Press Releases

San Ramon, Calif. – January 6, 2012 – Ventana Research has released its latest Benchmark Research – Sales on the Cutting Edge – Improving the Business of Sales to Maximize Revenue. The research investigates sales, which is the line of business department and function, which is the operational pulse of almost every organization. This research was compared and contrasted with a benchmark Ventana Research conducted in 2008 to uncover ways in which sales has evolved or digressed and examination of vertical industries.

The research found that the three most important sales management priorities identified were increasing revenue (cited by 72 percent of participants) followed by improving efficiency of sales processes and aligning the sales force to the business strategy.  All of these drivers were named very important by higher percentages of participants than in the 2008 research. Cloud computing has also made a substantial impact in the priority of accessing sales applications since the initial 2008 benchmark research.  While 35 percent of participants indicated cloud computing was a critical technology trend, even more (41 percent) prefer to access sales applications through software as a service. The method of purchase and installation of software on-premises fell by almost half, to 25 percent from 49 percent in 2008. 

“The research found that the adoption of SFA has significantly increased to almost two thirds of sales organizations with sufficient levels of satisfaction and little desire to change compared to investing into dedicated analytics, compensation and forecasting for sales organizations,” said Mark Smith, CEO and Chief Research Officer of Ventana Research.  “However, the steps to improving maturity are being held up by almost half of sales organizations stated overuse of personal spreadsheets that made it difficult to manage and track sales efficiently.”

Ventana Research undertook this benchmark research to acquire real-world information about levels of maturity, trends and best practices in sales organizations’ use of applications and technology in improving sales operations and performance. It explores how they do this now, how people at various levels feel about the current processes and tools, plans they have to change or improve them, and benefits they hope to gain by doing so. In addition this research investigated the priority of applying new technology to improve sales including analytics, cloud computing, collaboration, mobility and social media.

Ventana Research will expand on the key findings of this benchmark research during a live interactive webinar on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 10:00am Pacific Time. To participate in the webinar, or view it after it has taken place, visit: http://www.ventanaresearch.com/spmwebinar.

Those interested in learning more about this benchmark research can find additional information at http://ventanaresearch.com/spm . As a part of your registration you will receive insights and education from Ventana Research on using technology effectively in business. Ventana Research thanks those that participated in the benchmark and our media and vendor sponsors including Cloud9 Analytics, Varicent, TechTarget and Xactly Corporation who helped make this industry research a reality. Ventana Research provides guidance to organizations in sales applications and technology through its Ventana OnDemand (http://www.ventanaresearch.com/ondemand) and with its assessment and educational services offerings. (http://www.ventanaresearch.com/services/).

About Ventana Research

Ventana Research is the most authoritative and respected benchmark business technology research and advisory services firm. We provide insight and expert guidance on mainstream and disruptive technologies through a unique set of research-based offerings including benchmark research and technology evaluation assessments, education workshops and our research and advisory services, Ventana On-Demand. Our unparalleled understanding of the role of technology in optimizing business processes and performance and our best practices guidance are rooted in our rigorous research-based benchmarking of people, processes, information and technology across business and IT functions in every industry. This benchmark research plus our market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technology providers means we can deliver education and expertise to our clients to increase the value they derive from technology investments while reducing time, cost and risk.

Ventana Research provides the most comprehensive analyst and research coverage in the industry; business and IT professionals worldwide are members of our community and benefit from Ventana Research’s insights, as do highly regarded media and association partners around the globe. Our views and analyses are distributed daily through blogs and social media channels ncluding Twitter, Facebook,LinkedIn and Business Week’s Business Exchange.

To learn how Ventana Research advances the maturity of organizations’ use of information and technology through benchmark research, education and advisory services, visit www.ventanaresearch.com.

Media: Copies of benchmark research report and interviews are available upon request.

Media Contact:

Bailey Donoghue

(925) 242-2412

marketing@ventanaresearch.com