Prioritizing opportunities, sharing feedback and discussing corporate goals are constant challenges for all sales teams because organizations oftentimes are faced with disparate communication and inefficient annual reviews. However, this lack of process and progress is even more evident for vendors striving to navigate and receive updates from hundreds — and even thousands — of partners worldwide.
In an effort to better connect the dots between sales goals and employee progress, Salesforce.com has announced a new integration between Sales Cloud and Work.com. With this new development, the provider of cloud-based sales and marketing solutions will help improve motivation, alignment and overall results for organizations.
“To achieve optimal sales performance, companies across markets must focus on helping sales leaders align their team members around common goals,” Daniel Debow, VP at Salesforce.com, said in an interview with Channel Marketer Report. “In addition, companies must allow real-time feedback that helps sales continue to learn and develop.”
With Work.com stationed in Sales Cloud, Salesforce.com customers will be able to implement a “completely new approach to sales performance and management,” according to a company press release. Rather than using time and energy to develop in-depth reports on performance and future goals, reps and managers can share and receive feedback instantly on one platform.
“Continuous coaching and a regular cadence of one-on-one meetings allows reps and managers to connect and improve,” Debow said. “Approximately 70% of salespeople leave their jobs because they have poor relationships with managers. There’s a huge opportunity for organizations to close that gap and reexamine their approach to sales performance management.”
Social feedback and recognition also can be easier to share in the new experience via Salesforce Chatter, which is allowing Salesforce.com to confirm its position in the “social enterprise” space. Reps also can share goals and future priorities on the platform, providing managers with a larger breadth of information during coaching periods and performance reviews.
Work.com employee social profiles publish a rep’s expertise, goals, and performance right inside Chatter, which also allows reviews to take place more frequently than once a year, Debow explained.
The Sales Cloud and Work.com integration currently is available in pilot and is scheduled to be generally available to all salesforce.com customers in the first half of 2013, organizations can drive the alignment, motivation, and performance of their sales teams directly inside the Salesforce applications where they already work every day.