Client Story: Sales Go-To-Market Strategy Unifies Teams And Grows Pipeline

At a glance

Microsoft Azure Data Services sought our expertise to enhance their go-to-market (GTM) strategy. In response, our teams created a tailored program to grow the sales pipeline by unifying engagement between business groups. The program resulted in optimized partner alignment, customer engagement, and revenue growth.

Inconsistent execution and pipeline gaps

Our client’s team at Microsoft was facing a significant pipeline gap and trying to support field sellers who were receiving incomplete resources and confusing communication from multiple business groups. To simplify the approach and make progress toward achieving their goals, they would need to solve for three ongoing complications:

1. Field and partner teams who were knowledgeable on sales playbooks but lacked clarity of ownership for key roles and account coverage
2. Significant communication gaps between teams, resulting in duplication of activities and missed customer opportunities
3. Proven solutions lacking processes and insights needed for consistent execution

Building an effective go-to-market strategy

A go-to-market strategy is an essential component of ensuring competitive advantage and increased market share. Specifically, an effective GTM approach will help improve sales team and partner channel effectiveness, develop a healthy sales pipeline, refine business operations to increase flexibility and scale, and create clear accountabilities that drive sales behavior and customer results.

To increase the sales pipeline and maximize revenue capture, our client wanted to support its field sellers with the most effective resources possible and strengthen communication between multiple business groups. To make this a reality, we created three project goals:

1. Establish ownership of key roles and account coverage to field and partner teams who are knowledgeable on sales playbooks
2. Strengthen communication between teams to optimize rhythm of business and customer reach
3. Build processes and insights needed for business execution

New program development

To unify field and partner teams, we developed a tailored program called Accelerate, Collaborate, Execute (ACE) which:

• Aligned business operations with executive goals
• Established consistent project management guidelines and processes
• Catalyzed sales execution efficiency

We created and executed the pilot program over a period of seven months, scaling over time to drive additional key motions across field segments. The ACE program provided a consistent and programmatic approach to unify our client’s teams and increase and total revenue capture.

“The Spur Group partnered with us on this very important and key initiative to help us deliver significant results in an imperative area of the business,” said Adam C. Rodell, former National Director of U.S. Enterprise Commercial Data & Artificial Intelligence for Azure Data Services at Microsoft.

Developing the ACE program first required collaboration with stakeholders. We consulted with key members across business groups to identify pain points and determine program goals and dependencies. Then, based on that stakeholder feedback, we designed detailed engagement maps and project plans to provide a governance structure for our client’s team and business groups. Furthermore, we helped establish clear ownership of team roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations, which strengthened overall communication.

We created and executed ACE over a period of seven months, scaling over time to drive additional key motions across field segments.

Enhanced partner alignment, customer reach, and revenue growth

Executing a scalable go-to-market approach, utilizing rigorous program management, and strengthening communication, our ACE pilot program successfully increased client sales revenue. ACE’s pilot program demonstrated that the framework could create reproducible results and could be a repeatable offering.

Specifically, ACE resulted in over 14,000 opportunities found through high propensity analysis. Thirty-two key motions were driven across three business segments and 93 key stakeholders collaborated. The project had a sales pipeline impact of $310 million.

ACE ultimately succeeded in aligning business groups and establishing clear ownership of team roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations. The program also improved revenue, the sales pipeline, key performance indicators, and successful business outcomes.