Accurate sales forecasting strongly affects the financial health of an organization. CFOs are being charged to work closely with sales leaders to deliver accurate sales forecast based on processes and metrics which optimize the life time value of customers. Finance leaders need to engage sales leaders in operational sales planning from setting sales, quota, commission, and territories plans to course correcting for market dynamics. Join us to learn how Finance leaders are collaborating with Sales leaders to improve processes and leveraging technology to tackle the challenges faced in driving predictable, profitable growth. Discover how to deliver best practices in revenue management, and specifically how modern technology is improving finance and sales processes though a demonstration of “how it’s actually done” leveraging a leading Enterprise Performance Management system.

1. Ask, Share, Learn – Within the Largest Community of Corporate Finance Professionals
Mastering the Sales Forecast:
The Evolving Role of Finance

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3. Ask, Share, Learn – Within the Largest Community of Corporate Finance Professionals
Mastering the Sales Forecast: The
Evolving Role of Finance
John McGuigan, Global Inside Sales Leader,
Regulatory DataCorp.

4. Define the Sales Process
• Mileposts/Tollgates
– Events that define the sales process(s)
– What qualifies a deal to be in Contract Stage?
• Criteria for exiting a sales stage and moving to the next
– Does your team know what they need to move to the next sales
step?
• Match to CRM
– Sales methods change does your CRM keep up?

5. Communication
• Provide the sales management and team with
expectations
– Does everyone know their expectations
• Allow finance to see the ‘ugly’ side of sales
– Sit in on a deal review call
– Invite to portions of a QBR
• Sales Management feedback loop from Prospects

6. Analysis
• Start by looking back
– What do wins have in common from a sales stage perspective?
– How long does a deal spend in a stage? (win vs. loss)
• Use the data to look forward
• Arm your sales management with the tools and data

7. Sales Compensation

8. THE Root of It All!
Finance
Perspective
Sales
Perspective

9. Keys to a Good Compensation Plan
• Transparency
– Sales reps should know what they will make on a deal before it
closes
– When payments will be made
– Changes to the plan ahead of time
• Alignment
– Reward the behavior you want from the sales team
– Create parts of the plan to move the business in the direction
you want it to move
– Under/over paying for good/bad performance

10. Mastering the Sales Forecast:
The Evolving Role of Finance
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