You’re right about the “missionary” thing. Somehow though – maybe because selling with the $$$ numbers is so powerful – I still feel compelled to “preach” at least a bit.

Todd

Thanks for the feedback. Your comments regarding lack of the C-Suite’s appreciation of the vital role of sales as cash generator is right on the money. That said, I still think it’s the responsibility of we sales types to earn our way in, starting with, as you suggested, the customer CFO.

Todd

Yet there is a sad message in this post and that is your survey. From what I know, the percentage of companies you found with a CSO correlates pretty much with the percentage of CEOs having come to their position through the ranks of sales.
This means, that most top executives do not understand sales and therefore take uninformed decisions on what sales should be and how it should be staffed. The result of this is that the average tenure of a sales VP or CSO is less than 2 years.
The low number of CSOs also is telling us that Sales ls not considered very strategic by company leadership . Sales leaders are kept at VP level not meriting a CxO title and not eligible for a seat at the strategy table. Yet what is the life blood of any company? Cash. Whose activities bring cash into the company, sales not finace, they just know how to count and spend it. So, while it is essential to cater to the CFO in your customer’s organization, the CFO in your own company probably does not merit the same level of attention.

Pardon my cynicism, but we aren’t missionaries (though we sometimes want to be). We can only help people that want to improve and perform at the highest levels of a great profession.

RARELY is the phrase “fancy schmancy” used to describe anything associated with me! And finance is no harder to learn than all the social media intelligence you’ve been able to stuff into my thick head!

TY

And that’s why this series is so important to me… thanks….