Transcription
SALESSALESThe newcollaborativesales teamWhy it takes a villageto close a deal
The new collaborative sales team2A new way of selling(that works way betterthan the old way).
The new collaborative sales teamSales has always beenhard. And it’s alwaysbeen critical to success.But today it can also makea case for being the fastestchanging discipline in business.Self-educating buyers. Bigger,more multidisciplinary buyingteams. New expectations aboutthe buying experience.To rise to the challenges(and opportunities) createdby change, a new kind of salesmodel has emerged. And it’srunning circles around the oldschool, hard-sell, “lone wolf”model. The styles, structures andworkflows of the old vs. the newmight vary, but one thing is clear:The winners in everymarket are the salesteams that collaboratein all directions to getto know buyers better,bring value to everyconversation and closedeals faster.3This new, collaborative salesteam is built on three kindsof collaboration: Collaboration with customersto help mobilize largebuying teamsCollaboration within the salesteam to lift performance, rewardsales manager activity andimprove customer conversations(which are especially challengingwith distributed sales teams)Collaboration with all otherdepartments to marshal theresources needed to makedeals happen faster—andfeed customer insights backto the business
The new collaborative sales teamThis is newThis isn’t just a new way ofworking; it’s also a new way ofthinking. A new way to marshalall your resources to serve buyersmore effectively and run salesdepartments more efficiently.This e-book is about a better wayfor sales teams to collaborate. It’snot a theory: it’s a new approachused all over the world by thehighest-performing sales teamsat the fastest-growing companies.Unfortunately, as we’ll show, theways sales teams communicateinternally have not caught up withthe new collaboration imperative.The new way replaces internal emailwith a channel-based collaborationplatform (like Slack) that’s integratedwith your core sales software,starting with CRM (customerrelationship management).Email, phone calls and meetings arefine for communicating with buyers.But for internal communications,they’re fatally flawed.This simple change fromemail to a collaboration hubdelivers dividends in hundredsof seemingly small places—toimprove conversion, speed updeals and better serve buyers.Let’s dive in.4
The new collaborative sales team5Slack is not the only game in townIn this guide, we’ll talk about “channel-basedcollaboration.” Slack is our own example of this,but it’s not the only one on the market. Checkus all out on places like Gartner, Gartner PeerInsights, IDC and Aragon Research—and if you’dlike to know more about Slack, do get in touch.
The new collaborative sales teamIt takes a village to close a dealWhy collaboration has becomeso important for salesNew buyer expectations Complexity SpeedThey self-educate, knowmore, and expect more.So every conversationmust add value.Bigger, multidisciplinary buyingteams fire questions from alldirections. Sales teams musthave fast answers drawn fromall internal experts.Pace is often buyer controlled,but when buying teamswant to go fast, you must beready. Account execs can’tget bogged down waiting foranswers from internal teams.The upshot:Effective internal collaboration is theonly way to rise to these new challenges.6
The new collaborative sales team“Today, ‘behind-the-scenes’resources are more customerfacing. The pre-sales engineeror subject matter expert mightattend sales meetings. Thehead of service will meetwith the customer to discussongoing support. Your clients’CIO could have their questionsanswered directly by your ownIT resources. In short, teamselling is everywhere you look.”Tiffani Bova, global customer growth and innovationevangelist, Salesforce“The number of people involvedin B2B solutions purchases hasclimbed from an average of 5.4two years ago to 6.8 today.”CEB7
The new collaborative sales teamOld-school, meet new wayCollaborative salescultures are differentfrom siloed sales culturesin some important ways:8Sales silo cultureCollaborative sales cultureComms are closed by defaultComms are open by defaultMostly one-to-one messagingMostly channel-based messagingIsolated account teamsInformed sales teams, fully engagedwith other departments‘Internal spam’ is prevalentSelf-determined, “need-to-know”inclusionResources and expertise are dispersedResources are focused on eachopportunity, as neededManagers get informed via interruptingUpdates are given with minimaldisruption; “ambient awareness”Information hoardingKnowledge sharingSales software is siloedSales software is integrated
The new collaborative sales teamThe maincollaborationzonesEffective salespeople are notjust great at collaborating withtheir customer champion. What separates good teamsfrom great ones is how well theycollaborate and marshal resourcesinternally to progress and closecomplex deals. Let’s look at wherethis collaboration happens: “89% of buyers sayconsistent marketingand sales languageabout a productis important orvery important.”LinkedIn, “State of Sales, 2018”9 Within the sales teamUp, down and sideways. Withchannels dedicated to each account,team or program.With marketingTo know what messages they’resending and let them know whatbuyers are saying. With hot leadspumped straight in to the right channelsfrom the marketing automation tool.With professional servicesTap them for answers and alert themto issues. Channels mean informationnever gets lost in the inbox.With product teamsTo know what’s coming and let themknow what buyers are asking for.Loop in product experts for deal supportand feeding back feature ideas inproduct channels. With legalTo negotiate terms, and executecontracts faster. Quick queryforms to speed up replies.With supportGet questions answered fast,highlight support issues and pickup new opportunities. Open andact on support tickets from insidethe channel.With financeFor guidance, pricing, discounting andrevenue recognition. With approve/rejectaction buttons in the message itself.With post-sales teamsOnce the deal is done, the whole recordof the relationship exists to build from.Thanks to searchable conversationsand files.
