Miller Heiman Releases Annual Sales Best Practices Study Results

Reno, Nev-based Miller Heiman announced today the results of the 2009 Miller Heiman Sales Best Practices Study. Now in its sixth year, more than 21,000 sales professionals have participated in the study to date.

“Every year we reach out to our extensive database of sales professionals, sales leaders, and executives to find out which selling activities are currently impacting results,” says Sam Reese, president and CEO of Miller Heiman. “The severity of today’s economic climate makes it even more crucial to understand how we can influence results right now.”

The Miller Heiman Sales Best Practices Study analyzes complex, business-to-business sales environments to reveal the best practices of World-Class Sales Organizations and the perception gaps among sales representatives, their managers, and C-level executives. The study also looks at year-over-year trends, making it possible to highlight the activities that are particularly relevant in the current selling environment.

According to Elizabeth Vanneste, chief marketing officer for Miller Heiman, one of the study’s notable findings was around the alignment of sales and marketing departments. In the study, 37% of respondents agreed that sales and marketing are aligned as to what their customers want and need, compared to 91% of respondents from World-Class Sales Organizations. Sales and marketing alignment had a direct correlation to growth in qualified leads.

“This shows us the potential impact of getting these two departments to work in tandem,” Vanneste said. “This should be a priority for business leaders this year as a way to improve their pipeline despite budget constraints.”

View the Executive Summary here.

Editor’s Note: For more information and analysis, view the highlights from the 2009 Miller Heiman Sales Best Practices Study was presented on Thursday, February 19, 2009, or download the presentation slides.

Miller Heiman is the global leader in sales performance solutions with more than 30 years of documented results. The company works with leading organizations to improve sales effectiveness through issue-based consulting and training. Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, Miller Heiman has additional corporate offices in the United Kingdom and Australia and offers programs worldwide in 15 languages. For more information, contact 877.506.2973.