A while ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dev Tandon for the SellingBrew Playbook. As the CEO and founder of The Kini Group, of course Dev has to stay on top of the developing trends in analytics. And one of the trends he highlighted in his discussion with me can be viewed as a blessing…or as a curse.
According to Dev, sales analysts’ roles in leading companies are evolving very quickly, due to what he calls “the consumerization of IT.”
In the past, it was rather difficult to extract data from various systems and put it into formats that were consumable for the average business person or sales manager. As a result, a large part of a sales analyst’s value-add and contribution to their employer has historically revolved around performing these somewhat tactical tasks.
Just a few years ago, it was good enough for sales analysts to say to their organizations, “Tell me what you want to see and I’ll pull it together for you.”
But some big changes are underway…
Today, analytical tools and technologies have evolved to such a degree that gathering and reporting data is not nearly as daunting as it used to be. In turn, the value-add around performing this type of work is much less than it used to be. And now, sales analysts are being challenged to add value in other ways…far more strategic ways.
Moving forward, sales analysts can’t just be pulling together the data and metrics others want to see. To really add value, they need to be determining which metrics and measures are most beneficial for the organization to look at in the first place. And sales analysts can’t just be delivering reports for others to study. Rather, sales analysts need to be interpreting those reports, gleaning data-driven insights, and recommending effective actions.
In other words, sales analysts need to become much more consultative if they want to continue to add significant value into the future.
For some analysts, this evolution will provide the opportunity to step-up, contribute on a strategic level, and become much more than just a pair of hands for assembling data. But for those who are unwilling or unable to adapt, these new developments and higher expectations may not bode well at all.
I guess that’s the reality of evolution…not everyone survives.
We’ll be exploring how to best get beyond the data and provide decision-making information at our upcoming subscriber-only webinar:
Delivering Data to Decision-Makers
How to Deliver the Right Decision-Making Data to Your Executives
Thursday, March 5, 2020
10 AM Pacific / 1 PM Eastern / 7 PM CET
Sales Analysis That Actually Makes a Difference
In this expert interview, Dev Tandon talks about how and why leading companies are looking at sales and business analytics differently. He also discusses some of the most powerful sales analyses these companies are using to drive clarity and results.
The Anatomy of a Successful B2B Sales Analyst
What key competencies are most important for a sales analyst to have? This guide covers SellingBrew's research into the 21 most important attributes, skills, and capabilities for sales analysts to develop or possess.
