Sales Forecasting

Deliver Rock-Solid Forecasts

Will we make our number? It’s the biggest question for every sales organization because the difference between “yes” and “no” determines the success of not only the sales organization but also the entire company.

Unfortunately, for most sales teams the answer is “yes” only 44% of the time (according to CSO Insights 2010 report). Sales forecasts are notoriously inaccurate because sales organizations lack the right tools to help them generate and improve their forecasts. CRM systems don’t retain the historical data and trending information that is critical to understanding sales performance and the root causes behind it, and they also don’t provide the capabilities needed to ensure that insights about pipelines and past performance can be easily incorporated into forecasts.

Cloud9 provides a solution that empowers you and your team to dramatically improve your forecasts. Cloud9 solutions integrate data from your CRM system, ERP systems, and other tools used for forecasting such as spreadsheets to provide you with the insights needed to create highly accurate forecasts. They provide access to rich insights that incorporate your historical data, enabling sales managers to analyze the progress of opportunities through the pipeline, and also provide visibility into historical forecast achievement by rep, region, territory, or manager. Armed with this information, you can better understand trends and success factors and incorporate this understanding in current forecasts.

Benefits:
  • Gain rich insight into sales performance: see conversion rates, on/off model exceptions, comparisons to historical models, and performance of individual sales representatives
  • Deliver dramatically more accurate forecasts: bring deeper understanding of historical performance and success factors into forecasting, incorporate management judgment and overrides into forecasts, and enable proactive focus on exceptions

Cloud9 Forecast Call Blueprint
  1. Evaluate Percentage of Forecast Attainment
    At any point in the current period, compare where you are with forecast attainment to the same point in prior periods.
  2. Use Accurate Stage Close Rates
    Apply data-driven stage percentage close rates from prior quarters, not arbitrarily assigned stage close rates.
  3. Anticipate Bluebird Deals
    Anticipate bluebirds – opportunities that close in the same period they are created –calculated from historic bluebird trends.
  4. Identify Repeatedly Deferred Opportunities
    Understand specific rep behavior and coach them to forecast only viable opportunities to eliminate unpleasant surprises.

75% of our sales reps reported that coaching sessions improved or significantly improved.
Dave Henrichs,
BDM
Dave Henrichs,<br>BDM