This White Paper is about CRM and your Sales Team. It covers the role that sales performance solutions, built around the needs of today's sales professional and sales manager, can play in driving up CRM Adoption and increasing your CRM Return on Investment. It also speaks to the benefits of integrating sales methodology and sales process into the CRM system for sustained and predictable profitability. As such, it leans heavily on solutions from The TAS Group.

1. Sales
Performance,
CRM Automation
and Integration
WHITE PAPER

2. Sell Smarter. Manage Better.
Sales Performance, CRM Adoption
And Integration
INTRODUCTION
This White Paper is about CRM and your Sales Team. It requirements, since the ideas and recommendations
covers the role that sales performance solutions, built have applicability right up the leadership hierarchy.
around the needs of today’s sales professional and However, if you want to dig deeper or move wider, we
sales manager, can play in driving up CRM Adoption urge you to get in touch with us individually. You can
and increasing your CRM Return on Investment. do this via email to: info@thetasgroup.com.
It also speaks to the benefits of integrating sales
methodology and sales process into the CRM system This White Paper will cover 4 key areas. We’ll start by
for sustained and predictable profitability. As such, it analyzing why CRM systems aren’t great for the sales
leans heavily on solutions from The TAS Group. professional or sales manager, drawing on expert
independent opinion as well as our own. We’ll then
As with any of our White Papers, there will be a outline the good things that happen when you fix
big variance in the seniority and experience of the CRM compliance and have the sales teams wanting to
readership. Some of you will perhaps be in your first actively use their CRM system because it helps them
managerial role looking to focus on what’s really make more money. After that, we’ll cover how you
important in the deal. Others may be more seasoned get to that nirvana situation by looking at the deep
sales leaders at Director, Managing Partner, or VP integration of sales methodology within the CRM
level tuning in to make sure you’re in step with the system. We’ll conclude by summarizing the benefits
latest thinking and technologies. This White Paper that we’ve covered.
aims to provide something for the complete range of
CRM SALES RESISTANCE
From the sales organization’s perspective, seeing the return that will benefit other departments. As a result, it is fair to
on CRM deployment and investment has been problematic generalize that sales productivity results from CRM system
to say the least. CRM systems are enterprise-wide and serve deployments have been poor.
more than one master: sales, sales operations, marketing,
customer service, product management, and finance, to However, you shouldn’t just take our word for it. A lack
name a few. It’s easy to see how the specific needs of each of ‘What’s In It For Me’ (‘WIIFM’) for sales is shared with
division can become blurred or lost. independent sales analysts as well, such as ES Research.
ES Research goes so far as to say: “We have spoken with dozen
Furthermore, the quality of the data is often suspect and of sales and sales operations leaders who come to us seeking
any forecast or reporting that is generated can only ever be new ways to try to get their sales people to input data into
as good or reliable as the underlying data. Sales people are their corporate CRM systems. There is really only one answer:
not motivated to enter the quantity or accuracy of data that Make sure that the CRM system delivers value to the rep by
is often asked of them. They have to have a laser-like focus helping them sell more.” (ES Research, Technology and sales
on what will bring in revenue and consequently they do not Force Productivity, 2007, www.ESResearch.com).
see the value of taking time away from selling to input data
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3. Sell Smarter. Manage Better.
THE BENEFITS OF IMPROVED
CRM COMPLIANCE
The secret to increasing sales use of CRM systems, as ES Research Under these conditions, CRM data quality improves because it
has said, is to help them sell more. This is all about installing and benefits sales leaders and professionals. Also, with an integrated
integrating a sales methodology into their CRM system, which is sales methodology, sales best practices become self-reinforcing
designed, built and optimized around how they want to do their since sales professionals and managers make more money, are
job more successfully; where the data they enter directly helps happier, and stay longer in their current role, thus reinforcing the
them do their job and get better at it. virtuous circle.
The TAS Index ran from 2007 to 2009 and surveyed around Again, we have the benefit of outside expert opinion on this.
2000 companies to help them benchmark their own sales ES Research goes much further and they comment as follows:
effectiveness. (In November 2011 we launched the Dealmaker “We espouse, wherever possible, building or adopting, then
Index, which extends the scope of The TAS Index, and you can using a sales methodology for a period of time before acquiring
take the Dealmaker Index for free at www.dealmakerindex. a CRM solution. In most cases the CRM package should be
com.) We found that CRM systems were used more than 75% customized to the methodology and not vice-versa. When
of the time by just 45% of respondents. When the CRM system the CRM package was installed and implemented without a
integrated a proven sales methodology, however, CRM system foundation methodology in place, the result was little more than
usage increases by 44% (those companies using it more than the automation of the chaos that existed from the start.”
75% of the time). This is an almost doubling of the 33% (those (ES Research, Technology and Sales Force Productivity, 2007,
using it more than 75% of the time) measure that applies when www.ESResearch.com)
the methodology is not integrated.
