Improving closed-won deals and Sales Tool sign-ups
I led the design of the Pipeline Board, a tool that allowed sales teams to close-win more opportunities by saving time, reducing miscommunication, and increasing transparency within sales processes.
I led the design of the Pipeline Board, a tool that allowed sales teams to close-win more opportunities by saving time, reducing miscommunication, and increasing transparency within sales processes.
COMPANY
COMPANY
Vendasta
Vendasta
ROLE
ROLE
Product Designer
Product Designer
YEAR
YEAR
2019
2019
DURATION
DURATION
3 months
3 months
TEAM
TEAM
Project Manager
Engineering Lead
User Researcher
VP Sales
Chief Revenue Officer
Project Manager
Engineering Lead
User Researcher
VP Sales
Chief Revenue Officer
DELIVERABLES
DELIVERABLES
Stakeholder interviews
Competitive Analysis
Mockups
Prototypes
Executive presentations
Final specs
Asset production
Stakeholder interviews
Competitive Analysis
Mockups
Prototypes
Executive presentations
Final specs
Asset production
Sales Woes
Sales Woes
In 2019, Vendasta's sales teams were having trouble close-winning deals. Despite consistent sales strategies and sustained demand for digital products and services, the teams experienced declining sales metrics and the loss of key clients, prompting a need for deeper investigation into the underlying causes.
In 2019, Vendasta's sales teams were having trouble close-winning deals. Despite consistent sales strategies and sustained demand for digital products and services, the teams experienced declining sales metrics and the loss of key clients, prompting a need for deeper investigation into the underlying causes.
"We're losing important clients regularly, I'm not sure what the solution is but we need to figure out why our existing strategies are falling short."
"We're losing important clients regularly, I'm not sure what the solution is but we need to figure out why our existing strategies are falling short."
~ George Leith, Chief Revenue Officer
~ George Leith, Chief Revenue Officer
Digging Deeper
Digging Deeper
I conducted 15 interviews and 11 observation sessions with salespeople, managers and VPs to find out what wasn’t working and how we could improve our sales workflows. As a result of my research, I gained several key findings:
I conducted 15 interviews and 11 observation sessions with salespeople, managers and VPs to find out what wasn’t working and how we could improve our sales workflows. As a result of my research, I gained several key findings:
① Our software didn’t allow for consolidation of all sales information, and most sales work was happening outside of our Sales Tool.
② As a band-aid solution, sales teams were filling in the gaps with third party tools. This led to a lot of fragmentation within opportunity details and activity.
③ Sales Tool didn't have 3rd party support.
④ Lead generation and opportunity creation wasn't a problem; the funneling of those opportunities is where the workflow breakdown seemed to be occurring.
① Our software didn’t allow for consolidation of all sales information, and most sales work was happening outside of our Sales Tool.
② As a band-aid solution, sales teams were filling in the gaps with third party tools. This led to a lot of fragmentation within opportunity details and activity.
③ Sales Tool didn't have 3rd party support.
④ Lead generation and opportunity creation wasn't a problem; the funneling of those opportunities is where the workflow breakdown seemed to be occurring.
Guiding Principles
Guiding Principles
With the core issues exposed, I worked with my team to come up with a set of design principles which would guide the project and align it with overarching business goals. The principles consisted of:
With the core issues exposed, I worked with my team to come up with a set of design principles which would guide the project and align it with overarching business goals. The principles consisted of:
① Increasing velocity; help sales teams close deals more quickly.
② Guide with intention; allow sales teams to work within a framework that is designed to maximize success.
③ Improve trust; provide sales teams the clarity they need to identify the most valuable work to focus on.
④ Eliminate dead ends; provide next steps where needed so that sales momentum can be maintained.
① Increasing velocity; help sales teams close deals more quickly.
② Guide with intention; allow sales teams to work within a framework that is designed to maximize success.
③ Improve trust; provide sales teams the clarity they need to identify the most valuable work to focus on.
④ Eliminate dead ends; provide next steps where needed so that sales momentum can be maintained.