The new collaborative sales teamA two-way streetCollaboration is not just about one-waydeal support requests. It’s also aboutmaking it easy for sales to feed backcustomer insight to improvethe product, marketing and support.Win-win(-win-win-win ).“94% of the highestperforming salesprofessionals considercollaboration tools“very important”or “important”to their success.”LinkedIn, “State of Sales, 2018”10
The new collaborative sales teamInternal email:where opportunity goes to dieConsider all the kinds ofcollaboration with the manydifferent internal teams.It’s no surprise that email—a medium designed and optimizedfor one-to-one communication—would struggle to keep up. Andthat’s exactly what happens: 11Tangled threadsCluttered by reply-alls,excessive copying andblind copyingEveryone recognizes thesesymptoms: Email is a frustrating,ineffective channel for internalcollaboration.Knowledge is locked awayClosed messages lock outmany who would benefitfrom the conversationUnfortunately, too many salesteams are stuck with it, slowingdown everything from followingcomplex configure/price/quoteprocesses to responding to simplebuyer queries.Not widely searchableUsers can only search theirown message historiesNo natural organizationJust one big, dark pondof messagesEasily ignoredThe ‘internal spam’ problemdeters engagement
The new collaborative sales teamThe surprising powerof channel-based collaborationA collaboration hub built aroundchannels may seem like a verysimple, structural improvementover email and basic chat apps.But in practice, it changeseverything.Sales teams quickly learn tocreate channels to supportwhatever they’re workingon, inviting whoever makessense to invite. Here are someof the channels we see (anduse ourselves):Channels naturally emerge to supportspecific projects, programs and initiatives.Team members can join and leave channelsas and when they need to—unlike withlengthy email chains.12Sales management channelsProgress conversations aboutforecasts, territories and quotas.Team channelsHelp align regional or industryspecific teams.Hiring channelsAccelerate discussions aroundcandidates.Sales Ops channelsReach out to Ops to discuss territory,account ownership or process issues.A Deal Desk channelWhere sales, finance and productleaders discuss complex, highvalue deals and help acceleratenon-standard ones.Triage channelsSupport fast triage of any customerissues, to services, product, supportor IT teams. Spin up trouble ticketswithout logging in to Jira.Entire sales org channelsFor big announcements, executiveAMAs and deal celebrations.Onboarding channelsRamp up new reps and account execsto company processes and knowledge.Account-specific channelsFocus the extended team on eachopportunity, with all conversations,files and insights in one place.Ping approvers for quick responses.Onboard new account execs. Create alasting record of the entire relationship.Deal Support Request channelsDedicated deal support channelsfor big deals and centralized ones tosurface and prioritize requests. WithSalesforce integrations to keep thesystem of record up to date.
