning and development strategies, compensation schemes or leadership styles will make a difference in terms of whether sales reps meet their objectives (at least in general). Skills needed by sales people are broader than products offered by an organization. 

Sales people need to "get along" with different kinds of personalities while providing good customer service.The ability to do all these things will contribute significantly to overall business performance efforts because if sales reps underperform sales targets, sales efforts will not yield sales results.

*Thirdly, It is about sales people (the sales force), sales processes and sales tools/resources. 

The sales process is the sequence of steps that salespeople follow to achieve their goals through customers likely to buy products or use services; which are aligned with an org.’s business objectives (i.e.). 

Selling involves interaction with real customers (or intended customers). This means that sales reps must understand customer needs and be able to show how a product or service meets those needs in order to convince the "right" people within an organization to buy. 

A company's strategy represents its general approach to doing business in marketable goods and services from one or more business units. Clearly sales people must understand sales strategy in order to be effective sales reps so It depends on sales strategy success.

It may involve sales forecasting which is where sales reps provide estimates of future revenue based upon past performance trends and other factors that will impact future sales for their assigned accounts or market areas or territories. 

Sales enablement refers to making sure that the right information, training and tools are available to salespeople when they need them so they can use them effectively. 

Information includes items like product/service manuals, reference guides, presentations or handbooks; training might include webinars or online videos; tools refer to applications (e.g., CRM) software, e-commerce portals (such as buying for sales), sales support platforms and sales enablement platform.

*Fourthly, it is about assessing sales performance and effectiveness: Sales executives need to be able to compare actual sales results against what was expected (forecast) to see if sales people are meeting their targets.

9 Ways To Improve Sales Execution.

Sales is one of the most important components of a company's revenue generation. When executed well, sales can have a significant impact on your business and growth strategy. 

But whether you're new to the role of SDR/AE or have been in B2B sales for years, we all know that getting reps to actually do what they've committed to (and used their quota credit towards) isn't easy.

If we look at some recent studies, only about half of companies report increasing sales productivity while 62% of leaders say that improving performance and execution is their number one priority. 

Without an increase in sales performance and continuous improvement, it's unlikely that companies will achieve their desired growth. If you think back to your best co-workers or reps you've worked with, they all share one common attribute: the ability to get work done.

While there may not be a magic pill that can instantly fix an individual's weakness in this area, developing the skills required to perform well is achievable for anyone willing to put in the effort.

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Here are 9 things you could do today to help your team execute better than ever before.

1) Proactively Communicate New Initiatives- Communicating new initiatives and strategies can be exciting and can give reps extra motivation when completing their weekly tasks. 

When starting new projects or specific initiatives, don't just mention them briefly during your weekly meeting or send out a quick email with information about what's changing. Spend time training on how to properly and successfully execute the new tasks and explain why they're important for reps to do.

For example, if sales engineers are going to be taking on more demo/trial responsibilities, make sure your team knows exactly how to set up a demo. 

Creating an easy-to-follow video that walks them through the process or even setting up a new template in Connect would be beneficial. Make it clear that demos won't always look like this and some will require more customization, but you can give reps an idea of what they should anticipate before jumping into a call with their prospect. 

Updates like these should also include information about any new skills (i.e., tools or tactics) they may need to learn and practice using in order to fully execute.

2) Measure Effectiveness of New Initiatives Early On- When developing/implementing new initiatives, it's important to figure out which ones will be the most successful and productive early on. 

Don't just assume that one tactic is better than another without evidence. It's also critical to keep track of what works and how reps are performing with each initiative so you can iterate or reverse course if necessary. 

If reps aren't executing well, take a look at why through their feedback, data insights, or using other qualitative methods such as one-on-one conversations. Once you know where there's room for improvement, share this information with your team and provide them with the support they need to improve (i.e., training, coaching, etc.). 

This process will help your team more efficiently and effectively learn which sales tactics and activities are most relevant to their unique goals and business objectives.

3) Remove Barriers Between Reps and Sales Tools- While having access to the right tools is important for executing work well, you don't want reps relying on manual processes or individual contributors every time they run into a problem with your platform. 

When setting up new features (or revamping old ones), make sure that there's always a way for reps to get assistance from someone who can fix any of these issues immediately . If there's no one readily available then find out why this is happening. 

Is it because no one knows how to assist them? There's an issue with the tool that is preventing them from getting help? Or is it because responsibilities are distributed unevenly and there's no clear plan for how to fix this challenge?

While looking into this, also make sure that training on new or existing features isn't unnecessarily long or complicated. If reps can easily learn how to use these tools without having to spend hours doing dry practice like you would in school, they will be able to execute more efficiently.

And if training needs to be longer than they usually are, make sure someone has clearly defined why the time spent learning something will lead to faster execution later. 

For example…If an engineering team sets up a new feature which allows direct access into Salesforce through their current toolset, training should be kept to a minimum (1-2 hours) because the majority of the information reps need is already built right into their current workflows.

4) Gather External Knowledge About Your Product/Industry- Remember that sales enablement has to start with your team, but it doesn't end there. 