Emerging Solution
Emerging Solution
Vendasta sales teams relied heavily on a pipeline workflow, moving opportunities through sequential stages starting with Lead and ending with Closed. I recognized early on that a kanban solution would allow the teams to increase their velocity, work with a success-focused framework, improve trust between members, and eliminate dead ends.
Vendasta sales teams relied heavily on a pipeline workflow, moving opportunities through sequential stages starting with Lead and ending with Closed. I recognized early on that a kanban solution would allow the teams to increase their velocity, work with a success-focused framework, improve trust between members, and eliminate dead ends.
Feature Prioritization
Feature Prioritization
Because this was an entirely new feature within the Sales Tool, I made the decision to prioritize certain features in order to reduce engineering overhead, staying within budget and delivering a product on time. Opportunity creation, management and tracking were given the highest priority, as they represented core functionality within the sales processes at Vendasta. Prospect research, account management, lead generation and data reporting were given lower priority as they were captured by existing tools and workflows, and could be introduced in future updates to the Sales Tool.
Because this was an entirely new feature within the Sales Tool, I made the decision to prioritize certain features in order to reduce engineering overhead, staying within budget and delivering a product on time. Opportunity creation, management and tracking were given the highest priority, as they represented core functionality within the sales processes at Vendasta. Prospect research, account management, lead generation and data reporting were given lower priority as they were captured by existing tools and workflows, and could be introduced in future updates to the Sales Tool.
Design Decision #1
Design Decision #1
The Vendasta Galaxy Design System already contained some elements that allowed for a kanban board pattern, which significantly reduced the amount of effort required by engineering to get a solution built. I worked with engineering to utilize existing components (cards, sheets, buttons, etc.) as well as existing patterns to create an MVP.
The Vendasta Galaxy Design System already contained some elements that allowed for a kanban board pattern, which significantly reduced the amount of effort required by engineering to get a solution built. I worked with engineering to utilize existing components (cards, sheets, buttons, etc.) as well as existing patterns to create an MVP.
Design Decision #2
Design Decision #2
Modals are used extensively throughout the Vendasta platform. I wanted to reduce the mental load on my users by reusing this existing pattern during opportunity creation. I also wanted to make opportunity creation as quick and simple as possible, so I used a single modal component and populated it with only essential fields and dropdowns. If the lead had an existing account, additional information could be populated automatically within the opportunity details. If it was a new account, the account would be generated upon opportunity creation and additional information could be collected along the way.
Modals are used extensively throughout the Vendasta platform. I wanted to reduce the mental load on my users by reusing this existing pattern during opportunity creation. I also wanted to make opportunity creation as quick and simple as possible, so I used a single modal component and populated it with only essential fields and dropdowns. If the lead had an existing account, additional information could be populated automatically within the opportunity details. If it was a new account, the account would be generated upon opportunity creation and additional information could be collected along the way.
Design Decision #3
Design Decision #3
Tracking opportunity progress is crucial to successful sales teams. I leveraged the existing drawer component to house the opportunity details, as well as the opportunity activity. Doing this provided a highly granular view of the details surrounding an opportunity, increasing sales process transparency between sales team members.
Tracking opportunity progress is crucial to successful sales teams. I leveraged the existing drawer component to house the opportunity details, as well as the opportunity activity. Doing this provided a highly granular view of the details surrounding an opportunity, increasing sales process transparency between sales team members.
Initial Testing & Feedback Implementation
Initial Testing & Feedback Implementation
User testing resulted in a key finding that was later implemented in the final design. The sales team loved the board layout and found it really intuitive, but often had many opportunities in progress and had to do a lot of scrolling to see them all. To get around this, I kept the most important information on the card and moved the rest to the details drawer. This reduced the card height and allowed more opportunities to be seen at one time, reducing the amount of scrolling required and giving teams a more holistic view of their opportunities. Reducing the information on each card also had the knock-on effect of making them more scannable.
