Sales Acceleration

To maximise opportunities for sales success, each factor that influences performance needs to be fully understood and actively controlled.

'Scorpio' is a set of tools that enable a business to significantly:

  • Increase customer numbers, sales volumes and gross revenues
  • Improve overall sales force efficiency and the predictability of performance
  • Improve the individual effectiveness and job satisfaction of the sales professional
  • Improve the quality of sales environment performance measurement and monitoring.

    • What does it do?

    There are over 30 critical success factors (CSFs) that influence sales force effectiveness, efficiency and performance, and a further 25 parameters that impact business planning.

    The CSFs and parameters have been aligned and built into an Excel based application, driven by formulas and algorithms. The application is used to determine the net impact on sales volumes, sales force capacity, revenue and financial performance. This makes it possible to experiment with different 'What if' scenarios to pinpoint the areas of change that will have the greatest positive impact on business results and highlight the business capabilities that need to be managed to maintain success.

    Once the business capabilities and action areas have been agreed, the structural and process changes needed to achieve successful implementation and realise financial benefits are identified.

    How does it work?

    Each CSF and parameter are represented in the tool in the form of a 'spin-wheel'. When any one spin-wheel is altered, the tool automatically adjusts all the related CSFs and determines the net impact on sales activities, volumes and business financial performance.

    Initially, all the relevant data around products, transaction types and times are entered. The CSF and parameter spin-wheels are calibrated to mimic the current operation. The results provide instant, 'real time' visualisation of the current scenario, which can be reconciled to the sales plan and business plan.

    The Excel based tool is used to model possible alternative scenarios, enabling the sales team to identify the CSF that has the greatest impact on effectiveness and efficiency.

    Once targets are agreed, performance measures are calibrated within the tool and, with expert guidance, the necessary business changes identified and implemented, allowing you to reap immediate financial benefit.

    Once this is done, the next greatest impact CSF is addressed. All this is managed in a clear, visible and auditable form.

    How can it be used?

    It allows the sales management team to readily quantify data for key components such as:

  • Sales plans - overall sales, customers, products, volumes and revenues
  • Compensation and incentives - directly linked to both individual and team success, and revenues
  • Organisation design - providing the right structure to maximise effectiveness and support
  • Results tracking - individual and team performance against targets and address any gaps
  • Prospect management - identifying and managing a predetermined level of prospects
  • Internal metrics - constant measurement of KPIs to ensure quality is maintained
  • Operational support - providing a platform for the whole business to support the sales effort.
    • Examples of uses include:

  • Input potential new products and model the impact on sale values, volumes and revenue
  • Simulate differing sales strategies such as new customer growth and increased product growth
  • Model the cost of the current and potential incentive, reward and compensation schemes
  • Measure the performance of individuals, teams and the whole sales force
  • Determine the real sales capacity allowing for high, normal and low performers
  • Model the optimum sales force size according to projected growth, capacity, competitive position.
    • Where has it been used?

    The concept was originally developed within the Australian insurance industry. Further development continued in the UK media industry, then applied to the broader financial services industry in the late 1990s.

    The Saudi American Bank used the first modeling application in 2002 to grow sales by 250% in 3 months. It was subsequently adopted by Citigroup and implemented across their EMEA countries, followed by other regional locations.

    Over 11,000 sales and service personnel in 19 countries, across three continents have directly benefited from Scorpio.

    How do you implement it?

    Scorpio is suited to short sales cycle products and services, from four sales per month per salesman, upwards - it is suited to industries such as financial services, fast moving consumer goods and media sales.

    The software is provided under an IP licence agreement. Implementation requires about 40 days facilitator effort, which includes:

  • Familiarising ourselves with your business model, understanding your business needs and profiling your sales operation to establish the modeling parameters
  • Populating the tool with your organisational characteristics
  • Setting up the tool with information regarding your products, revenue streams and sales teams
  • Configuring the CSFs and parameters to reflect your current practices and success ratios
  • Guiding your sales management team in modeling possible 'What if' scenarios, and agreement of direction to maximise the opportunities identified
  • Supporting the implementation of the necessary changes to bring modeled scenarios into being, ensuring that your business remains on-track for success
  • Training your people so that you can continue to use the application unsupported.

    • The power of Scorpio can be demonstrated to you in 90 minutes.

    Please contact us at Verdandi to obtain further information.

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