The Craig Brief - November 2024

In This Newsletter ?

We're well into Q4, otherwise known as crunch time. It's essential right now to focus on strategies to help you meet your year-end goals. This is a perfect opportunity to refine your sales and marketing tactics to ensure you achieve those revenue objectives.

? Here's what you will read today:

• Industry Commentary: Why Sales Coaching is So Important
• Knowledge Sharing: Better Decisions, Bigger Sales: 3 Steps to Leverage Data for Maximum Results?
• Craig Group's New Forecasting Tool: Try a Demo of Craig Group Conduit?
• In the News: Summer Craig on The Deal Scout
• How We're Staying Informed?

On Our Calendar ???

• Nov. 5-7 - Libby Covington and Brian Gustason at ACG Operating Partners summit in NYC
• Nov. 19 LinkedIn Event - How PE Firms Can Maximize Their Portco's Exit Value From GTM Motions - We would love to see you there!

Industry Commentary ??

Craig Group Partner Brian Gustason sees the data clearly: better sales coaching is critical to ramping up productivity and ROI.

• ?? Limited Virtual Sales Confidence: Only 23% of B2B sales reps feel as effective selling virtually as they do in person (Gartner).
• ??? Rapid Knowledge Loss: 70% of training is forgotten within a week, and 87% is lost within a month without regular reinforcement (Training Industry Report).
• ?? Coaching Boosts Performance: High-performing organizations commit to 79% more coaching at the front lines, focusing on personalized support for each seller (McKinsey).
• ? Coaching Time Constraints: Sales managers spend 55% of their time on internal activities and only 21% on coaching, leaving minimal time for direct sales support (Gartner).
• ?? Digital Tool Adoption Challenges: Sales teams struggle to adapt to digital tools without systematic coaching, affecting productivity and ROI on enablement investments.

What Brian says:

Perfecting your pitch is just the beginning; sales training and coaching are the true game-changers. Even the best marketing efforts can fall short without the foundational skills necessary to close deals. Investing in sales training and follow-up coaching significantly boosts closing rates, maximizing the effectiveness of your marketing initiatives. With proper training, sales teams can transform prospects into tangible wins, ensuring every pitch counts.

Knowledge Sharing ??

Craig Group Revenue Ops & Analytics Director Jordan Scott is a Business Intelligence practitioner with a passion for making data actionable. Fun Fact: He pole vaulted professionally from 2011-2016 and was a finalist in three Olympic Team Trials (‘08/‘12/‘16). Here he talks about better data practices for bigger sales.

Read the article here.

Craig Group's New Forecasting Tool:?Craig Group Conduit?

We've been working on a new forecasting tool designed specifically for the middle market. Want to bridge the gap between financial teams and marketing/sales leaders, enabling them to analyze ERP data and sales pipelines collaboratively? Middle Market PortCos — reach out for a demo at [email protected] and discover its potential to elevate your business strategy.

In the News ??

Summer Craig Featured on The Deal Scout

In a recent episode of The Deal Scout, Summer Craig discussed how Craig Group helps private equity-backed portfolio companies align marketing strategies with financial goals to drive EBITDA growth. Listen to the full episode for insights on overcoming challenges in your industry.

Highlights and full episode here.

How We're Staying Informed?

• ?? Report: Private Equity Pulse: Key Takeaways from Q3 2024
• ???Book: Using Behavioral Science in Marketing: Drive Customer Action and Loyalty by Prompting Instinctive Responses
• ???Podcast: Hidden Brain by Shankar Vedantam

Did you learn something new? Share it with your network!