For a Chief Sales Officer to perform successfully, you need to start with a solid sales strategy which will define your company’s plan for driving profitable revenue growth. It defines where a company will compete and where it will win in the competitive market.
A CSO must continuously refine and recalibrate a sales strategy in response to shifting external and internal factors. Being a great CSO doesn’t end with the sales strategy but executional excellence is also needed.
CSOs balance the needs of the organisation and its customers, decide on the determination of optimal sales channels and also maintain strategic relationships with key customers.
The experience and skills of today’s CSO must also be compatible with the organisation’s culture, strategy and level of technology readiness. Although many organisations are eager to find the same success as pioneers in their field, they need to pause and determine what type of sales leader will truly click for them.
The difference between a Chief Sales Officer & a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)? – A CSO is focused much more on execution. They are a tactical master and laser-focused on beating the competition. They live and die by Target Attainment, Average Sales Price, Deal Velocity and Win Rate. This role works best in simpler business environments with a single sales channel.
A CRO knows how to build and implement strategies to grow revenue effectively. How to increase sales by designing the right strategy for each channel is what keeps this person awake at night. A CRO is a strategy expert, but a CSO must focus on sales execution.
