• High-impact predictive content is changing the way in which sales operations can influence the sales process
  • Sales operations analysis should reveal which content is working best and at which stage of the sales cycle
  • These insights will allow sales operations to take a more proactive approach to addressing gaps in performance and process

In 2013, Amazon was awarded a patent for anticipatory shipping. Anticipatory shipping allows Amazon to ship a package of one or more items “to the destination geographical area without completely specifying the delivery address at time of shipment.” Using data from customers’ historical Amazon activity, including time on site, duration of views, links clicked and hovered over, shopping cart activity, and wish lists, this technology/algorithm can increase sales and reduce shipping, inventory, and supply chain costs.

man with binoculars

Similarly, predictive content is changing the way in which sales operations can influence the sales process. According to SiriusDecisions’ 2019 Sales Asset Management Study, 95% of high-performing organizations align their sales content to key deal attributes to improve findability.

Sales operations plays a critical role in optimizing this sales content. Sales operations analysis should reveal which content is working best and at which stages of the sales cycle. These insights allow sales operations to take a more proactive approach to addressing gaps — in both performance and process — to make the following improvements:

  • Decrease time to sales rep proficiency. Using technology, sales operations can keep track of influential content from past deals. This content is automatically tracked and served up within your sales force automation system. This enables deal specifics like industry, role, and sales cycle stage to be replicated and repeated — in turn decreasing the time newly hired sales reps take to become proficient sellers.
  • Increase conversion/win rates. Your conversion rate or win rate measures the percentage of new opportunities that ultimately become customers. As B2B customers spend more time researching solutions independently (online), sales reps must maximize their ability to send the right content at the right time to stimulate continued customer engagement, leading to more closed deals.
  • Decrease sales funnel leakage. Measuring sales funnel leakage reveals where prospects are dropping out of your funnel at the greatest rates. Correlating this knowledge with what content was presented at which sales cycle stage can help sales reps learn what content to present and automate that process for increased sales rep efficiency. Sales operations needs to master a delicate and intricate series of steps to ensure buyers are receiving the appropriate content exactly when they want it so that they’ll keep progressing along their purchasing journey.

A sales operations function that understands how the buyer’s journey and sales process align is best positioned to know which pieces of high-impact predictive content to deliver and when. With this knowledge, sales operations can automate this part of the sales process to maximize the ever-shrinking face time sales reps have with prospects. Ultimately, this high-impact predictive content will increase rep proficiency and win rates and improve sales funnel performance.