In the business world, the endgame in virtually every company is to make a profit, so naturally, keeping an eye on where the cash is generated – the sales department – is vital. Even though your sales performance sales team is chugging along, converting leads to customers and eventually bringing in the revenue, it’s a good idea to perform a sales audit procedure and review logs and sales data regularly, preferably once a year.

What Is a Sales Audit?

A sales audit (also known as a sales process audit) is a breakdown of a company’s sales processes. The sales audit procedure is a document-intensive deep dive that reviews everything, soup to nuts, including technical resources, staffing issues and management strategies, among others. It evaluates the different aspects of the sales process to determine whether its sales strategy is maximizing revenue.

The sales audit process differs from other types of audits – such as a legal compliance audit or financial audit – in which a company’s operating costs are weighed with its sales revenues. In some instances, a company will perform an internal sales audit using its human resource capital, while in other cases, an outside consultant is hired to perform the sales audit. The goal of the process is to help fine-tune the sales process by finding weak spots that can be improved upon.

How To Prepare For a Sales Audit

It can’t be stated enough that your sales team must understand that a sales audit is performed to help them improve and enable growth. Once this is established, there are a series of checklists that will help complete the process.

Evaluating Your Sales Staff

There are several questions that need to be asked by a sales auditor, starting with the sales team:

  • Number of clients – do you have too many, just enough or the bandwidth to handle more?
  • Are there any perks that would help your motivation?
  • Do you feel supported by the other teams in the company?
  • What is the culture (and pulse) of the sales team? Is there collaboration or competition?

Grading Your Sales Training

This is used to gauge the efficiency of your onboarding and training for new sales hires:

  • What is the training procedure for new sales hires? How extensive is it?
  • Are there “tune-ups” available for the sales staff after they start?
  • Are the sales reps supplied with the necessary tools to perform their jobs? Do they feel that the technology is helpful or a hindrance to them? 
  • Is the onboard training for new hires effective and complete? Are there any apparent gaps in the knowledge of products and sales methodologies?

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Crafting Your Sales Presentation

This is a checkup for the sales presentation to confirm it’s clear and engaging and allows the reps to close the sale:

  • Are the sales team presenting to the target audience? Are there any other ways to reach the decision-makers? 
  • Is your messaging designed to appeal to solving the customer’s pain points or simply to close the sale?
  • What efforts are made to differentiate your products/services from the competition?
  • Does the sales team practice and tweak their pitches? Do these sales tactics work as well remotely as they do in-person?

Honing Your Sales Strategy

The sales auditor looks for flaws in the system – weaknesses that prevent closing the sale and/or keeping customers from becoming repeat customers:

  • Are there any existing business opportunities that haven’t been fully realized?
  • Does the quote process work effectively? Is the current way that quotes are followed-up sufficient, or does it need to be examined?
  • Is the sales process streamlined? Are there any missing or unnecessary steps in the system?
  • Is the current lead generation model sufficient? Are there any untapped sources for securing new leads?

Utilizing Virtual Data Rooms For Sales Audits

A Virtual Data Room (VDR) is a vital component in any type of audit. It allows all users to store and share documents in a secure online location. A VDR features secure access, access restrictions, enterprise-level encryption, multiple layers of security and user-friendly admin controls to upload and download documents.

The CapLinked Solution

For any company working on (or even planning) a sales audit or sales tax audit, partnering with a trusted third-party data room provider will help streamline the process, both logistically and financially. For all parties involved in the audit, having access to the VDR will be a vital component to move ahead with the sales audit process.

CapLinked, a world leader in the VDR space. Its user-friendly interface and ability to work on virtually every type of computer or internet-connected device make CapLinked the best choice for anyone dealing with an audit of any sort. Start a free trial of CapLinked’s VDR solution that will help streamline the entire audit process.

Chris Capelle is a technology expert, writer and instructor. For over 25 years, he has worked in the publishing, advertising and consumer products industries.

Sources

Bizfluent – What Are the Duties of a Sales Department?

Smart Capital Mind – What is a Sales Audit?

Investopedia – Audit

Marketing 91 – What is Sales Audit? Steps of Sales Audit

Investopedia – Virtual Data Room (VDR)