Transcript Twin Cities Sales Operations Forum: Program Vision and

Spring 2013
Columbus Compensation Association:
Sales Operations Forum:
Program Vision and Initial Planning
Vision: Connecting Sales Operations Practitioners
While other functional areas have professional associations, sales operations as
a “hybrid function” struggles to develop a community of interest.
 No common language of what “sales operations” does or does not include
 Ownership of sales operations as an organizational competency resides in different functions from
company to company
As a result, companies find it difficult to connect with other companies facing
similar sales operations challenges. The Columbus Sales Operations Forum
intends to create a community of interest that can:
 Serve as a resource for companies in identifying functional and business process best practices
 Foster business relationships through networking opportunities
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Program Structure Guidelines
 Regular, but appropriately spaced, meetings to create community and cover topics of interest, while
recognizing difficulty to pull time away from business needs. As a starting point, we suggest meeting
two or three times annually (January, May, September) for 3-4 hours per session.
 Agenda topics will be suggested by the members, and final agenda topics will be determined by a
Steering Committee selected from the membership.
 Each member company will have a “lead” contact, who will determine the appropriate attendees from
their company on a meeting-by-meeting basis according to the agenda topics
 Participants will rotate through hosting the meetings at their business site, subject to providing a
relatively central location for other meeting attendees. Program locations will be based on member
preferences and the availability of hosts. If a member is unable to host a meeting, Aon Hewitt will
host at one of its offices
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Forum Roles: Overview
Steering Committee
Facilitation Partners:
Aon Hewitt
Forum Members
Participant
Company
Participant
Company
Company Lead
Meeting Participants
Identified for each meeting for
the specific agenda topics
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Participant
Company
Participant
Company
Forum Roles
 Steering Committee: Review suggested agenda topics and determine final agenda; champion the
recruiting and engagement of members; provide overall guidance on forum operations and growth
 Facilitation Partners (Aon Hewitt): Coordinate communication; assist Steering Committee in
identifying agenda topics; contact and bring in third-party speakers (e.g., technology specialists,
outsourced recruiters, etc.) as determined appropriate by the Steering Committee; facilitate the overall
functioning of the meetings; serve as note-taker
 Company Lead: Serve as the coordinator for the forum for that member company; attend regular
meetings, as possible; suggest potential agenda topics based on current areas of interest; identify 1-2
appropriate meeting participants from their company, based on selected agenda topics
 Meeting Participant: Actively participate in the discussion
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Initial Meeting Agenda?
 Introductions
 Defining “Sales Operations”
 Current State of Sales Operations for Forum Companies
– Responsibilities: Who “owns” the various functions and processes?
– Roles: How are jobs defined within the sales operations function and beyond to address the sales
operations capabilities?
– Resources: How many people are included? How does the investment compare to the sales
organization it supports?
 Creating the “Ideal” Sales Operations Organization
 Forum Feedback and Next Steps
– Steering Committee
– Potential Agenda Topics
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Other Potential Future Agenda Topics
 Sales Analytics / Reporting: Products Used, Best Practices, Future Plans
 Selling Process / Methodology: Definition, Key Practices, etc.
 Sales Training: Programs Used, Typical Amounts, Measuring ROI, etc.
 Candidate Assessment and Selection: Process, Tools, Best Practices
 Quota Setting: Process, Tools, Best Practices
 Compensation Design: Process, Roles, Timing, Key Challenges
 Compensation Administration and Governance: Roles, Technology Tools, Number of Resources
Allocated
 Sales Enabling Technology (e.g., Sales Force Automation, CRM): Products Used,
Implementation, Usage Challenges, Best Practices, etc.
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This Concept is Already Working In Chicago
Chicago
 Aon Hewitt led initiative, building on our strong historical relationships in the greater Chicago area.
 11 forums held since Spring of 2009 at various locations. (See separate document for example of
meeting material and list of topics)
 Current active membership of 150 sales operations, compensation, and sales management
professionals from just under 65 companies of various sizes.
 Some better known participating companies include Allstate, American Hotel Register, Astellas,
Baxter, CDW, Constellation Brands, Discover Card, Kraft, Morningstar, Morton International,
Motorola, S.C. Johnson, Tellabs, Transunion, United Stationers, Walgreens, and Wolters Kluwer.
 We meet 3 times a year, each four hour event being hosted by a different company. (Aon Hewitt
provides a box lunch.) There are typically 25-40 people at each session.
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This Concept is Already Working In Minneapolis
Minneapolis
 Aon Hewitt has partnered with the WorldatWork affiliated Twin Cities Comp Network to lead the “Twin
Cities Sales Compensation Sub Group”. (We facilitate each meeting but do not manage or control the
mailings or attendee lists.)
 This forum is held twice a year—5 forums since the Fall of 2011, where each session is attended by
60-80 people. Similar to Chicago, a different company hosts each event.
 Better known companies that participate in this group include 3M, Andersen, Best Buy, Cargill,
Carlson, Deluxe, Ecolab, General Mills, Lifetouch, Medtronic, Supervalu, Target, Thomson, and
UnitedHealth Group.
 The Sales Compensation Sub Group, as it sounds, was initiated with a sales compensation rather
than a broader sales effectiveness focus; however, TCCN would like this effort to move beyond
compensation over time to grow their membership as well as the skills & abilities of its members.
 TCCN asked us to facilitate this initiative because of our expertise in this area, our experience in
running Chicago forum, and a desire to minimize their costs.
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Facilitator Contacts
Rob Bentley
Steve Grossman
Aon Hewitt Associate Partner and Manager,
based in Lincolnshire, IL
Aon Hewitt Partner, based in Lincolnshire, IL
~17 years sales compensation and
effectiveness experience
Medical products/pharma, CPG, financial
service, general manufacturing
>25 years sales effectiveness experience
Insurance/financial services, consumer
products, health care, manufacturing
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