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Sales 2.0 and SPM Both Key to Improved Sales Performance, According to Leading Research Firm

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 October 2009, 10:00 CDT

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Xactly Corporation, the leader in on-demand sales performance management (SPM), today announced the availability of "Sales Compensation and Performance Management 2009 Survey Results and Analysis," a new report written by CSO Insights and underwritten, in part, by Xactly. Authored by CSO Insight Partners Jim Dickie and Barry Trailer, the report examines the challenges facing sales and marketing in today's current economic environment and identifies how to more effectively use the right people, processes, technology and knowledge in sales compensation to address those challenges.

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The findings outline the need to effectively identify, set and measure a key set of compensation criteria that motivate and reward sales behavior that aligns with corporate goals and objectives. In addition, it highlights the importance of providing real-time sales and sales compensation visibility to both sales management and sales representatives.

"While many companies set specific sales compensation metrics, they are often using criteria that is too complex, too simplistic, or rewards the wrong behavior," said Barry Trailer, Partner, CSO Insights. "In today's economic environment, it is paramount to set criteria that drive behaviors that will impact the company's bottom-line and long term goals. Working smarter also means providing sales reps the visibility and insights they need to see how they are performing, the ability to model deals to see the resulting payout, and allow them to measure where they stand in reaching sales accelerators or SPIFs."

Amongst the more than 1000 participants surveyed, just over half noted that spreadsheets are still a primary vehicle for managing variable sales compensation. The report notes using spreadsheets can often be error prone (at a rate of 3-5 percent) and limit the integration with key technologies, like sales analytics, CRM and Sales 2.0 systems, that can add significant intelligence and insight into the sales compensation process. By combining rich sales and post-sales data, managers can set plans that better incent reps, identify areas where rep coaching is needed, and improve the overall accuracy of variable compensation payment.

The report notes, "New Sales Performance Management systems enable real-time performance visibility while recording, computing, comparing and improving performance over time. The ability to serve up these reports on multiple metrics, not the handful that most plans are restricted to today, enables managers to truly coach their people. And it enables companies to truly elicit the behaviors they desire."

"While spreadsheets continue to be a widely used vehicle for managing sales compensation, they limit a company's ability to truly use compensation as a strategic, competitive weapon," said Christopher Cabrera, President and CEO, Xactly Corporation. "Automating the sales compensation process through SPM allows companies to weave in critical pre-and-post sales data by combining sales compensation, CRM and other Sales 2.0 tools to analyze the historical and current impact of the information. This actionable intelligence allows companies to build and manage more robust, impactful compensation plans that better meet company goals and drive the right behaviors."

To download a free copy of the report, visit our Resource Center at http://www.xactlycorp.com/resource_center/registration.php. Be sure to download both the CSO Insights: 2009 Sales Compensation & Performance Management Survey Results and Analysis and the CSO Insights: 2009 Sales Compensation & Performance Management Summary of Charts.

About Xactly Corporation

Xactly Corporation is the market leader in on-demand sales performance management. The company's flagship product, Xactly Incent, enables sales and finance executives to design, implement, manage, audit and optimize sales compensation management programs easily and affordably. Xactly solutions automate the process of aggregating data from disparate systems into a secure, hosted repository, and enable companies to leverage this business data, which is the lifeblood of sales performance management. Xactly helps companies improve operational performance, optimize sales effectiveness, proactively manage risk and compliance, and maximize profits. The Xactly family of products is used by sales and finance executives, compensation analysts, sales operations and sales professionals across a variety of industries, ranging from SMBs to large enterprises. For more information, visit www.xactlycorp.com or call 1-866-GO-XACTLY.

© 2009 Xactly Corporation. All rights reserved. Xactly, Xactly Incent, Xactly Rewards, and "Incent right. Sell more." are trademarks or registered trademarks of Xactly Corporation.

Media Contacts: Kristin Reeves Blanc & Otus Public Relations for Xactly Corporation Tel: 415-856-5145 Email: kreeves@blancandotus.com

SOURCE Xactly Corporation

Source: PR Newswire

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