The new collaborative sales teamOpenness is the default settingChannels default to knowledge sharing insteadof knowledge hoarding. So the right peoplemake the right contributions at every stageof the sales cycle. Private messages are stillavailable, but most activity usually happensin open channels, where information is easilydiscovered, searched and shared.(We held some focus groups on knowledgesharing and reported on them here.)13
The new collaborative sales teamBetter collaboration at everystage of the sales cycle1. 2. 3. 4. 5.Engage the customerThe account channelcollects insights andloops in experts toprovide fast answers.Build a business casePull in experts fromacross the organizationand include articles,news, trends,company info Negotiate the contractApprove deals quicklyin private channels withsales management,legal and finance teams.Close the dealCelebrate the win;share the learning;thank all contributors.Onboard thenew customerWith rich contextfor post-saleimplementation teams.Lisa Zhang 9:22 AMAnyone ever workat Acme Anvils?I need some info.14Liza Dawson 11:46 AM@Sheela has afantastic slide aboutour advantages in oil& gas markets.3141Lee Hao 08:51 AM@Graham: See newdiscount proposal.ApproveRejectRose Cahill 10:09 AM@Haley killed iton this. Great jobon the last-minutequeries.313111Harry Boone 11:17AM@Cust Success: Seethe org chart pinnedto the accountchannel. Everyone’son there.12
The new collaborative sales teamWhat about noise andinformation overload?People who are new to channelbased collaboration sometimesfind that they’re involved in moreconversations than they’d like(something email is famous for).More experienced users andteams discover all sorts of waysto configure their platform to suittheir own work styles and minimizeinterruptions.Let’s face it, work life is pretty noisy.The key is to use collaboration hubfeatures to actively manage the noiseinstead of being distracted by it:15 Setting alerts selectivelyTo focus on urgent requestsStarring important channelsTo prioritize lifeUsing “Do Not Disturb”After hours, and during the dayto dig down into focused workUsing @To call out specific people Using emojis and reactionFor super-fast responsesOnly surfacing live convosTo only see channels withopen messagesLeaving channelsThat are no longer relevantto youAutomating workflowsTo minimize bothering humans
The new collaborative sales teamIntegrating collaborationwith CRM and other softwareSales depends on lots of software.CRM is still the main platform,but it’s now surrounded by dozensof sales technologies, including: 16ProspectingReportingAnalyticsContract Lifecycle ManagementForecastingPlanningSales EnablementCompensation ManagementCustomer InsightCPQData SyncABMTerritory ManagementManagement Each one adds value in its ownswim lane. But the fragmentationpenalties can add up, forcingsalespeople to waste time contextswitching and logging in and outof different applications.Integration unitesThe new collaborative sales teamunifies its tech stack where workhappens: in the collaboration hub.In the hub, you integrate with otherapps, bring data in, push it out, andinitiate actions without leavingthe workspace.Let’s look at CRM as our simplestexample (but the principles applyto any and all sales apps).
The new collaborative sales teamPlaying nicely with your CRMCRM is an excellent systemof record for sales teams andsales leaders. It creates a singlesource of truth on the statusof all opportunities, feedingpowerful analytics, forecastingand reporting.But CRM isn’t optimized forcollaboration and isn’t designedto support the many differentconversations that selling dependson. Because of this, it can be astruggle to get salespeople toupdate their records—and thatmeans sales managers aren’tgetting the timely, accurateinformation they need.17By integrating with your CRM,a well-designed collaborationhub can maximize its value ina few ways:SalesforceAPP3:59 PMThere are 3 results for “acme”Use the buttons to filter results by record typeAccounts (3)Only visible to youSalesforceAPP3:59 PMAccountsAcme Oil & Gas Inc. Easier activity loggingPushing updates to the CRMwithout leaving the channelor workspaceInstant access to CRM dataPulling in relevant data to theconversationPush CRM insights beyondlicensed usersSo everyone in marketing,product and support cansee opportunity status tooAccountView RecordAcme CorpAccountView RecordAcme Group LTDAccountView Recordnew messagesHere are the details about Acme Oil & Gas Inc.Acme Oil & Gas Inc.AccountAccount Owner: Sara ParkerIndustry: EnergyWebsite: acmeoilandgas.comType: CustomerPost to ConversationIn short: a collaboration hub canhelp drive adoption of CRM andimprove its data accuracy as wellas extending its impact throughoutthe organization.
