BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - March 10, 2009) - The economic downturn has placed even greater
pressure on the sales function. Sales leaders must increase sales
effectiveness while external forces reduce the number of real opportunities
and threaten top-line revenue growth. Business leaders need actionable data
to align sales behavior with business objectives and rapidly adapt to
changes in the market. Aligning and automating sales execution with
organizational goals requires a holistic approach that includes
compensation management, process optimization, and data analysis. Research
reveals that traditional manual compensation processes reduce productivity
for multiple functions, such as sales, finance, operations, and IT, which
impacts both top and bottom line growth. A recent study, "
Optimizing Sales Performance Management Through
Data Integration and Analytics," conducted by Aberdeen Group, a
Harte-Hanks Company (
NYSE:
HHS), finds that managing sales performance is a
high or top three priority for 59% of all survey respondents in 2009. To
obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/summary/report/benchmark/5730-RA-sales-performance-management.asp.
"Sales Performance Management (SPM) is not just about technology. It's
about using the technology to support performance management practices and
processes which tie operational execution to business objectives," explains
Ian Michiels, Research Director of Aberdeen's Customer Management
Technologies Group. "The Best-in-Class demonstrate an affinity for data
driven decisions. SPM initiatives will continue to grow as organizations
start to realize that technology alone is only one ingredient to superior
performance. Best-in-Class companies demonstrate the critical capabilities
that support all three components of SPM and as a result realize higher
growth in annual revenue and improved productivity."
"Lack of automation means manual processes become cumbersome and costly,
and it's difficult to rapidly adapt to market volatility," says Alex
Jefferies, Senior Research Associate in Aberdeen's Customer Management
Technologies Group. "All respondents want sales to be selling as much as
possible to get their share of the opportunities. This means sales must be
compensated with realistic incentives that are in line with the business
strategy, and not wasting time on shadow accounting or selling the wrong
products. The holistic SPM approach uses elements of ICM, process
optimization, and business goals to identify exactly what products or
services to sell, how to sell them, how to incentivize the sales force to
maximize the opportunity in the market, and how to maximize resources to
meet business objectives."
The report demonstrates the value of collectively leveraging organizational
practices in process, performance measurement, knowledge management, and
technology to provide a foundation for sales success. By combining
organizational capabilities and technologies, such as CRM/SFA solutions and
incentive compensation management tools, Best-in-Class companies are able
to positively affect bid-to-win ratios and annual revenue growth.
The research educates readers about the various aspects of sales
performance management. The report also identifies Best-in-Class
performance as a result of sales performance management initiatives and the
use of key sales solutions, compared to the Industry Average and Laggards.
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part to the
following underwriters: Varicent and ForceLogix. Furthermore this research
is being disseminated to the market through the support of various media
outlets, such as the ECT News network and ITO America. To obtain a
complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/summary/report/benchmark/5730-RA-sales-performance-management.asp.
For additional access to complimentary
Customer
Management Research, please visit
http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/-customer-management.
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more
than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely
positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating
demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment
analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets,
corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen
http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more
about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to
http://www.harte-hanks.com.
© 2009 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Ian Michiels
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(925) 264-1824
ian.michiels@aberdeen.com