BI and ERP Data as Sales Team Motivators

Both BI and ERP data can be powerful motivators for your sales teams. Sales people love to win. Many are highly competitive at work and at play, and love to see their “batting averages” or sales figures frequently to beat their own best efforts. When they have accurate, timely data on their sales stats, these highly motivated people will go the extra mile to win another account or close another sale.

Watch our recorded webinar, “Analytics that sales teams use to make customer interactions more targeted and efficient.”

How Sales Management Has Changed

Sales managers were more like motivational managers many years ago. Their primary job was to motivate, train, and inspire their teams. Today’s sales managers must be fluent in data interpretation and analysis, confident marketing managers, sales trainers, and resource managers—in addition to being top sales people. It’s a big job!

The emphasis on data isn’t by accident. New, powerful ERP and BI systems provide constant updates on a company’s performance and financial health. These updates can be motivational to sales teams. Some team members love to see the “wins” and the successes and are motivated when the team pulls together to improve sales. Others give their best effort when the chips are down. Both types of sales people flourish in the new data-driven era of BI and ERP systems.

Data-Based Sales Training

One important new technique that has recently entered the sales training arena is data-based sales training. In this type of training, sales managers use data reports from BI and ERP systems to help their team members understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Imagine a report that shows sales by industry or product type. A sales manager may use such a report to meet with his team and help them understand that they need more product training in products X, Y, and Z. How does he know? Because they are selling plenty of products A, B, and C, but none of X, Y, and Z. Upon further exploration, he learns that it’s not that customers aren’t interested in such products but that his sales team is uncomfortable presenting them because they aren’t clear on the features and benefits of them.

Sales managers can also use such data to assess their staffing needs. If they see a rise in orders from one industry sector or geographic territory, they can plan ahead for staff to be assigned to those areas to use the upward momentum for increased sales. Fresh, accurate, and timely data can be a powerful sales training tool.

BI and ERP Systems with Data Visualizations

One of the many benefits to the sales team from an ERP system is its ability to provide data visualizations. Data visualizations are pictorial renderings of data to make them quickly and easily understandable by the average person. You don’t need to be a data scientist to interpret data visualizations; it’s easy to see when a line graph tracks upward or a bar chart’s bars grow smaller.

Data visualization is a crucial element used by sales teams for training, motivating, and managing sales teams. Managers who can quickly access charts and graphs to use during sales meetings, training sessions, or employee reviews have a great tool simple and easy data interpretation.

DataSelf offers BI dashboards that provide exceptional data visualization. When matched with your BI software, DataSelf can help you motivate your sales team to excel.

Color-Coding Metrics

One trick that many sales teams use to help key metrics stand out is to color-code important data elements. Stoplight colors such as green, red and yellow (amber) are easy to understand keys that help sales people know at a glance how well they’re tracking towards quarterly or group goals. An ERP or BI system that provides simple, graphical reports like this is a valuable aid towards sales training and motivation.

Analytics for Sales Teams: Recorded Webinar

There are so many possibilities with an ERP system and BI software to improve operational efficiencies, accounting and financial accuracy, and sales motivation. Yet finding the right system for your needs can be challenging. To help you with your decision, watch our recorded webinar, “Analytics for Sales Teams: How to Make Your Sales Team’s Customer Interactions More Educated, Targeted, and Efficient.”

Mindover Software provides business software and solutions to companies big and small. We welcome your inquiry and can assist you with your ERP, BI, and other business software needs. Contact us today.