Coordinate different functions

gataxa8976@cycl

The first challenge a CRO faces is coordinating the different customer contact departments. With good intentions, various functions define their own client contact charter: marketing promotions, web design, e-commerce, business development, sales and after-sales support. Often, as separate entities, these different functions do not always align with the numerous and ever-changing buyer journey preferences.

For example, sales departments have historically "assigned" sellers to customers, either as named customers or as geographic regions. This may not be necessary for all current and future prospects. In some cases, inventory-monitoring bots may oversee customer reorders—fulfillment sales. Business development efforts can uncover great opportunities that are assigned to "pursuit teams" configured for the unique nature of the buyer's journey.

Promotions and business development may shift from simply mobile number list delivering marketing-qualified leads to securing revenue by attracting web-based buyers. After-sales customer success managers provide impactful customer service and help keep customers engaged.

The promise of predictive selling has sales scientists create algorithms that suggest buyer journey responsibilities, engagement methods, timing and value propositions.

CROs need to manage this three-dimensional view of buyers—marketing, sales, and service—to deploy the right resources at the right time.

chief revenue officer rises
The title of “Chief Revenue Officer” is important and far-reaching. It requires a change in the way of thinking about how you serve your customer base. Historical sales strategy models featuring vertical or account-size groupings may have some ongoing legitimacy, but they must bow to how buyers want to buy, not how companies want to sell.



Perhaps the most challenging adjustment was setting aside existing charters for traditional marketing, sales, and service departments. It’s best to start with buyer segments—how buyers like to buy. Using multiple buyer journey demographics as a go-to-market planning platform allows for the proper deployment of these human resources.

With the new planning template in place, CROs will need to determine which buyer groups will receive which types of marketing outreach, business development, sales engagement and customer support.