The Business Process Management (BPM) market is growing steadily and swiftly. In 2021 it was already valued at over $3 Billion, and that’s expected to grow by another billion dollars in coming years. Why is it expanding so quickly? Businesses across the spectrum are seeing the results BPM is delivering to organizations, and they’re racing to stay ahead of the curve.

Business Process Management holds great potential for every department to standardize and optimize their processes, but sales in particular will be one of the major benefactors. Today, we’ll discuss what this process-driven approach means and why it’s so crucial for sales efficacy.

The Basics of BPM

When we talk about Business Process Management, what we’re really talking about is the modeling, automation, optimization, and measurements that businesses apply to scale and consistently improve their operations. BPM relies on workflows to standardize and easily evolve processes to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. Adoption rates for this technology are skyrocketing because of the benefits it provides across companies. Some of the biggest benefits include:

  1. Decreased Expenses: According to a recent report by BPTrends, 69% of businesses are leveraging BPM to reduce costs. BPM contributes to leaner operations by lessening the need for additional labor and increasing the output of existing teams.
  2. Business Agility: Because BPM is process-driven instead of data-driven, it adapts easier to changing circumstances. When a process shifts, the data adapts automatically to meet the new standards without someone having to question that data’s relevance. The process drives how the data is used and ensures only the appropriate information is applied.  
  3. Standardization: Initiating standardized processes helps teams prioritize their work and align their efforts. When processes work well, companies can replicate them for other teams or departments to utilize, keeping everyone tied into the same approach and walking teams step-by-step through effective methodologies.

Business Process Management for Sales Efficacy

The structure that BPM solutions provide helps every facet of business. From establishing streamlined customer service programs to enacting repeatable, proactive marketing initiatives. But what is BPM bringing to the table for sales? How are its uses changing the sales landscape? Why is it so crucial for sales efficacy? There are a few reasons to consider.

Automating Repeatable Processes

Did you know automation can lead to a 30% increase in closed sales? As sales teams work to finalize deals, they repeat many of the same tasks. These repeatable processes are streamlined using the automation of Business Process Management. BPM workflows keep sales on track with the tasks that make sense for the current sales stage. Approvals for product and quote discounts are automated to alert to the correct parties and help finalize the sale sooner.

Triggered email alerts let sales know there’s a new lead and, once that lead enters the defined process, the sales rep is guided to the logical next step. Sales teams don’t have to waste time micro-managing the process, so they can spend more of their time on productive tasks. In addition, BPM is also a great way to onboard new sales reps more efficiently because they can clearly see what the process is and how they’re expected to reach their sales goals.

<em>An example of a BPM sales process. Image credit: Creatio</em>

The Agility to Adapt

If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it’s that customer demands can shift quickly and unexpectedly. Today’s business environment is fast-moving, ever-evolving, and highly competitive. BPM allows businesses to adjust operational processes that require tweaks and remove non-optimal processes that are no longer relevant to the sales cycle. Because the process can be viewed in detail at any stage, teams can gain immediate insight into how they’re being applied and where they need to change. This gives them greater agility to adapt and improve to meet the moment.

Cross-Selling Efficiency

BPM standardizes cross-sell operations and guide sales reps to engage their opportunities at the right moment, and with the right proposal. Cross-sale opportunities can be assigned and sequenced in a specific order to eliminate non-value tasks and keep the sales rep focused on his or her responsibilities towards closing the sale.  

Fostering Sales Transformation

Sales transformation is the process of updating operations that significantly impact the sales process and the team’s ability to reach their objectives. Business Process Management plays a major role in the success of sales transformation initiatives by allowing teams to rapidly implement new approaches and visualize their impact and effectiveness. BPM offers more than a way to build a process. It provides an opportunity to reinvent how work is performed to drive better outcomes.

Recreating What Works

Have a sales rep who outshines the rest? What do they do differently? BPM offers a clear view of sales rep performance and an opportunity to replicate and universally apply the process of a top-performing sales rep. It’s another way to drive successful sales and easily pivot teams towards what’s working instead of wasting time on inefficient, scattered approaches.

Tight Tie-ins with Marketing

Lead qualification and handoff are crucial pieces of the sales puzzle. Using BPM to trigger intelligent, automated lead processes is a huge advantage for sales reps and marketing teams alike. Both parties have full visibility into the process and a complete understanding of what’s expected. The process-driven approach prevents MQL to SQL transitions from falling through the cracks and helps make clear distinctions between who is responsible for which leads. That tight tie-in with marketing makes all the difference when reps are trying to juggle leads and prioritize their most likely conversions.

Conclusions

Business Process Management technologies have uses across the spectrum of sales, marketing, and services. Specifically for sales, the automation and structured flow of operations cuts down on unnecessary work, makes processes more adaptable and scalable, and reduces needless redundancies that waste time and resources. BPM will only continue to boom, especially in a world where hybrid work is becoming the new norm. Will your sales team be ready?

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