The new collaborative sales teamSlack and SalesforceThe Slack/Salesforce integrationkeeps teams aligned and gives themaccess to critical information in a snap—and it’s getting better all the time.Your team can receive customizednotifications about Salesforceupdates and query data like accounts,opportunities and cases—withoutleaving Slack.Unifying Sales OpsFor more and more sales operationsteams, Slack is where the whole salestech stack comes together. Salesforceis the big one but it’s only the start.There are over 1,500 other integrations,including things like Marketo, Zendesk,Drift, Troops, SalesLoft, Clearbit, Highspotand Demandbase. Check out the full listof integrations in the Slack App Directory.18
The new collaborative sales team3 Use casesThe new collaborativeselling in actionBig, busy sales teams usechannel-based collaborationhubs like Slack in literallyhundreds of ways, from alertsabout new leads to contractnegotiation, and everythingin between.Let’s look at three of themost common use cases.19
The new collaborative sales teamUse case 1Focus the organizationaround the opportunityThe core use case and sourceof biggest value: collaboratingin channels streamlines andaccelerates the entire salescycle. This occurs through: Fast and accurate deal supportand quote approvalsInstant access to product,marketing, service, legaland finance teamsFaster ramping up of new repsand smoother account transitionsDelivering a better, moreinformed and responsivebuying experienceAcme Oil & Gas Inc.Opportunity WonNoNoYesGreat meeting today to kick offYesQ1! Sara, now that Acme is in your territory, let me know how I can help.Sara Parker 3:57 PMChangedAbsolutely! I'm looking to setAmountup a meetingnext week.Only visible to youSalesforceAPP3:59 PMNoHere are the top results for “Acme”Acme Oil & Gas Inc.AccountNoShow DetailsSalesforceAcme CorpCloses TodayAccountOverdueShow DetailsNosalesforce [search]AccountSent an Email and contactsSearch accountsShow DetailsAcme Group LTDNoLogged a CallNoHad an EventNoLearn more about Salesforce20TodayMatt Brewer 3:57 PMCancelSave
The new collaborative sales teamUse case 2Improve visibility and leveragefor sales managementP.21Salespeople love their channels,but sales managers get just as muchbenefit, thanks to: Real-time status of allopportunities and activitiesMore opportunities to accelerateand improve conversationsFlexibility to prioritize attentionon the highest-value, timesensitive dealsAll without increasing thereporting burden on salespeople.“On average, sales repsspend only a thirdof their time selling.”Salesforce, “State of Sales, 3rd Edition”21Harry 3:14 PMThanks @Matt, can we jump on a quick Zoom call todiscuss? Anyone else that wants to join, please jump on.APP 3:14 PMZoom APPAJ has started a meetingMeeting ID: 536-174-082Click here to joinMatt 3:15 PMInvited 5 others to this channelLee 3:16 PMMy group leads are beginning the security review with thecustomer today. They have a really excellent team there, soshould go smoothly.
The new collaborative sales teamUse case 3Release the full potential of Salesforceand your entire sales software stackSoftware only adds value if it’s used.A collaboration hub brings your salesapps together where the conversationsare happening. The value is clear.A collaboration hub: Keeps CRM and all sales toolsup to dateExtends sales app information tocolleagues in marketing, productand supportIntegrates your entirego-to-market stackHelps salespeople focus more timeon sellingIn short: a collaboration hub helps createa more agile sales team that responds tocustomers faster, delivers a consistentmessage and gets deals done.22#customer-supportSet a purposeAdd an appAdd people to this channelYou created this channel today. This is the very beginning of the #customer-support channel.TodayZoe Maxwell 1:51 PMjoined #customer-support along with Harry Boone.SalesforceAPP1:59 PMMessage: Can someone help me with this question?00001024 CaseContact Name:Contact Email:Contact Number:Account Name:#accounts-acmeCase Origin:Case Status:Case Priotity:Case Subject:Zoe MaxwellZoe@acmeoil.com(555) 555-5500Acme Oil & Gas Corp.WebNewLowDesign issue with mechanical rotorEdit alerts for this record1 reply Today at 2:01 PMFollow threadYou’ll be notified about new repliesHarry Boone 2:01PMCopy linkThis is a known issue with the rotors. We are working on a resolution. It will be fixed in the next version.Mark unreadRemind me about thisPin to channel#team-salesAdd to Salesforce SalesforceMore message actions.You created this channel today. This is the very beginning of the #team-sales channel. Purpose: Discussingour big Acme deal. (edit)
The new collaborative sales teamThe benefits of the newcollaborative sales modelBetter collaboration pays dividends across the whole salesorganization and the entire sales lifecycle. A quick summary:For the whole sales teamFor sales managersFor sales operationsWin more deals fasterby better using allinternal resources.Give managersbetter visibility of allopportunities, withoutchasing salespeople.Unify the sales techstack, where the workof sales happens.Prioritize sales effortsto swarm around yourbiggest opportunities.Serve customers betterwith an improved buyingexperience.Preserve customerknowledge for use acrossall teams.Spend more time onhigh-value sales activitiesinstead of admin.23Improve managementleverage by adding valueat key moments.Preserve margins withformal discount reviewworkflows.Onboard new repsfaster, ramping them upto full productivity sooner.Improve the returnon CRM by makingit easier to updateand query.Automate processesand streamline data flows.The top 5 things salesreps say they spend toomuch time on1. Managing emails2. Logging activities3. Inputting sales dataand notes4. Finding the rightperson to contact5. Creating follow-uptasksSalesforce, “State of Sales, 3rd Edition”
