The Time to Plan Is Now

Okay, so your sales operation has gone digital. You’ve embraced multi-channel sales and Internet sourcing. Your sales team is social media savvy and armed with mobile devices. Now it’s time to bring your sales incentive plan into the 21^st century. You might have already started the planning process. But before you jump in, you may want to consider some fundamental principles that will be key to your success in today’s digital marketplace.

Taking the Plunge

So you’ve read everything you can about the digital economy, multi-channel sales, and social media sourcing. You’re ready to take the deep dive into redesigning your sales force reward strategy. But where should you start? Having a digitally enabled workforce and an Internet savvy customer base will inevitably change your entire sales culture.  So, how will this affect your sales incentive planning?

What Happened to My Sales Incentive Plan?

So your sales incentive plan is just not producing the great results you used to get. Tweaking and updating it is just not getting the job done. Unfortunately, it’s not the time for a simple upgrade. It’s time for a whole new approach; an entirely new strategy that can transform your sales culture into one that can win in today’s multichannel sales environment.

A Changing Environment

Many Sales Managers dread the thought that each year they need to create a new sales incentive plan.  This task can be even more daunting in the light of current dramatic changes in sales roles and processes.  As we discussed in a recent blog, subject matter experts are swiftly becoming key contributors to successful sales efforts.  Changing buying patterns and more informed customers are truly impacting sales processes and the ways we compensate sales performance.  So how does a manager begin to plan?  Where do you start?

Why Results Aren’t the Only Measure

It’s no secret that sales incentive programs based solely on sales results usually follow the 20/60/20 rule.  This means that 20% of the sales force is actively engaged, 60% are muddling along and 20% are actively disengaged.  How can a sales manager achieve the 100/100 rule.