``Improving Sales Performance'' Most Important to Business Executives According to New Survey Research from SAGE Results, Inc.; Productivity Enhancement Also Important, State Respondents.

Business Editors

SAGE Results, Inc., a professional and technical services firm focused on helping organizations to improve their operations, today announced that it has released the results of a survey designed to gauge how executives are prioritizing areas for improvement as they work to ensure that their organizations operate as effectively and efficiently as possible through these challenging economic times.

SAGE Results surveyed 70 business leaders, comprising executives and professionals from various sized organizations in a wide spectrum of industries. The survey asked respondents to rank four areas: sales productivity, costs and quality, indicating what their primary focus will be as they work to improve their organizations this year.

Key findings indicated that:

-- 37% will focus on improving sales performance with a primary emphasis on improving the volume and quality of sales leads, followed by "right selling," and improving sales techniques

-- 31% will focus on enhancing organizational performance, including issues such as personnel management and goal setting, followed by employee development and career path development, staffing and scheduling issues, employee optimization, motivation and improving internal communications 

-- 16% will focus on optimizing their cost structure, with half of the respondents in this category stating that customer retention was the most important area of concentration with regard to reducing costs; followed by automation, employee retention and process management

-- 16% will focus on quality improvements, with more than 30% of those respondents stating that their primary focus in this area will be on improving customer satisfaction

"While at first glance these findings might indicate that companies are focusing their efforts on obtaining new customers, it is interesting to note that a significant portion of the respondents to this survey state the importance of customer satisfaction and customer retention as ways not only to cut costs, but ultimately as the keys to success, commented Ken Webb, co-founder and president, Sage Results, Inc. "These are the core areas of SAGE Results' practice as we work to help our clients improve their organizations, and we are pleased to see that organizations are recognizing the importance of customer retention and customer satisfaction."

Complete survey findings are available upon request by contacting SAGE Results at 877-786-2304 or [e-mail].

About SAGE Results, Inc.

SAGE Results, Inc. is a professional and technical services firm focused on helping organizations to comprehensively improve their operations through the strategic definition and deployment of organizational performance improvement initiatives. SAGE Results, Inc. specializes in four primary practice areas for internal and external support centers. These services include contact center assessments, improvements and certification; human services optimization; new product evaluations, implementation and integration; and organizational consulting and program management. The company provides professional services in enterprise customer care strategy, process improvement, information management, technology assessments, telecommunications operations, organizational change, strategic program and project management, education, training and facilitation. Additionally, as the result of an affiliation with Leadership Management, Inc., SAGE Results also provides executive, leadership and management development programs, thereby assisting organizations and individuals to enhance their productivity, level of success and personal satisfaction. Additional information is available at the company's Web site, www.sageresults.com or by calling [phone].