Sales Operations (Sales Ops)
Sales Operations (Sales Ops) is The function responsible for optimizing sales team efficiency through CRM management, territory design, quota setting, forecasting, and sales process design.
Sales Operations focuses on making the sales team more productive and predictable. The function typically owns CRM configuration, pipeline management, territory assignment, compensation plan administration, and sales analytics.
Core Sales Ops Functions
- CRM administration: Pipeline stages, validation rules, workflow automation, data hygiene
- Territory and quota: Geographic/segment/named account territories, quota modeling, annual realignment
- Forecasting: Weighted pipeline analysis, commit tracking, historical accuracy measurement
- Deal desk: Non-standard deal approvals, discount governance, contract structure
- Compensation: Variable pay calculation, SPIF management, accelerator administration
Many companies are merging Sales Ops into broader RevOps functions. For a detailed comparison, see RevOps vs Sales Ops. For compensation data, check Sales Ops salary benchmarks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Sales Ops and RevOps?
Sales Ops focuses on the sales team. RevOps expands that scope to include Marketing Ops and CS Ops under a unified function. See our full breakdown.
What does a Sales Ops Manager do?
A Sales Ops Manager typically owns CRM administration, pipeline reporting, territory management, and sales process optimization for the sales organization.
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