ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives

Lead to Cash – What does it really mean to you?

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 13 July 2022

“Lead to cash” is an often-used term and is a companion to “quote to cash” and “order to cash”. What they all represent is an approach which recognizes that there is a process designed to convert a lead from a qualified interest to an active sale, through quote and contract negotiation, to order or contract, invoice and payment. “Quote to cash” and “order to cash” are subsets of this process,... Read More

Topics: Office of Revenue

The Member of the Sales Team that Technology Forgot

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 17 May 2022

Many – myself included – have written about the growth in technologies designed to aid in business-to-business sales and sales management by serving sales reps, line managers, executives and operations. But one area that has been ill-served is technical presales, or sales engineering. You may ask why this should matter. Aren’t presales engineers all about demonstrations? How could technology –... Read More

Topics: Office of Revenue

Value Index for Revenue Performance Management Rates Vendors

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 31 March 2022

Ventana Research is happy to share insights gleaned from the latest Value Index research, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The 2022 Revenue Performance Management (RPM) Value Index is the distillation of a year of market and product research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the... Read More

Topics: Sales, Sales Performance Management (SPM), Price and Revenue Management, sales enablement, Revenue Performance Management

Maximize Alignment through Revenue Performance

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 30 March 2022

As organizations shift focus to a broader definition of sales that includes all sources of revenue, vendors are also pivoting to include “revenue” as part of promotional messaging. But it’s my view that just changing your message or description does not necessarily deliver the capabilities and product experiences customers need to successfully plan, execute and achieve revenue targets and... Read More

Topics: Revenue Performance Management

Subscription Management Elevates Experience Through Automation

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 29 March 2022

Ventana Research defines subscription management as the processes and technology needed to manage the subscriber experience from the first digital touch to the continuous modifications of orders for services and billing. Effective subscription management requires a new generation of applications designed to manage the life cycle of subscriptions and provide subscribers with the experiences they... Read More

Topics: Subscription Management

Why Your ERP and CRM Won’t Transform Your Business

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 18 March 2022

Digital Transformation. The Subscription Economy. Omni-Channel Selling. Customer Centric. These are all terms used to label trends and events that are changing the way business is being conducted, a change that has accelerated due to recent events. Regardless of the terminology, there is no doubt that the way vendors and buyers are interacting, whether B2C or B2B, is different today for many... Read More

Topics: Sales, Digital Commerce, Subscription Management, partner management

Why Finance and Legal are Important to Revenue and Sales Operations

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 25 February 2022

There is much vendor activity and customer interest in making better use of data, to improve the sales process in the face of increased pressure to achieve organization revenue goals. As detailed in my Analyst Perspective: The Art and Science of Sales from the “Inside Out," enhanced buyer research as well as the inclusion of more people in the buying process, have made selling harder, evidenced... Read More

Topics: Sales, Revenue Performance Management

Xactly Advances Support for Revenue Performance Management

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 15 February 2022

Revenue performance management and the role of revenue operations is moving to the forefront of sales organizations, aligning departments around a single view of the business with shared revenue targets and goals. This facilitates the needs of the sales department as well as customer experience, marketing and renewals. The concept of RevOps does not yet have a widely shared common definition... Read More

Topics: Sales, Customer Experience, Marketing, Sales Performance Management, partner management, Revenue Performance Management

The 2022 Market Agenda for Office of Revenue: New Performance Priority

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 08 February 2022

Ventana Research recently announced its 2022 Market Agenda for the Office of Revenue, continuing the guidance we have offered for nearly two decades to help organizations realize optimal value from applying technology to improve business outcomes. Chief sales and revenue officers and their associated operations teams are experts in their respective fields but may not have the guidance needed to... Read More

Topics: Sales, Analytics, Internet of Things, Data, Sales Performance Management, Digital Technology, Digital Commerce, Conversational Computing, mobile computing, Subscription Management, extended reality, intelligent sales, partner management, AI and Machine Learning

The Necessity of Revenue Performance Management

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 27 January 2022

Ventana Research was the first market research firm to focus on the emerging area of sales performance management (SPM), which we define as a coordinated set of sales-related activities, processes and systems that enable organization. Over the past decade, SPM has become more science than art. Properly managing a sales organization requires effective planning, which in turn requires key... Read More

Topics: Sales, Sales Performance Management

AI for Sales: Technology is Ready but Are You?

