Global Forecasting: Efficiency, Accuracy, Growth

Research has shown that forecasting is a thorny issue. In a survey of 1,700 companies, research firm CSO Insights found that only 46% of forecast deals ended up in the “win” column (CSO Insights “2013 Sales Management Optimization Study”). Lack of accurate sales metrics means that executives are stuck leading and managing based on hunches and instinct. Before establishing a relationship with C9, the sales team at Yahoo had a fundamental lack of trust in forecast numbers. Pipelines were plagued by excessive subjectivity, and rampant “shadow accounting” in Excel spreadsheets was common. Overall, unnecessary friction and poor communication existed between management and the sales team. “We had the same conversation each week, arguing about the numbers,” says Patrick O’Leary, Yahoo Senior Director of Sales Operations and Effectiveness. Problems at the Rep Level: Because they lacked well-defined forecasting metrics, salespeople had trouble following a consistent and disciplined selling process. Salespeople spent an inordinate amount of time each week gathering information to create their forecasts; this pulled them away from core selling activities. Problems at the Management Level: Sales managers found it cumbersome and time-intensive to cope with shadow-accounting practices and consolidate information from many spreadsheets. Confusion around reported numbers made it difficult to gauge the actual status of deals and their probability of closing. Problems at the Executive Level: Lack of faith in the accuracy of forecast numbers made it difficult to make strategic business decisions. Forecast data was vulnerable to holes and inaccuracies whenever someone was hired or fired, which made it difficult for executives to balance downstream business operations.

By keeping people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world, Yahoo! Inc. creates value for advertisers who want to establish relationships with Yahoo users. Currently Yahoo counts on a team of nearly 1,000 members to sell advertising.