Sales Operations - The backbone of growth strategy

 

In the last few months, I have met many leaders who have been responsible for Sales Operations in their respective organizations. It brought me to a realization that Sales Operation is one of those functions, of which every organization has a different view. It differs for the type of organization and its customers. For example, a B2B organization would have different expectations from Sales Operations than would have a B2C organization. These expectations also reflect in other functions like Sales, Marketing, and Finance for these organizations. However, there will be a few things that are common to a Sales Operations function regardless of the nature of the business OR type of the organization.

Also known by other names like Sales Enablement and Sales Support, Sales Operations is essentially a corporate function that not only runs the sales engine but also helps the drivers i.e., Sales Heads decide the right direction in which vehicle should go. This team also manages all vital metrics of the Sales vehicle by leveraging tools like CRM.

While in many organizations, a Sales Operations (SOps) manager may just become the Executive Assistant to Sales Leaders, in mature organizations, a SOps leader is meant to play many hats simultaneously. In her primary role, a SOps leader would play the role of COO of the Sales organization, laying out tools & processes for sales, and also enforcing their use. In secondary roles, she would be a Sales Strategy Partner and at times, also the Chief of Staff for Sales Leadership.

However, one aspect of this role that most organizations miss is that a SOps leader should also become a Sales Person and always work towards hitting the numbers. In fact, if possible, a SOps leader should have quotas aligned with the organization's sales targets. She may not go and sell the products or services by herself to end clients, but having a sales-linked incentive will ensure that the role is fully aligned with the sales team.

With respect to duties related to Sales Strategy, a SOps leader is either solely or with other functions’ leaders responsible for Account Classification, Target Account/Consumer selection, Sales Alignment with Strategic needs, and also Go-to-market (GTM) strategy for each of the products and services. In addition, she should also give inputs on Quota Setting, Multiplier/Accelerators setting, and Commission Payout.

A Sales Operations team has to have tools and capabilities in analytics, strategy analysis, and internal communication. This is one team that has to work in tandem with almost all the corporate teams – Finance, HR, Product or Service management, and Marketing - of the organization.

So, in all sense, this team has to be good at numbers, while also understanding organizational dynamics, account/customer-specific marketing initiatives, and technical aspects of products and services to ensure the sales team is able to execute the sales strategy. It makes your Sales Operations team truly an all-rounder team.

So, if your organization has a Sales Operations function, you may want to ask where it falls on the role spectrum of Sales Operations.

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