Better Data, More Efficient Sales Reps
TIBCO’s Director, Sales Strategy and Technology, Kishen Mistry, recognized an inherent tension in traditional approaches to improving sales data: the more time reps spend entering data, the less time they spend selling. “Sales operations and sales managers want to measure and manage these metrics – but all of the metrics are dependent on Account Executives inputting data,” he says. “The problem is, the Account Executives don’t like doing it – they want to focus on selling – and that means you’re always asking the question of how reliable and predictive that data is.” Rather than relying on reps to enter data, Kishen turned to People.ai, which plugged into reps’ inboxes and automatically matched relevant data to accounts and opportunities in CRM. This automation increased the time available for reps prospecting and selling, but it also operationalized data as action-ready insights. “My favorite thing about the People.ai Sales Solution is that it pulls everything together and tells a story,” says Kishen. “You’re not just looking at two or three different metrics. It guides the manager and Account Executive down a decision-making path.”
Leading Indicators Enable Proactive Coaching
Automating data capture laid the groundwork for better sales coaching at TIBCO. “We’re leveraging the data to develop people and processes,” says Kishen. “Coaching is a key area that People.ai is helping us with. We can look at trends, evaluate leading indicators, and use those as the basis of conversations.” Managers are now able to analyze how reps allocate time, identify high-value opportunities that warrant more focus, and determine the incremental activities that could improve performance. “Even with an Account Executive who’s hitting all the right metrics, we can often surface an insight from People.ai that will give them a crucial few percentage points of improvement,” says Kishen.
Predictable Pipelines and Accurate Forecasts
People.ai data illuminates the real status of opportunities, generating a more predictable pipeline and a more accurate forecast. “We were able to introduce a new metric showing new people who engaged over the past seven days,” says Kishen. “This helps us evaluate the type of engagement that’s going on – and ensures that AE’s are extending out into their accounts. From there, we can see if the opportunities being forecast have the level of engagement we’d expect. We can also see if there are opportunities that can be brought forward.”
Delivering Value To The Front Line
People.ai isn’t just creating the value for Sales leadership, Account Executives recognize that the solution helps them hit their number. “You have to have a clear methodology for how you’re going to transform an organization – and you have to have buy-in from the Account Executives,” says Kishen. “A lot of the time, those AE’s might be nervous about the data you’re collecting, but when you bring them into the loop and show the value it’s giving them, they become more open to our feedback. That’s what we’re now able to do with People.ai.”
"A lot of the time, those AE’s might be nervous about the data you’re collecting, but when you bring them into the loop and show the value it’s giving them, they become more open to our feedback. That’s what we’re now able to do with People.ai.”