An Analysis of the Sales Cycle: A Case of a Cloud-Computing US MNC

This paper investigates sales techniques used during the sales cycle at a leading global provider of mobile workforce solutions for service-based business of all sizes. At the multi-national corporation, a publicly traded company, business solutions are delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). This study focuses on “Enterprise” customers, fleets of over 100 vehicles, and examines how leads are converted to opportunities and opportunities to sales. Characteristics of the customer, such as, aforementioned fleet size, SIC code, number of employees, region, and annual revenue are examined in an effort to tailor the marketing process when targeting large customers. Additionally, the study looks at new business, retention of existing business, and trial programs aimed at increasing revenue and delivering customer service at this firm. Using a custom data set from the company’s customer service platform salesforce.com, the results suggest that customer service plays an integral role in the retention and development of new business