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Deal review - Blend RevOps & intelligence software with the human side of sales
Deal reviews are perhaps the most crucial part of any internal sales process. But, not all deal reviews are created equal.
The best deal reviews focus on what is necessary to move a deal toward a closed-won. They focus on process, risk, and next steps.
But, with today’s technology, deal reviews have a new meaning. Since Revenue Operations and Intelligence platforms are constantly scanning for risk, and can spot it before we can, deal reviews now should focus on the human elements.
With the insights gained from a RO&I platform, managers can work with sellers to remove risk from their pipelines, and focus on the intrinsic factors that move a deal forward.
The elements of a successful deal review
When it comes to your deal review, you must focus on the elements that move the deal forward.
Moreso, since Revenue Operations and Intelligence platforms can provide so much reporting, insights, and data on deals, managers should instead focus on the non-digital, human aspects of a deal.
So, instead of numbers focus on relationships, as Justin Browne of Workato suggests. His deal review template for the perfect deal evaluation is as follows:
Notice how the questions center around aspects that cannot be answered by technology. We use the answers, combined with the data from RO&I tools to ultimately create an action plan that leads to won deals.
Understand that your technology cannot do everything
Why should deal reviews focus more on the human side of sales? Because technology can’t do everything. Sure, we get a massive amount of data that tells us exactly how deals are trending, but at the end of the day, B2B and enterprise sales are still a very human experience.
As Justin Browne, Head of Sales Strategy, Operations & GTM Intelligence at Workato says, “Despite how great technology is, there are still some things it can’t tell you… It can’t tell you if the pain you are solving truly matters to the economic buyer… Does their selection criteria align with your differentiation… Does your champion have enough influence… What is their decision process?”
We need to augment deal evaluation technology with discussions to ensure that the activities that are taking place are effective.
Create plans with your buyers
Revenue Intelligence and Operations software with AI like BoostUp do an incredible job in assisting in sales operations review,of making sure your deals are on track, that you will meet your numbers, and identifying risks that you might not even see. However, when it comes to rectifying that risk and saving deals, the plans and strategies your sellers put forth are what ultimately results in a win.
Michael Heilmann, VP of Worldwide Sales Operations at Demandbase says, “In my book, there are no such things as surprises, but there are unasked questions… When the project starts to go sideways, you can always go back to the plan.”
Michael recommends that when the buyer gives verbal agreement or states that the deal will move forward, sellers need to put together a mutual plan and process. When the inevitable chaos occurs, both parties have a plan they can refer to to get them back on track.
Deal evaluation - Use the right RevOps software to identify risk
Of course, when it comes to deal evaluation the right technology and data are necessary to efficiently spot risk, identify opportunities, and ensure that goals are being met at a macro level. Revenue Operations and Intelligence platforms capture activity, communication, and deal data to provide early warning of potential slippage.
Then, in your deal review meetings, managers can discuss how to rectify at-risk deals using the human elements, the right questions, and the aforementioned plan.
BoostUp’s own Lucas Lamb recommends using RO&I platforms during sales operations review to inform deal reviews and make them as effective as possible, saying you can, “If 80% of your pipeline is fine, and 20% is at risk, let’s go focus on that 20 percent and figure out how we can influence it. Is it a lack of engagement from buyers, is it single-threaded, a lack of adherence to the sales process?”
A RevOps software like BoostUp can tell you exactly where the risk is, so managers can easily get reps back on track and win deals.
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