Elementary Sales Planning: Visibility Matters For Sales Reps

Our last post introduced the science of sales enablement for sales reps and outlined the main variables in the formula: planning, preparing and engaging. Now it’s time to break out the steps and dissect the elements. So what makes sales planning tick? For starters, visibility.

Sales planning: VISIBILITY, analysis and prioritization.

It all starts with visibility. Your reps need clarity far and wide across the sales pipeline, along with a defined, in-depth snapshot of each opportunity. This unhindered insight opens the door to analysis and prioritization leading to calculated sales efforts that keep deals moving forward.

• “One of the top five strategic actions that contribute to effective sales enablement is to gain better insight into buyer engagement.” – Mobile Sales Enablement: Fulfilling The Promise Of Untethered Selling via Aberdeen Group


• “On average, enterprises will miss the equivalent of 10% of total annual sales in ‘lost opportunity’ revenue that could have been captured as a result of better visibility on sales activities and insight into target markets.” – Boosting Growth With Sales Performance via Gartner Inc.

The more awareness your sales reps have, the better. An elevated perspective reveals the entire sales landscape: What are the vitals of your pipeline and opportunities, how do buyers respond to your touch points, how consistent are you with your follow-up and process.

When planning the sales strategy, visibility matters.

Here’s how a Sales Enablement Platform uses visibility to catalyze sales success for reps:

Clarity with context.

• Get a clear picture of each opportunity and across the entire sales pipeline.


• See top opportunities with the most potential for return.

Activity, events and monitoring.

• See the complete timeline of all actions taken and materials sent or shared with buyers.


• Track events to view upcoming and historical events for each opportunity and lead.


• Gauge the success of your follow up actions, which resources are more effective

Pipeline urgency and top-opportunity reports.

• Recognize follow-up urgency with clear visuals presenting such variables as deal size, engagement strength, fit and opportunity velocity.


• Calculate opportunity strength and prioritize follow-up activities with help from specialized algorithms.

Engagement analytics and dashboards.

• Get real-time buyer behavior notifications – opens, views, downloads, shares and even “cold spots” where buyers lose interest – on all messages and content.


• Show the impact your sales team is making on the buying team.

Next element to dissect:

Stay tuned to examine the second step in sales planning: ANALYSIS.

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