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Former Member
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Ever wish for more hours in a day? What about more days in a week? Imagine if there were fewer distractions handcuffing you from what’s really important…


Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hours in a day.

– Zig Ziglar

The sole purpose of a sales team is to sell, yet only 2% of sales happen during the first meeting. The five facts below will prove that customers love being coddled, but 80% of the average salesperson’s day is spent on non-revenue generating activities. The ability to manage time and resources is one of the most critical factors toward achieving success. But this is much harder than it seems, and that’s the reason why only 8% of the sales force accounts for 80% of the sales.


     1.      In 2007 it took an avg. of 3.68 cold calls to reach a prospect. Today it takes 8.

     2.      The average salesperson only makes 2 attempts.

     3.      80% of sales require 5 follow up-calls after the meeting.

     4.      44% of sales people give up after 1 follow-up.

     5.      The salesperson is the most influential factor in B2B selection (trumping: total solution, product, and price).


So you want to be in that 8%? Persistence gets the prize and technology simplifies your sanity. The four companies below, found ways to offer their teams simple solutions to reduce administrative tasks, while arming them with relevant information for a powerful customer experience.


Simpler = Smarter:


  • Plaut: Keeping the sales force up-to-date 24x7

“The future is in the cloud – especially if the solution is as easy to operate as SAP Cloud for Customer. It slimmed down our internal communication significantly, reducing workload for our salespeople and eliminating endless e-mail loops. Now automated feeds keep them up-to-date and up-to-speed on our customers much faster.”- Herbert Brauneis, Marketing and Sales Director, Plaut Consulting Austria GmbH

  • GEBHARDT: Building customer relationships

“Our customers are delighted when they call us. We provide a consistent experience through every interaction and touch point. Having access to the latest information on projects, account status, orders, and quotations, we have more-relevant conversations that help build customer loyalty.”  - Marco Gebhardt, CEO, GEBHARDT Fördertechnik GmbH

  • SPV: Connecting with clients anytime, anywhere

“With SAP Cloud for Sales, we can monitor our sales campaigns in real time. If the response is not what we hoped, we can change things immediately – and turn the campaign into a success.” Peter Steinberg, Head of Sales and Marketing, SPV AG

  • SIDI: Accelerating lead generation and campaigns

“Because we have a complete history of our customers with SAP Cloud for Sales, our marketing activities are much more accurate. We’re now pumping out two to four well-targeted new campaigns per quarter. Our data is almost as good as it can get.” - Gigliola Giacalone, Marketing Manager, SIDI SpA

For more on SAP Cloud Solutions, click here.

Top sellers use LinkedIn 6 hours per week, do you? Connect with me on LinkedIn & Twitter @airsomers.