How do you support sales goals with cross-functional collaboration?

1 Define sales goals

The first step is to define clear and measurable sales goals that align with the overall business objectives and vision. Sales operations should work with sales leadership to set realistic and attainable targets for revenue, growth, customer retention, and satisfaction. Sales goals should also be aligned with the goals of other departments, such as marketing, finance, product, and customer success. Sales operations should communicate the sales goals to the entire sales team and other stakeholders, and track and report on the progress regularly.

2 Identify cross-functional needs

The second step is to identify the cross-functional needs and challenges that affect sales performance and sales goals. Sales operations should conduct a gap analysis to assess the current state of sales and the desired state of sales, and identify the areas that need improvement or support from other departments. For example, sales operations may need to collaborate with marketing to generate more qualified leads, with finance to streamline billing and invoicing, with product to provide feedback and feature requests, or with customer success to reduce churn and increase upsell.

3 Establish cross-functional teams

The third step is to establish cross-functional teams that can work together to support sales goals and solve cross-functional problems. Sales operations should select the right people from different departments who have the relevant skills, knowledge, and authority to participate in the cross-functional teams. Sales operations should also define the roles and responsibilities of each team member, and assign a leader or a facilitator who can coordinate the communication and collaboration among the team members.

4 Align cross-functional strategies

The fourth step is to align the cross-functional strategies and plans that support sales goals and optimize sales performance. Sales operations should facilitate the cross-functional teams to define the scope, objectives, deliverables, and timelines of each cross-functional project or initiative. Sales operations should also ensure that the cross-functional strategies and plans are consistent with the overall business strategy and vision, and that they address the cross-functional needs and challenges identified in the previous step.

5 Optimize cross-functional processes

The fifth step is to optimize the cross-functional processes and workflows that enable sales operations to execute the cross-functional strategies and plans effectively and efficiently. Sales operations should leverage the best practices, tools, and technologies that can streamline and automate the cross-functional processes and workflows, such as CRM, ERP, BI, and CPQ. Sales operations should also monitor and measure the cross-functional processes and workflows, and identify and eliminate any bottlenecks, errors, or redundancies.

6 Leverage cross-functional data

The sixth step is to leverage the cross-functional data and insights that can help sales operations improve sales performance and achieve sales goals. Sales operations should collect and analyze the data from different sources and departments, such as sales, marketing, finance, product, and customer success. Sales operations should also share and communicate the cross-functional data and insights with the cross-functional teams and other stakeholders, and use them to make data-driven decisions, recommendations, and actions.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?