You also have to take action in order for them to know how they can support others , so you need to use all your resources. There's a ton of research available about your company and industry, so leverage this insight in a way that will help fuel strategies and tactics for improving execution. 

Even if you've been at your job for years or have been working in the same industry for decades, there are always new ways you can learn more about your product/service and the way this industry works (i.e., how it's changed or is evolving, etc.). 

To do this, look into any free materials that are available online (webinars, ebooks, blogs) , conduct surveys internally to get new perspectives on information you already have, or work with an outside consultant if you need help brainstorming ideas.

5) Create More Opportunities for Reps to Execute- When planning out new activities for reps to execute on, make sure they aren't all focused around selling your product. 

Depending on what stage of the sales funnel they're in right now (i.e., generating leads or closing deals), there will be more than enough opportunities for them to use what you're providing in order to generate new leads, connect with the right people at their target accounts, or even reconnect with current customers. 

When thinking about how to do this, look at your existing sales process and identify activities that occur naturally within it, such as speaking engagements, networking events, etc., which reps can leverage for their own purpose.

In addition to looking externally for opportunities like these, think about ways you can get reps involved in internal projects from other departments. If a company produces a report for sales estimates on a quarterly basis and an early draft contains erroneous data, your team could work together to set the record straight. 

Or if there's another initiative going on that requires customer research or an assessment of key industry players, this would be a great opportunity to have reps give their insights and offer recommendations on ways to improve the final product.

What's key here is that you want to get reps thinking about how they can use your product/service for more than just selling it to someone who will likely stop using it after just a few months.

By finding enough opportunities where executing can lead to long-term value being created, you'll keep them interested in what they're doing and continue driving revenue for your company at the same time.

6) Start Using Data to Improve Sales Enablement- Every rep knows that numbers don't lie , so why are sales organizations still doing everything manually? Instead of wasting so much energy inputting data into endless spreadsheets, find ways to automate this process so that you can decide when to act on information rather than just be reactive. 

There are several types of data that could easily help feed into plans for increasing sales enablement, including adoption rates (how many people in your target accounts are using the product/service), user feedback (what's working well and what isn't), quarterly planning (sales forecasts based on adoption rates), or any other numbers you want reps to see. 

The easiest way to start using this information is by creating dashboards with reports that highlight key areas where they need improvement , but think about how else you can assimilate all these numbers into one place.

The main benefit here is that reps will always have access to updated data that shows how they're currently doing, so there won't be any surprises when new opportunities arise across different areas of their target accounts. 

And with all the data in one place, it'll be easier to unify the team around common goals and objectives.

7) Empower Sales Reps to Execute on Their Own- The reality is that reps are always going to want more autonomy when it comes to executing on their own , which is why you might as well give it to them. 

The easiest way to do this is by creating a self-service portal where they can log in whenever they need something instead of having an admin send them instructions or information via email or within your CRM . 

This will make it easier for reps to discover new features and functions that you haven't yet shown them, but it also gives you an opportunity to see how they're using the product/service on their own and address any questions or concerns before they become a major obstacle .

8) Find Ways for Sales Reps to Mentor Each Other- There's no denying that some reps are better than others when it comes to executing on sales enablement, so why not leverage this as a way of increasing productivity? 

The idea is simple: Allow reps who have more experience in your target accounts (e.g., those who sell the same product/service with similar use cases) to teach newer reps about best practices , ways around possible obstacles, etc. 

This can be done by having the more experienced reps share information with their counterparts via email, in writing, or even over the phone if they're willing to go through the trouble.

Another way to take this idea further is by creating a forum where these reps can ask questions about various topics so that others can respond and give input. Depending on your company's resources, you might have an admin manage this forum so things stay organized, but one thing worth keeping in mind is that you need to tread lightly when it comes to moderating people's comments. 

People are going to say what they want to say no matter how much you try to control discussions , so just let them do their thing as long as it doesn't violate any terms of service. And besides, everyone knows that some of the best learning happens when you're allowed to gain new insights first-hand by welcoming diverse opinions.

9) Create a Culture That's Centered Around Sales Enablement- The reality is that sales enablement isn't just about the tools and strategies that reps use, but rather how they approach their day-to-day activities. 

So, for example, if your product/service helps reps understand how customers buy so they can adapt accordingly , then it should follow that your culture encourages them to look inward and reflect on what they do best in order to continually improve. 

It also follows that there should be room in everyone's schedule for deliberate practice: Opportunities for reps to test out new skills with people who have more experience or simply with brand new prospects.

And with everyone on the same page about the definition of sales enablement, it'll be easier to make sure that you're all headed in the right direction. 

For example, one of your most productive reps might want to continue doing what they've always done while others are looking for ways to increase their productivity, but it can create a serious problem if everyone isn't working towards the same objective.

So how do you find a middle ground? Well, by having an open dialogue where people feel comfortable offering up constructive criticism , pointing out unfair practices, etc., reps will slowly gain clarity around what must change so they can work more effectively as a team.