One Chart to Compel the CSO to Implement Your Sales Strategy
“Businesses are idea marketplaces where business managers compete for attention, budget and headcount by selling their idea. Successful business managers, those rewarded with promotions, teams and bigger budgets, are the people who know how to sell their ideas effectively.” Bruce Gabrielle, Speaking PowerPoint
How do you plan on selling your sales strategy recommendation to the CSO?
Over the last month you, the Sales Operations leader, have been thick in the weeds identifying growth opportunities to support your upcoming sales strategy plan. Next week you will be presenting these initial data findings and recommendations to the CSO. You are confident in your research and analysis; however, are you confident that you will be able to:
- Communicate your recommendation effectively?
- Prompt a “eureka moment” from the CSO?
- Compel the CSO to act now?
Currently, you are attempting to sell your recommendation through the use of:
- Blocks of text
- Tables
- Graphs
- Static charts
None of these techniques are conveying your point. They are repetitive and will likely lose your CSO’s attention. Your sales strategy recommendation is currently on pace to being politely rejected during Monday’s meeting.
You are now saying to yourself, "What can I incorporate into my presentation which will make the CSO agree with my recommendation? "
Insert: Google’s Motion Chart Gadget.
What is it?
Google’s Motion Chart Gadget is a data presentation tool. It is a mix between an Excel chart and PowerPoint presentation and can be found in Google Analytics.
When would you use it?
How do you use it?
Download this tool for how to create a Motion Chart Gadget quickly and simply.
What are the benefits of using Google’s Motion Chart Gadget?
Success Story
Last week we read about two Sales Operations leaders, Average Joe and Bold Brutus. Each has been working their way towards a sales strategy recommendation this upcoming Monday.
Average Joe’s last month of work has led to a recommendation to change the sales structure. Average Joe is unsure which structure will be most effective. Rather than settling on one recommendation, he is planning on juxtaposing the “current” and “future” structures’ respective quota attainment.
Here is how Average Joe sold his recommendation:
This is high level with no clear message. In addition to its boring visual appeal, the graph fails to tell you:
- Cost - How much to get to "Future Structure"?
- Return - What will the ROI on “Future Structure” be?
- Time - How long will it take to get to “Future Structure”?
On the other hand, there is Bold Brutus.
After extensive due diligence work, Bold Brutus will recommend moving 50% of the Field sales force to Inside Sales. This recommendation is in line with the buyer’s needs and desire to purchase from individuals over the phone. To articulate his recommendation, Bold Brutus presented three structure options and the associated ROI of each.
This is how Bold Brutus sold his recommendation:
What a difference! Bold Brutus was able to:
- Compare the ROI across multiple structure options across multiple years (X-Y-Z analysis)
- Keep the audience engaged and interactive, leading to a better discussion
- Break up the monotony of text, tables, bar graphs and charts
The end result from the two opposing presentations should be implicit. Average Joe is headed towards an unpleasant conversation where his recommendations will be overlooked. Bold Brutus, on the other hand, will have an engaging conversation about the different possible sales structures and their corresponding ROIs.
Key Takeaways
What do you need to do for an effective sales strategy presentation next week?
- Review your current presentation
- Ask yourself whether you would feel compelled to take action
- If not, identify areas where a Motion Chart Gadget would be beneficial
- Use this tool as a guide and recreate your visuals
Have other ways of presenting data outside the norm? Leave a comment here and let’s compare ideas.
Author: Dan Korten
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