Sales Readiness: The Key to Improving Sales Productivity According to research by Sirius Decisions, between 60 percent and 80 percent of a b-to-b sales rep's time is spent on non-selling activities. To turn this disturbing tide, best-in-class organizations are developing a function we call sales readiness and charging it with developing processes and marshalling supporting resources to allow sales to better integrate with marketing, product management and other functions, with the end goals being increased sales ability to absorb and to effectively sell new offerings.

Where

Gleacher Center
Room 100
450 N. Cityfront Plaza
Chicago, Illinois

Driving Directions:http://www.chicagogsb.edu/visit/gleacher/index.aspx

Event Details

In this session, we will answer the following questions: - What is sales readiness? - What are the key drivers behind its development? - How is the function integrated into the rest of the b-to-b organization? - What metrics are being used to judge the impact and return of sales readiness? Key Takeaways: - Understand the sales trends and key data points that are driving b-to-b organizations toward a focus on sales productivity - Learn the difference between sales productivity and sales results - Understand how a closer partnership with marketing - facilitated by a function known as sales readiness - can drive incremental productivity - Differentiate the role of sales readiness from legacy training and sales operations functions - Learn how b-to-b organizations are resourcing sales readiness, and where it commonly falls in the organization structure - Pinpoint the core "crossover" areas between sales and marketing that sales readiness can help facilitate Our speaker will be Tony Jaros, vice president of Research at sales consultancy SiriusDecisions. Tony is a sales and marketing thought leader with nearly 15 years of experience. He has led the research function at SiriusDecisions for nearly six years, overseeing the creation of research briefs, Mission Critical reports and newsletters on critical b-to-b topics including demand creation, lead development, product marketing, marketing communications, general strategy, sales training, hiring and client service. Tony also has advised hundreds of senior sales and marketing executives during this time, and acted as a consulting principal for clients including CSC, Cognos, Sage Software, Symantec, MasterCard, Bowne Global Solutions, First Data and Factiva. About SiriusDecisions SiriusDecisions Executive Advisory Services provide senior executives with the operational intelligence required to improve topline performance. The unique combination of thought leadership, benchmark data, analytic tools, best practices and access to a peer network allow SiriusDecisions clients to quickly receive the critical insight they need to make decisions effectively. Additional information can be found on the company’s website at http://www.siriusdecisions.com or by calling 203.259.8825.

Cost

No Charge

Registration

Register Online

Deadline: 10/10/2007

Speaker Profiles

Tony Jaros (Speaker)
Vice President of Research, SiriusDecisions
http://www.siriusdecisions.com

Tony has led the research function at SiriusDecisions for nearly six years, overseeing the creation of research briefs, Mission Critical reports and newsletters on critical b-to-b topics including demand creation, lead development, product marketing, marketing communications, general strategy, sales training, hiring and client service. Prior to Sirius, Tony worked as a consultant and project manager with Norwalk, CT-based Peppers and Rogers Group (PRG), the world’s leading relationship marketing boutique consulting firm. His client roster at PRG included 1-800-Flowers.com, Rockwell Automation/Entek, British Airways, Volvo, Jaguar, Moore Corporation, Ford’s Premier Automotive Group and GE Capital. Tony received an MBA with concentrations in marketing and management from New York University, and a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Northwestern University.

Questions

Ken Nordine, Jr. 

312.546.4522

Other Information

Sales Leaders' Roundtable Registration/networking begins at 6:30 PM. There is no charge for the program. The program runs from 7:00-8:30 PM. Refreshments are not served, but you are welcome to stop by the 1st floor Puck's for a snack or food prior to the meeting. We invite participants to gather in the Midway Club on the fifth floor after the meeting for networking, cash bar, and additional Q&A with our speakers.