The new collaborative sales teamWhere to start:Migrating to channel-based collaborationThe move from email to a channelbased collaboration platform likeSlack is simple and easily managed.You don’t turn off internal email,you just start using it less and less.As the sales team starts workingwith channels, the platform evolvesto mirror the way it wants to work.There’s no rip-and-replace, just anorganic migration that goes as fastor as slowly as you like.“The better salesenablement formalizesits cross-functionalcollaboration efforts,the better the salesforce’s productivity.”Tamara Schenk, CSO Insights24
The new collaborative sales teamStart with the sales teamThe sales department itselfis a great place to start. Starta pilot by spinning up channelsfor internal processes likehiring, onboarding or training.Add a few account-specificchannels to experience what it’slike to collaborate around deals.But the real value fromSlack comes when youstart collaborating acrossdepartments and disciplines.25Extend to include marketing,support and product teamsThe next logical step is to includethe teams that sales works withmost: marketing, support andproduct teams. Here, the benefitsof collaboration accrue quickly,as people learn how and when toloop in their colleagues, and howto streamline their work together.The next step makes evenmore sense.Go enterprise-wideMore and more companies useSlack across the entire organization(IBM has 100,000 seats andAutodesk has 8,500).Once a whole company sharesthe same collaboration hub, thebenefits skyrocket. Collaborationimproves everywhere. Complexprocesses can be streamlined andautomated. The workforce finds iteasier to align around the strategy.Again, the transition is easy andlargely managed by the user base(with guidelines and controls set byIT). Chances are, a lot of your teamsare already using Slack every day.
The new collaborative sales teamConclusionCollaborative selling is anopportunity waiting to be seizedSales is changing fast.The lone-ranger approachdoesn’t work anymore.What works is a coordinatedsales team supported by theright resources from acrossthe organization—all focusedon turning opportunityinto revenue.Clearly, collaboration has neverbeen so important. Even moreclearly, internal email can’t riseto the challenge. It was neverdesigned to do so.26But a channel-basedcollaboration platform that’sintegrated with your CRM andother sales applications can.And if your colleagues inmarketing, support, product,finance and legal are using ittoo? That changes everything.That changes work.We’d like to help you do that.
The new collaborative sales teamSlack and salesNice things our customers say“Any time we get a lead,we actually send it as anotification to our reps inSlack. They’re getting real-timenotifications, whether they’reat their desks or on their phone,and can respond proactively,as opposed to waiting forsomething to show up intheir inbox.”“And any time we win a newcustomer, we send a messageto a Slack channel where weshare details about who thecustomer is, why they boughtand how we helped solve theirpain points. Those learningshave been really important forall of our sales reps globally.”Jeetu Mahtani, SVP of internationaloperations, HubSpot27“Slack is business done right.When you have collaborationhappening in one spot,leadership doesn’t need to becopied on an email. You canhop into a Slack channel,cruise along with the projectand jump in where needed.”Benjamin Sternsmith, area vice president of sales,Lyft Business“No-ask updates keep theexecutive sponsors involvedand aware of the currentstatus of things. They don’thave time to read a lengthyemail. A quick summary ina Slack note is very effective.”“I’m not going to email theentire sales team. But I’mhappy to post in the salesSlack channel. Those aretwo very different things.”Samantha Lutz, senior field account manager,Lyft Business
The new collaborative sales teamDig deeperThe sales-related integrationsin the Slack App Directory.Slack on SlackHow channels power our sales teamsThe product summaryOur solution page for salesCustomer caseHow Slack helped Hubspot scaleCustomer caseMission critical sales work at Lyft Business28Ready to talk? So are we.Schedule time with our team.LET’S GO
About SlackSlack is where work happens. Slack is a new layer of thebusiness technology stack that brings together people,applications and data—a hub for collaboration where peoplecan effectively work together, access critical applications andservices, and find important information to do their best work.People around the world use Slack to connect their teams,unify their systems and drive their business forward.
selling is everywhere you look.” Tiffani Bova, global customer growth and innovation evangelist, Salesforce “The number of people involved in B2B solutions purchases has climbed from an average of 5.4 two years ago to 6.8 today.
