What are the key pillars of sales operations?

Brand, Marketing, Sales, and Operations pillars with icons and taglines illustrating business growth strategies.

Sales operations has the ability to improve processes, automate non-core tasks, and administer CRM systems and other tools. Sales operations has the ability to improve processes, automate non-core tasks, and administer CRM systems and other tools. This will ensure that your sales operations team is focused on completing the most impactful projects and that adjacent functions have visibility into your work. Sales operations teams have the added benefit of owning the systems of record where much of this data will lie.

KPIs are a key component for Sales Operations to measure if processes and models put in place are working and also show weaker links where those processes can be optimized. Effective Resource AllocationAnother critical element of a successful sales operations strategy is effective resource allocation. Depending on the size and culture of the organization, the responsibilities of Sales Operations can vary from company to company. Sales operations describe the functions and activities in sales organizations that keep frontline sales teams efficient and effective.

Sales operations need to have a clear understanding of the resources that are available and how best to utilize them. Below, we’ll explore the details of this flexible methodology and how a great sales operations team can deliver some serious benefits to your business. Sales operations teams primarily handle the administrative and technical tasks that would otherwise burden salespeople. A sales operations team also streamlines processes in order to improve sales productivity and give reps more time to engage with customers.

Sales and operations planning gives you a blueprint for managing those cross-departmental tasks, so you can be sure that each team knows exactly what their responsibilities are. Set Achievable GoalsOne of the most important aspects of a successful sales operations strategy is setting achievable goals. Sales operations teams accomplish their goals through a variety of roles and functions, including strategy, data analysis, hiring and training, forecasting, . By focusing on these areas, companies can ensure that their sales operations strategies are more likely to be successful.

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What are the 5 elements of a sales operation?

And nearly 10% of companies that participated in the study indicated that they planned to add formal sales operations in the next year. The highest performing sales organizations in the study reported that their sales ops team took the lead in more than 14 activities. Organizations that use formal and dynamic forecasting within sales operations reported win rates that were more than 8% higher than those that took an informal or ad hoc approach. On average, sales operations teams owned or played a heavy hand in managing 11 or more of those 21 practices.

With the following 5 sales operations best practices, you can ensure that your sales operations team achieves peak performance year after year. The sales ops function continues to mature and play an increasingly integral role in a company’s sales success. Strikingly, the highest performers in this study invested in this area of sales operations activities, covering nearly 75% of the practices that fall under it. They had win rates that were 7% lower and quota attainment that was 14% lower than those who used a proactive approach.

The study showed that sales organizations that took a reactive approach often struggled to perform well. Sales support activities include sales enablement (which continues to fall under operations in several sales organizations), proposal support, pricing, lead generation, and prospecting. A study by ViB Tech found that in a survey of B2B marketers, 41% named generating more leads their biggest. They also played a larger role in strategic activities, such as sales insights and analysis or data strategy, compared to the average sales organization.

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The first iterations of the sales operations model have been around since the 1970s, and they focused primarily on analyzing data to provide insights and direction to sales reps. A study by ViB Tech found that in a survey of B2B marketers, 41% named generating more leads their biggest The term “sales operationscovers a lot of ground and can mean different things to different teams and organizations.

Is sales operations a good job?

Across dozens of different sectors, the economic optimism is really hard to miss. Taking a role in sales operations will force you to have close colleagues in each of these interlock teams and give you much more exposure to their department initiatives. Marketing, Finance, HR, Data Science, IT, and the Executive Level Team are common places where collaboration needs to be weekly, if not daily. Sales operations has to partner with many teams across the organization and develop strong relationships in order to be effective.

It’s a great time to be a Sales Operations professional. You will often be placed in meetings with executives of multiple departments to represent as a subject matter expert of a project or process that is relevant to their strategic discussion.

What’s the difference between sales operations and business operations?

The operations department’s primary goals are to ensure that products or services are made with quality, on time, and within budget. Functions encompass the day-to-day activities required to design, produce, and deliver products or services efficiently and effectively.

 

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David Corcoran
With over 25 years of experience in business leadership, operations management, and organizational strategy, David Corcoran has built a career helping companies streamline processes, strengthen teams, and scale sustainably. Throughout roles ranging from operations director to executive advisor, David Corcoran has led cross-functional initiatives, improved operational efficiency, and guided organizations through periods of rapid growth and transformation.
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Drawing on a deep background in systems design, project management, and people development, David Corcoran writes about practical, real-world approaches to leadership, productivity, operational excellence, and strategic planning. Their work focuses on bridging the gap between high-level strategy and day-to-day execution—empowering leaders at all levels to build stronger, more adaptable organizations. When not consulting or writing, David Corcoran mentors emerging managers, contributes to professional development programs, and stays active exploring the latest trends in business operations and workplace innovation.

Sales operations has the ability to improve processes, automate non-core tasks, and administer CRM systems and other tools. Sales operations has the ability to improve processes, automate non-core tasks, and administer CRM systems and other tools. This will ensure that your sales operations team is focused on completing the most impactful projects and that adjacent…