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 28 December 2021

The internet is a rich source of information and is used by buyers to research new applications and offerings well before ever engaging a vendor and salesperson. Along with massive growth in offerings, this is a major reason why sales teams are facing increasing challenges to successfully sell and attain targets. One approach that is being continually trumpeted by vendors is the use of artificial... Read More

Topics: Sales, AI and Machine Learning

Why Revenue Planning Should be Continuous and Year Round

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 02 December 2021

With the emergence of multiple selling channels and the rise of the subscription model, the need for a unified approach to revenue planning and execution should be a priority for every organization. As I have written about in my analyst perspective Revenue Management: The Opportunity for Innovation and Optimization, this need to unify the approach and focus on alignment across all revenue... Read More

Topics: Sales, Customer Experience, Sales Performance Management, Subscription Management, AI and Machine Learning

Revenue and Commercial Operations: The Difference Matters

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 18 November 2021

The emergence of the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) has mirrored the adoption of the subscription model and the development of multiple selling and buying channels over and above the traditional direct sales model, referred to as Revenue Management. Supporting the traditional sales team and management was the sales operations team with responsibilities around incentive compensation, territory and... Read More

Topics: Sales, Customer Experience, Analytics, Sales Performance Management, Digital Commerce, Subscription Management, partner management

Pricefx Optimizes Pricing for Profits

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 12 November 2021

Traditionally, price management and optimization have been contained to certain industries, such as large-scale manufacturing and chemicals. Those industries involve potentially tens of thousands of stock-keeping units (SKUs) covering a wide variety of products and price points. For many organizations, pricing systems are “cost plus” or “follow the leader,” not typically designed to invoke... Read More

Topics: Sales, Sales Performance Management, Subscription Management

Vindicia Showcases Bundling and Subscription Intelligence

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 20 October 2021

The subscription business model has seen much growth in all aspects of the market in recent years. Now considered the standard for the digital age, the model’s implementation travels parallel to rising technology, leading to the demand for newer functionality and tools. As more and more vendors create their own versions, and as the subscription model is increasingly adopted, technology solutions... Read More

Topics: Sales, Subscription Billing, Subscription Management, partner management

Pricing Optimization Software Helps Maximize Revenue

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 13 October 2021

Price management and optimization is not a new discipline, but until now, it has been restricted to particular industries — such as discrete manufacturing and chemicals — where there are potentially hundreds if not thousands of stock-keeping units covering many interdependent products. To ensure that pricing optimizes either revenue or margin, a variety of vendors have created specialist tools... Read More

Topics: Subscription Management

BillingPlatform Bolsters the Rise of Subscription Services

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 22 September 2021

Subscription management and billing services help organizations offer unique benefits and enhance delivery to customers. By making services more personalized, organizations can acquire – and retain – more customers. Many business-to-business companies are shifting to a subscription business model to remain competitive, imposing new requirements on vendors to support pricing models that address... Read More

Topics: Sales, Office of Finance, Continuous Planning, embedded analytics, Analytics, Business Intelligence, Business Planning, Product Information Management, Digital Commerce, Operations & Supply Chain, Enterprise Resource Planning, ERP and Continuous Accounting, natural language processing, revenue and lease accounting, continuous supply chain, Subscription Management, partner management, Process Mining, Streaming Analytics, Supplier Relationship Management, AI and Machine Learning

Revenue Management Maximizes Partner and Reseller Subscriptions

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 15 September 2021

Among the many digital economy trends written about in recent years, one of the most significant has been the adoption of a subscription business model. For organizations with a business model that also includes reselling third-party products and services, this shift to subscription services adds complications and potential challenges. Partner models come in different forms, with partners... Read More

Topics: Customer Experience, Product Information Management, Price and Revenue Management, ERP and Continuous Accounting, Subscription Management

Subscription Automation Enables a Better Subscriber Experience

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 08 September 2021

A subscription business model and an exceptional customer experience are equal priorities for many organizations. Much has been written about both: Subscription and usage services are considered the business model for the digital age, and a great customer experience is how organizations acquire and retain customers. I believe that by 2024, the category of subscription management software will... Read More

Topics: Customer Experience, Subscription Management

CommerceIQ Earns Office of Sales Digital Innovation Award for 2021

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 17 August 2021

The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcase advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to the improved processes and performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations to advance business and IT. Ventana Research has... Read More

Topics: Sales, Analytics, Product Information Management, Digital Commerce, AI and Machine Learning