The guessing game….

Sales professionals shouldn’t have to guess what their earnings might be, which accelerators they may qualify for, or how they are tracking against their personal goals, quota objectives, or team benchmarks. The truth is that being a sales rep is already a full-time job. Unfortunately, many companies put these professionals in a position where they must spend additional administrative time searching for answers instead of focusing on driving revenue for the company.

?

Some companies operate under the assumption that providing a limited amount of visibility into performance is not only sufficient, but desirable.? This approach can be frustrating for those who are working to generate revenue for those companies. When visibility is constrained, sales reps may find themselves guessing or wondering, “What am I missing? Where’s the missing piece?”

Organizations must ask themselves, are you doing enough to support and align your brand advocates, your reputation representatives, your sales professionals?? What does your current incentive compensation process do for you?? If the answer is calculating commissions, you may be missing a big opportunity. Providing a clear picture of the business being conducted and sharing insights with sales about what they need to determine how to impact their upcoming commission checks is key to growth and success.?

Remember your sales professionals are busy on calls, emailing customers and prospects, scheduling meetings, navigating contracts, and closing deals. Providing a convenient way to access ongoing data and statistics allows the sale teams to track their progress effectively. Otherwise, they cannot be expected to manage what you are not allowing them to measure. Your sales teams are the life of your company.? Give them the tools to succeed and improve.?

Automation of backend processes is vital. This enables transparency and visibility into commissions across the sales teams. Sale professionals deserve to feel reassured that if they meet certain actions, they’ll hit their quotas, calculate their earnings accurately, and strive to be top performers on their teams.

This approach fosters motivation and confidence, ultimately leading to two key outcomes:

1. Increased sales performance.
2. Higher retention rates within the company.

When sales professionals know they are compensated accurately for their contributions, they dedicate their efforts to the areas that yield the best results. Equipping the sales team with tools designed specifically for their needs allows them to feel valued and recognized. It demonstrates that the company is genuinely invested in their success.

While numerous tools assist with the sales process, many of them are not tailored for sales professionals. Back-office analytics, planning applications, and CRM systems are often geared toward decision-makers and upper management, giving them a comprehensive overview of the business. However, these systems do not provide the direct support sales reps need to effectively manage their pipelines. In contrast, a dedicated Sales Performance Management system bridges the gap, offering clear answers and insights that empower salespeople.

By implementing such systems, organizations can ensure that their sales teams have the clarity and resources required to achieve their goals, drive sales, and ultimately succeed.

SalesVista offers SalesVista Horizon, an incentive compensation automation solution that gives sales teams visibility and access to their commissions actuals and projections eliminating the guesswork.