User testing resulted in a key finding that was later implemented in the final design. The sales team loved the board layout and found it really intuitive, but often had many opportunities in progress and had to do a lot of scrolling to see them all. To get around this, I kept the most important information on the card and moved the rest to the details drawer. This reduced the card height and allowed more opportunities to be seen at one time, reducing the amount of scrolling required and giving teams a more holistic view of their opportunities. Reducing the information on each card also had the knock-on effect of making them more scannable.
Final Design: Sales Pipeline
Final Design: Sales Pipeline
Sales teams can now view, manage and create opportunities directly within the Vendasta platform. This initial release allows sales teams to observe and manage an opportunity through the entire sales workflow.
Sales teams can now view, manage and create opportunities directly within the Vendasta platform. This initial release allows sales teams to observe and manage an opportunity through the entire sales workflow.
Final Design: Opportunity Creation
Final Design: Opportunity Creation
Sales teams can easily create opportunities directly from this page in two clicks, saving time where time matters the most.
Sales teams can easily create opportunities directly from this page in two clicks, saving time where time matters the most.
Final Design: Opportunity Details
Final Design: Opportunity Details
From the drawer, sales teams gain a highly granular view into the details of an opportunity and can see at a glance all the information that helps to form a full picture of the potential sale.
From the drawer, sales teams gain a highly granular view into the details of an opportunity and can see at a glance all the information that helps to form a full picture of the potential sale.
Final Design: Opportunity Activity
Final Design: Opportunity Activity
From the same drawer, sales teams can see all activity related to the opportunity and understand what steps and actions have taken place to bring an opportunity to this point.
From the same drawer, sales teams can see all activity related to the opportunity and understand what steps and actions have taken place to bring an opportunity to this point.
Results
Results
The introduction of the Sales Tool Pipeline Board led to several positive outcomes:
The introduction of the Sales Tool Pipeline Board led to several positive outcomes:
① Shipped to sales teams; Vendasta sales teams have already started using the pipeline board, impacting thousands of users and increasing the number of closed-won opportunities by 45%.
② Shipped to B2B customers; the addition of the Sales Pipeline has allowed Vendasta to position the Sales Tool as a powerful all-in-one customer success solution, resulting in a 20% increase in signups.
③ Impacted business strategy; introduction of the Sales Pipeline led to additional conversations with Vendasta leaders on how the tool can be further refined, and applied in other areas of the platform.
④ Minimized engineering impact; leveraging existing Galaxy Design System components allowed engineering to develop a solution rapidly and with very few issues, improving their metrics greatly.
① Shipped to sales teams; Vendasta sales teams have already started using the pipeline board, impacting thousands of users and increasing the number of closed-won opportunities by 45%.
② Shipped to B2B customers; the addition of the Sales Pipeline has allowed Vendasta to position the Sales Tool as a powerful all-in-one customer success solution, resulting in a 20% increase in signups.
③ Impacted business strategy; introduction of the Sales Pipeline led to additional conversations with Vendasta leaders on how the tool can be further refined, and applied in other areas of the platform.
④ Minimized engineering impact; leveraging existing Galaxy Design System components allowed engineering to develop a solution rapidly and with very few issues, improving their metrics greatly.
Takeaways
Takeaways
It's important to consider the high degree of risk when altering established mental models and workflows in a group of users, as a misstep can have drastic results on a company's bottom line. It's also important to consider how existing component patterns can be applied to the proposed solution, as new tooling or features can have an enormous engineering lift. The best solution often leverages peoples' preconceived notions of how a piece of software should work, while minimizing the amount of engineering effort to reach that solution.
It's important to consider the high degree of risk when altering established mental models and workflows in a group of users, as a misstep can have drastic results on a company's bottom line. It's also important to consider how existing component patterns can be applied to the proposed solution, as new tooling or features can have an enormous engineering lift. The best solution often leverages peoples' preconceived notions of how a piece of software should work, while minimizing the amount of engineering effort to reach that solution.
© 2023 - All rights reserved
© 2023 - All rights reserved