Let’s be honest. Nobody can predict the future. Even with scads of data at the company’s disposal, it is impossible to know just which way the winds will blow. Accurate predictions are complicated by the fact that sale teams must be able to adapt quickly to changing forces, and leadership must be able to adjust their forecasts based on those changes.
The Challenge of Accurate Forecasting
Pipeline reporting must be accurate for sales managers to have any shot at making solid forecasts. However, getting honest assessments from salespeople can be difficult. They may overestimate the strength of their pipeline, or they may underestimate it. When most of the team is on the road throughout the month, getting them to actually input accurate data and stay on top of their pipeline can be nearly impossible. Systems must be put in place to help mitigate the inaccuracies that can creep into the process.
There’s A Mobile App For Forecasting
To help sales teams and their leaders overcome some of the challenges of forecasting, Salesforce has updated its Salesforce 1 mobile app. The features they have included in this release are designed to help reps be more productive on the road, and gives them the tools they need to report their progress in real time, with accurate numbers.
The benefits they expect sales managers to realize include:
- Real-time snapshotting: Reps and managers can get an at-a-glance view of progress towards quota and the days left in the sales cycle, aiding in decision making and time management.
- Intelligent monitoring: Managers can see who is on track and who is off track, alerting them to reps who may need a boost before the end of the month or the quarter.
- Deal tracking: Watch a deal progress from start to finish, and see where potential contracts are getting held up in the sales cycle.
- No-guess performance tracking: Reps don’t have to guess at where they are throughout the month. They can see every day, all day, how they are progressing towards their goals.
- One-touch access to data: The interface allows reps and managers to find the forecasting metrics they need without scrolling through lengthy screens or tapping through endless menus.
Keeping critical pipeline and progress data at the team’s fingertips will improve efficiency and accuracy in the forecasting process, and ultimately the revenue generation process. Salesforce is constantly updating its capabilities to give sales teams the agility they need to succeed, even while on the road.
If your organization is looking to attract the best and brightest Salesforce talent, contact the recruiting experts at CSS today to learn more about the ways we can help you achieve your staffing goals.