Sales Ops Guide: An Inside Look at Sales Operations

Sales operations (also called sales ops) refers to the administrative processes and systems that allow a sales team to efficiently achieve their goals. Led by the sales manager, the sales ops team is responsible for generating leads, analyzing performance data, creating and implementing incentives for sales professionals, and integrating new software and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. The sales operations team’s main focus is process optimization—developing a strategic framework for sales that enables members of the sales force to excel. The sales operations team works together to forecast future sales, implement new sales strategies, and assess new processes and methodologies.

The sales operations team is responsible for various administrative efforts in a sales company:

• Designs sales strategies. The sales operations team is responsible for selecting and developing the strategies (from methodology to territory design) that they think will generate the most sales for the company. For instance, the team is in charge of deciding whether door-to-door sales or phone sales are a better use of the sales professionals’ time. After determining the best strategies, they turn them over to the sales enablement team to begin onboarding, sales training, mentoring, and equipping the team with sales tools and best practices.
• Assigns accounts. Sales operations determines how to best deploy the sales force of a company. The team is in charge of prospecting, lead generation, and determining which sales territories (whether physical, digital, or over-the-phone) will be assigned to which sales professionals.
• Manages the CRM. The customer relationship management tool (or CRM) is the technology sales organizations use to track sales and accounts. The sales operations team is responsible for maintaining the CRM, implementing new best practices for workflow, setting up automation to increase efficiency, and tracking progress.
• Tracks sales data. The sales ops team keeps meticulous sales performance records to create a map of the “big picture” of the company. For instance, which methods, territories, or salespeople result in the most consistent sales, or the average length of a typical sales cycle. They then use this information in data analysis to forecast success rates, sales effectiveness, key performance indicators (KPIs), and revenue for the company’s sales.
• Optimizes sales process. As data comes in, the sales ops professionals use sales metrics to implement tweaks and shifts in the sales process strategy to account for changes in technology, customer base, and more.
• Determines incentives for the sales force. The sales ops team is responsible for the sales force, which means it’s responsible for determining sales compensation plans, sales goals, and incentive programs to help encourage high performance among sales leaders and reps.
  

There are a few types of sales operations positions:

1. 1. Sales operations representative: The sales ops representative is an entry-level role that involves generating and updating reports, customer engagement, and helping other team members drive insights and operations.
2. 2. Sales operations analyst: Sales ops analysts are responsible for recording and synthesizing data to determine best practices and contribute to sales forecasting. Analysts also assist with data auditing, the development of new training programs, and sales plan creation and implementation.
3. 3. Sales operations manager: Sales ops managers lead team members and ensure the operations are running smoothly and efficiently. Sales managers are in charge of hiring and training, driving sales, managing the budget, establishing sales goals, evaluating their team’s performance, and addressing performance-related issues.
4. 4. VP of sales operations: The vice president of sales operations is the point person for the entire sales ops team. They drive and implement the selling strategy and are accountable for the team’s overall performance. The VP of sales also develops and implements the company’s operating plan and drives profitable growth. This role works closely with senior leadership to report findings and keep the team on the right track.

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