Last week, Justin Edwards hosted Utah’s very first Revenue Operations Insights group. This invite-only sales cohort consists of smart and talented professionals who lead sales-specific disciplines for some of the fastest-growing companies in Utah. Justin stated, “Oftentimes the unsung hero in sales are the ones responsible for sales operations. They operationalize corporate strategy, enable sales execution, report on results, calculate and payout commission and then they are left behind when the sales team goes to Presidents Club. So, naturally, we wanted to organize a group that discusses important issues around sales operations and lends a hand of support to those individuals who are really the engine behind sales acceleration.”

The sales operations leaders will continue to collaborate going forward on a quarterly basis.  The group covers current topics that you won’t necessarily find via google search. Often times the glut of online sales content that everyone is experiencing doesn’t really address any particular issues at all. One leader mentioned, “We are experiencing vast amounts of online content on sales-related topics, but the quality and relevance just isn’t there.” Last week’s discussion covered the topics around friction in the hiring process between HR and the sales organization. Additional items covered were around the friction often caused when sales inserts solutions consulting into the customer conversation. One attendee mentioned, “The handoff between sales and solutions consulting is always a source of friction. In order to reduce the potential for mishaps, a solid process simply isn’t good enough. You have to start with a good process, and then constantly train on that process.” The discussion naturally revolved around the details of how to design, implement, and enable a frictionless sales consulting motion.

The sharing of best practices and uncommon methods to drive results within our respective organizations is the ultimate goal and challenge. How we organize and go about our work is often times the difference between success and failure. Working hard and smart is the essence of the growth stage for a company. Justin’s parting thought was, “Today, sales efforts are being organized in so many unique and interesting ways. Direct sales, Solutions consulting, Channel and partner programs, demand generation, commission, and even marketing are all being rolled up under an SVP or CRO. I’ve seen some really interesting organization designs. My biggest observation is that there are many diverse ways to organize and optimize sales, and the companies that are growing the fastest seem to be breaking the traditional molds.”