BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - October 12, 2010) - Prospects and customers demand more than a product list from their sales rep; they seek added value through consultative and problem-solving skills, with need-based conversations instead of sales pitches, and often desire a long-term relationship that survives the drying ink on the contract. In this environment, maintaining credibility, customer satisfaction and profitability requires ongoing attention to the skill sets of any company's front line, in order to assure the highest degree of sales effectiveness in managing prospects through the sales cycle, according to a new research study on sales training published by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (
Sales Training: Deploying Knowledge, Process and Technology to Consistently Hit Quota, which examined 835 organizations' sales effectiveness, found that 77% of sales reps in top-performing companies currently achieve their annual quota, compared to 35% for sales teams in other companies.
"Sales training continues to represent an investment that companies retain as a 'must have' rather than a 'nice to have,' as the realization that an educated, focused sales team is tantamount to success, even during a questionably healthy economic cycle," says Peter Ostrow, Research Director, Sales Effectiveness, Aberdeen Group, the report's author. "While spending cuts have helped enterprises reduce their expenses, only this team can refresh the gap between the bottom and top lines. Providing them with the processes, technologies and services to do so effectively remains the wisest strategy of all."
The report reveals what leading companies have been able to achieve through deployment of sales training solutions, such as:
- 14.8% average year-over-year increase in annual company revenue; compared to 3% decrease for other companies
- 7.2% average year-over-year increase in average deal size or company value; compared to a 2% decrease for other companies
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: 2WIN! Global, Altus, BayGroup International, Carew International, Miller Heiman, Richardson. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=6396&camp=2.
Find out where your company's sales training capabilities rank among the top performing companies. Take our Sales Training Assessment Tool: assessment.aberdeen.com/gqtJlzBd2X/index.aspx.
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About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is 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 or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.
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