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Annual Miller Heiman Sales Best Practices Study Reveals Discipline and Rigor Were Keys to Success in Down Economy

Miller Heiman Releases Results to Annual Sales Study

RENO, NV -  March 25, 2010  -   Miller Heiman, the proven leader and innovator in sales execution, released the results from the 2010 Miller Heiman Sales Best Practices Study, an annual research study on sales effectiveness. The study revealed the activities with the greatest potential to quickly affect important sales metrics.

"Companies have been struggling to produce results in the current economy," said Sam Reese, president and CEO of Miller Heiman. "Unfortunately, the reaction for many organizations was to abandon the proven practices of selling and try some activities that have rarely been successful in producing results, like cold calling and discounting. The value of consistency can't be underestimated."

The study, which surveyed nearly 2,000 professionals, analyzed responses from top-performing companies classified as "World-Class Sales Organizations." To qualify as a World-Class Sales Organization, companies followed a wide range of best practices in six key sales performance areas. While fewer respondents emerged with the distinction of World Class in the 2010 results, these organizations were shown to produce significantly better results in the areas of customer retention, forecast accuracy, and sales force quota attainment.

"In the past year, organizations have cut just about all the costs they can," Reese said. "The only way left to increase profitability is to grow sales. The results from this study show how the world's most successful organizations are doing that right now."

Some of the study's key highlights include:

• 97 percent of World-Class Sales Organizations know why their customers buy from them.
• World-Class Sales Organizations are four times more likely to consistently utilize comprehensive prospecting plans.
• 97 percent of World-Class Sales Organizations have an organizational structure that allows them to adapt to customer's changing needs.
• World-Class Sales Organizations are four times more likely to spend adequate time coaching their salespeople.
• 90 percent of World-Class Sales Organizations agree that their salespeople have a solid understanding of our customer's business needs.
• World-Class Sales Organizations are four times more likely to have a formal process for executive-to-executive selling.

To download the study's executive summary visit http://www.millerheiman.com/2010research. Those who are interested in more information about the 2010 Miller Heiman Sales Best Practices Study are encouraged to contact Sarah Milligan at 877.506.2973. If outside North America, please call Andrew Perkins at +44 (0)1908 519615.

About Miller Heiman: The Sales Performance Company

Miller Heiman is the proven leader and innovator in sales execution with more than 30 years of helping businesses grow profitable sales by increasing their close rates, lowering the cost of sales and reducing the length of the sales cycle. The company’s common framework of easily repeatable methodologies, combined with a tradition of research and thought leadership, helps firms of all sizes win complex sales. Miller Heiman is a worldwide leader in sales performance with programs in 20 languages and corporate offices in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. For more information, visit www.millerheiman.com.