Experience shows that many businesses have major problems preparing and implementing an optimum sales process. Excel sheets continue to dominate the picture. There is no question, however, that complex tasks of this kind require customized IT support. In fact this support is indispensable given the crisis-ridden trends in the economy, the ever fiercer competition and the constant flow of new products into the market.

Professional pipeline management is an essential tool for actively shaping the future. The future of businesses is put to a test all too rapidly if a pipeline is empty or poorly managed. Sales must support and accelerate activities as best they can with solid pipeline management. There is no room for the classic rivalries between the functional entities of Sales and Marketing. Effective support from Marketing is wanted and possible, depending on the pipeline forecast. On the other hand, sales enables Marketing to have comprehensive feedback on customer behavior and customer requirements. Professional marketing is not possible without systematic feedback.

Support expertise, in turn, is important for the sales process. Sales can offset many of the reservations or fears that buyers might have by clearly describing the support the company will reliably give them in the future.

The lesson is clear. Comprehensive IT support is what enables myriad pieces of detailed information to flow between a company’s functional units in the first place and be used by everyone involved for the good of the company. And it is also clear that no company should be afraid of having too many channels of communication with customers. Fear of complaints is unjustified because complaints are valuable feedback. The only time that communication becomes problematic is when the information needed by sales cannot flow within the company. That prevents sales processes from being properly designed. Professional IT solutions give businesses more possibilities for shaping the sales process as they wish.