How to Navigate Challenges in Accurate Sales Forecasting
By: Taylor Wilding, VP, Sales at Xactly
Sales forecasting has always been a critical yet challenging component for businesses. Even though many companies seem happy with their in-house forecasting, data shows Sales and Finance teams are struggling. According to Xactly’s 2024 Sales Forecasting Benchmark Report, 80% of sales and finance leaders say they’ve missed a quarterly forecast, with over half missing it multiple times. Additionally, 67% of sales operations leaders agree that creating accurate sales forecasts is harder today than three years ago, according to Gartner’ research. This highlights the pressing need for more accurate and collaborative approaches in sales prediction.
Key Challenges in Sales Forecasting
Delivering accurate sales forecasts is a recurring issue for most businesses, especially amid the changing macroeconomic landscape. In fact, 52% of sales leaders find their forecasts to be off by 10% or more. This discrepancy is often caused by several factors:
1. Data Availability and Integration Across the Tech Stack:
One of the most significant challenges is accessing and consolidating data across multiple systems, or not being able to access historical CRM or performance data. Sales and finance leaders find that while their teams are often prepared, they struggle with integrating systems that support real-time data analysis. while 60% found system integration to be another obstacle.
2. Collaboration Gaps:
Although Sales and Finance teams understand the importance of collaboration, the lack of streamlined processes leads to inefficiencies. An overwhelming 97% of leaders admitted that better teamwork would lead to more accurate forecasts.
3. Pipeline Management Obscurity:
Without frequent updates and clear visibility of pipeline data, it becomes difficult to maintain an accurate forecast. Two-thirds of leaders reported difficulties in identifying where their pipeline data originates.
Improving Forecasting Accuracy
To close that collaboration gap, Finance and Sales teams must find a way to work better together for successful forecasting. A majority (92%) of sales and finance leaders agree that more automation would enhance collaboration, making it easier to track pipeline data and deliver accurate forecasts. By consolidating data across different departments and integrating systems that allow for cross-functional teamwork, companies can break down silos and enhance their ability to predict revenue accurately.
On the data front, ensuring a single source of truth for pipeline data helps reduce discrepancies. With 66% of reporting systems not being able to access historical CRM or performance data, teams must focus on maintaining clean, and frequently updated, pipelines and using tools to find that historical data to support better decision-making and forecast accuracy. Additionally, collaborative pipeline reviews with other departments, such as Revenue Operations and Go-to-Market teams, allow organizations to share insights and improve sales performance.
The Future of Sales Forecasting
Although 95% of Finance and Revenue Operations teams are confident in their ability to plan using existing forecasts, a deeper look shows a significant disparity: 98% struggle to create accurate forecasts. This reveals a gap between perceived competence and actual capability, emphasizing the need for enhanced forecasting skills.
Improving accuracy is the key challenge, making sales forecasting technologies a crucial solution. To stay competitive, innovative approaches must be adopted. These could include leveraging machine learning to enhance accuracy by managing deals and predicting sales, promoting agility across teams by integrating automation tools to streamline workflows, and utilizing AI-powered predictive analytics to uncover valuable insights and drive better decision-making. There are tools available in the market that offer unified solutions and empower Sales teams across the revenue ecosystem with flexibility, allowing them to tailor and integrate solutions to fit any company’s unique needs.
With sales and finance leaders aligning on the need for more detailed, real-time data, companies that prioritize collaboration and leverage innovative solutions will be better positioned to achieve accurate sales forecasts, drive revenue, and maintain sustainable growth. By addressing these roadblocks and embracing emerging technologies, businesses can navigate the challenges of modern sales forecasting with confidence.
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