THE VALUE OF SALES
METHODOLOGY TO SALES
Sales Process and Sales Methodologies are terms that tend to CSO Insights research shows the statistics. Sales methodologies,
be used interchangeably. A sales methodology, however, is not which support a consistent sales process, are the optimal way
a sales process. Sales Process is what people do day-in and day- to drive improved results. We know that in a down economy
out, more or less consistently, as they prospect, qualify, propose, pipelines are likely to be smaller; therefore our win rates have
negotiate and close deals. These are the activities that sales to be higher to achieve targets. We also know that as fewer
people do every day and they are also the ‘Where am I in the deals are pursued by your sales team and their competitors,
Sale?’ In other words, the steps customers realize that they have
you take from A to Z. Level of Methodology Adoption <50% >75% significantly more power in the
Quota Attainment 51.9 65.7 sales cycle and can put intense
Methodology is the common pressure on pricing – which can
Win/Loss/No Decision 47/31/22 55/22/33
vocabulary to describe and erode profitability. (CSO Insights
structure how they do these Seen by Buyer as: Sales Performance Optimization
things. How am I doing in this Vendor 19 9 Survey 2007, www.csoinsights.
deal relative to my competitors? com)
Preferred Supplier 26 16
How can I progress this
opportunity? For example, step Consultant 30 30 The percentage lift from a sales
one of your sales process may Contributor 19 33 methodology can be higher. If
to be to qualify a lead. Among Partner 7 12
you automate that methodology
other things, a sales person needs and integrate it with your
to determine whether a budget (All figures in percentages) CRM system, the results are
exists, the degree of urgency for significantly better. When sales
purchase, and if so, what’s driving the urgency, the identification people use technology-enabled methodologies in intelligent
of the key players and so on. A methodology or program will applications like Dealmaker, the critical components are in place
offer suggestions of how best to phrase, map and track roles and to insure adoption.
functions of individuals. Sales processes and sales methodologies
are very powerful when leveraged by sales technology.
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4. Sell Smarter. Manage Better.
DEALMAKER – SALES PROCESS,
METHODOLOGY AND CRM
INTEGRATION
Our opportunity, account management and planning To illustrate this further, when the sales people have entered
methodologies have been automated in an easy to use into their CRM system the details of a new opportunity, they
solution – Dealmaker. The sales methodology application sits can immediately go to the sales process or opportunity
transparently in the CRM environment, and the organization’s management screen, transparently integrated into the
sales process is optimized and configured to their specific set- CRM system. The opportunity details have all been pulled
up. Sales people reuse CRM data which are pulled through through from the CRM system, needing no further rekeying or
automatically to Dealmaker with no need for information duplication of effort. Now the sales people can immediately
re-keying. Plus, the encapsulated methodology and sales start to work the opportunity, follow the on-screen process,
process intelligently guide sales people to do the right thing, qualify the deal and progress through the sales stages which
thereby freeing up sales leaders to coach, not chase. have been configured specifically for the company.
An everyday example of this is that the sales person can So in this example, the opportunity called ‘New Opportunity’
take just a few clicks to update their Opportunity plan using drops users in at the first sales stage, Qualify, and presents
Dealmaker Smart Playbook and Forecast. They learn the them with the qualifying questions they need to satisfy before
next steps that they need to perform in order to advance they can either qualify out early or progress the deal to the
their opportunity right inside the application, which next stage. Updating the plan and forecasts are therefore
reinforces continuous learning. In this hosted, web-enabled done automatically in a few clicks. There are also text fields for
environment, a virtual sales team can see the changes in real them to document further details.
time. Also, leadership can monitor usage and understand
what has changed week to week,
month to month.
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5. Sell Smarter. Manage Better.
So the Dealmaker sales performance automation technology “We consider the architecture of the Dealmaker methodology
guides the sales person through the sales process, the revolutionary in the sales performance arena. The TAS Group
‘what’ they should do. It also, of course, automates the sales is the first methodology-based sales training company to
methodology, the ‘how’ they should progress the deal (see deliver a methodology that separates step-by-step process
above). Again, information on things like competitors is from skills-based techniques...The Dealmaker solution
pulled through from the CRM system, eliminating re-keying. incorporates both the work-flow management technology
and the step-by-step process in a unique, electronic platform.”
Dealmaker is an intelligent application, and as you can see
towards the bottom of the screenshot above, the TAS 1-20 When sales people are committed to using a system that
‘how am I doing’ methodology is interleaved with the sales is built around their needs, their compliance improves and
process questions (for those customers who take both the quality of the data they input improves. Databases and
Dealmaker Smart Opportunity Manager and Dealmaker reporting are only as good as the underlying data, so when
Smart Playbook and Forecast) to make sure there are no the data is of the right quality the reporting is more reliable
inconsistencies in responses, which throws up a red triangle and it brings more predictability to things like forecast analysis
warning system. and pipeline analysis. This in turn breeds confidence and
certainty around sales leadership decisions and more focus on
ES Research said in the 2008 Sales Training Vendor Guide: “The what is working and what is not.
first TAS Group breakthrough is a recognition that process
(what) is separated from method (how)”. They go on to say,
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6. Sell Smarter. Manage Better.
