Chief Sales Officers (CSOs) with a holistic, integrated approach to sales transformation report top quartile growth, according to our survey of consumer products companies. Even so, those high performers have only embedded 29%, on average, of the transformational capabilities. Those capabilities are in areas such as adapting to new routes to market, outlet targeting and servicing, customer and channel partner management, and identifying new and emerging demand spaces and revenue growth management.
Data, analytics, digital and advance technologies
High performers are far more likely to have embedded digitalization, advanced technologies and analytics across the Sales function. For example, 65% of high performers say that they have specialist data scientists embedded in their commercial teams, versus 44% of their peers.
Demand channels have dramatically changed in the past year. This requires re-examining the total ecosystem of partners that can support accessing and servicing these channels. Sales teams need new skills and capabilities fit for the digital world. High performers are looking at the capture and consolidation of data across every customer touchpoint and all along the value chain to enable rapid adjustments to route to market strategy and execution.
High performers are 50% more likely than others to have embedded a holistic, digital approach to route to market.
"If you haven’t had an expansive route to market, you are going to be exposed. The challenge is: How quickly can we learn and shape the business for the changing market? That will be the secret to our future success."
— CSO, Global Food Company
Precision outlet targeting and servicing
Many consumer goods players treat outlets as one-size-fits all. In contrast, high performers use multiple data sources for granular outlet targeting and servicing. They combine personal and digital contact to deliver an enhanced customer experience. Accenture research and analysis shows increased frequency of contact with outlets and level of personalization impact sales growth. For example, a beverage company has seen a 20% increase in outlet profitability through personalization and B2B commerce.
High performers are 2 times more likely to have implemented a granular, targeted approach to servicing outlets.
Demand Spaces and Revenue Growth Management (RGM)
CPGs have traditionally relied on people interpreting analytics and setting guardrails for sales teams to plan within. But digital and AI are changing that. High performers have invested in building intelligent, highly automated data foundations to feed analytical models. Now, recommendations are automatically surfaced in planning tools, field sales platforms, and B2B commercial platforms—removing interpretation. Leading companies are analyzing more deeply the demand spaces to drive more personalized actions. A single data model removes duplicate effort and helps build compelling commercial offers across all levers. The result? Understanding demand spaces and RGM is integrated into how the sales team works.
Leading CPGs are 50% further advanced in embedding advanced analytics and insight generation into their demand space identification and Revenue Management practices.
Still more room for improvement
High performers are ahead of their peers in building important Sales capabilities. However, they have embedded less than 1/3 of the transformative capabilities into their Sales organizations and operations.
Few CPG companies have fully embedded transformative capabilities despite clear benefits.
CPGs have been forced to rethink the role of Sales. They need to evaluate where humans best add value and what “superpowers” technology can give them. Where can digital or machines do routine, executional tasks to free humans to bring more data-led recommendations to customers? How can processes be reimagined? Where can ecosystem collaboration be strengthened? How can speed and scale be accelerated, so new ideas can be tried and then broadly applied? The time for iterative progress in pockets has passed. By approaching Sales transformation holistically, executives can pull all the levers for future growth.
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