If you’ve been following this blog, you already know that I believe alignment between an organization’s sales and marketing departments is critical. However, did you know that the Service Level Agreement (SLA) is an important way to achieve that alignment? The SLA is THE document that builds trust and accountability between sales and marketing departments. It’s going through the act of building the SLA and readdressing the SLA every month in a meeting that builds the foundation for sales and marketing alignment.
Unfortunately, only 43% of marketing and sales operations leaders have lead response SLAs in place, and most are not being governed. And only 11 percent of survey respondents reported having jointly managed SLAs according to SiriusDecisions.
I would never profess to be the greatest sales professional nor the greatest coach. But in all my years as a sales professional—from starting my career at Bank of Montreal at age 20, to my time in corporate real estate, to becoming a director of sales at two different SaaS companies, and finally starting my own consulting firm—I’ve learned that the biggest hindrance to sales success is this: time management.
Let me begin by saying there’s an endless number of reasons that sales teams aren’t hitting quota. And this is a major problem for organizations. In fact, research from SiriusDecisions found 54% of sales professionals won’t meet quota this year. This is a bad nightmare and a harsh reality for many sales teams, because it means that only a small minority of sales professionals will achieve quota attainment! 
In a 
You have changed. I have changed. Buyers have changed. 74% of today’s B2B buyers conduct more than half of their research online before making a purchase, and 
Do your prospects often tell you “I don’t have budget?” 