Sales Process, Sales Methodology, and Sales technology are Small/Mid Enterprise Requirements
the components that enable you to achieve sustainable and • Intuitive
measurable behavioral change in your sales force. It is these • Methodology Automation
new behaviors in your sales force that enable you to achieve • Sales Process Automation
sustained, predictable and profitable sales growth. • Sharing plans across teams
• CRM Integration (read and write)
The TAS Group has designed Dealmaker to fundamentally -- Account Data, Opportunity Data, Contact Data,
improve how companies approach or adopt sales Buyer Roles, Sales Hierarchy
performance solutions. Because we have our own multi- -- Activity/Task Management, Progress Reporting,
million dollar R&D center and our own world-class software Administration
engineering team, we have been able to achieve the • Customizable
standards we believe are necessary to provide a world-class, • Secure, robust and scalable
complete, enterprise-wide, sales performance solution. These • Reinforcement and sustaining technology
are the minimum requirements we believe enterprises should
expect. The degree to which The TAS Group’s Dealmaker integrates
with the CRM system is evidenced by the amount of data
Large Enterprise Requirements we read from the CRM system, collect within the Dealmaker
• Intuitive application, and write back to the CRM system.
• Methodology Automation
• Sales Process Automation Dealmaker is synchronized with the CRM system at all times,
• Multi-lingual, multi-currency reading the CRM data and writing it back to the CRM system,
• Multiple concurrent sales processes which it has collected within the sales methodology and
• Sharing plans across teams process application. Below is an example of write-back,
• CRM Integration (read and write) where Dealmaker allows you to draw a Political Map of the
-- Account Data, Opportunity Data, Contact Data, Opportunity in your customer’s organization in an easy-to-use
Buyer Roles, Sales Hierarchy graphical way. Contact names, titles and reporting lines are
-- Activity/Task Management, Progress Reporting, pulled from the CRM system automatically, and any additions
Administration you make or any reporting lines you change are then written
• Consolidation back to the CRM system.
• Customizable
• Secure, robust and scalable
• Reinforcement and sustaining technology
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7. Sell Smarter. Manage Better.
Dealmaker brings sales methodologies right into your CRM
system so that sales best practices are instilled in sales people Intelligent Sales Effectiveness Dashboard
from day one. Tight integration ensures that data is always
Forecast Pipeline Performance Virtual
up to date and optimal individual and team productivity is Analysis Analysis Coach Learning
assured. The TAS Index Sales Benchmark Study found that
organizations who effectively deploy sales methodology and
sales process integrated with their CRM system achieve sales Intelligent Sales Platform Configurator
quota nearly twice as often as those who do not.
Embedded Sales Methodology, Sales Process Company Tailored
• Account Management • Business Rules
• Opportunity Management • Pipeline Structure
• Channel Management • Industry Context
CRM Integration
Microsoft Oracle CRM Standalone
Dynamics CRM On Demand Dealmaker
Siebel salesforce.com SAP Other
SUMMARY
Dealmaker can deliver impressive, measurable benefits • Sales teams and leaders see tangible value
to organizations looking to drive up CRM adoption and when sales methodologies are integrated into
in so doing, increase revenue growth. One customer the CRM systems
of The TAS Group reported back that CRM compliance • Dealmaker sales performance automation
was 20% before a Dealmaker implementation. provides the components that equip sales
Sometime after implementation, compliance was people to win more deals, make more money,
re-measured and was found to be 92%, a more than be happier and stay longer with their employers
fourfold increase in CRM use by sales people.
If you wish to find out more, please contact us at
To recap on the main points of this White Paper: info@thetasgroup.com.
• Sales teams often don’t see the value in CRM
systems
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8. ABOUT THE TAS GROUP
The TAS Group helps sales professionals sell smarter and manage better. Through a unique combination of deep sales
methodologies and intelligent software applications, customers achieve measureable results including increases in win
rates, deal sizes and qualified opportunities, as well as decreases in sales cycle length. According to the Aberdeen Group,
customers of The TAS Group realize 21 percent greater attainment of sales quotas.
Dealmaker® intelligent software is the engine driving revenue growth and sustained adoption of improved sales
practices.
The TAS Group has helped more than 850,000 sales professionals in more than 65 countries, from small private
companies to market leaders. For more information visit http://www.thetasgroup.com and read the dealmaker365 blog
at http://www.dealmaker365.com.
ABOUT DEALMAKER
Dealmaker software from The TAS Group delivers real-time opportunity and account management, intelligent
deal coaching, accurate sales forecasts, smart playbooks, self-paced learning, and predictive analytics, resulting in
measurable sales growth.
Dealmaker can be delivered as a standalone application or can be integrated with Salesforce CRM, Microsoft Dynamics
CRM, Oracle CRM On Demand, Oracle’s Siebel CRM and SAP CRM, or with any third party software application through
the Dealmaker API. For more information visit http://www.thetasgroup.com.
Copyright © The TAS Group. All rights reserved. This briefing is for customer use only and no usage rights are conveyed. Nothing herein may be reproduced in any form without written permission of The TAS Group.