It’s clear that the job of a sales person is considerably harder than it used to be, and business leaders need to ensure that they have the necessary procedures in place if their salespeople are to succeed.
Those that choose not to, will invariably face a revolving door of expensive underperformers.
My first sales role was back in the ‘80s, it was commission only, so I had to sell, there was no Plan B. But, I was blessed because my MD was the most sales focused leader I have known.
Every morning, without exception, he ran a sales meeting which would last for one hour. Everyone announced the number of meetings they had done the previous day, the orders they had won and all the numbers were put onto the whiteboard for all to see. It was simple, staff were held accountable and it was obvious that those who put the most activity in, continually shone the brightest.
Team managers spent part of every day in the field with their people, developing and coaching them and there were continual new business prospecting sessions, at which competition to get the most appointments was encouraged and rewarded.
This focus on daily sales development worked for me, and set me on my path. I really don’t know how I would have fared without it.
Plus, we must acknowledge that selling was so much simpler then, compared with what your salespeople contend with today.
Buyers are far more knowledgeable, information is everywhere and many industries have lead their customers to expect a discount. Doing more for less is widespread, yet customer loyalty is harder to achieve.
So, this beggars the question, “What’s being done better today to prepare salespeople for this new reality?”
I can only tell you what I have learned from my talking and working with hundreds of CEOs, sales leaders and salespeople, and my answer is “very little”.
For your business to succeed, your salespeople can’t be allowed to simply carry on doing what they’ve always done. Instead, they need to reposition themselves as trusted advisors, but to do this, will firstly need a healthy, coachable sales mind-set and secondly be taught to use a proven selling process that enables them to uncover the prospect’s most important buying criteria, and then have the skills to propose a tailored solution that directly solves that issue for them.
Compounding the problem, too many sales managers are simply “winging it”. They’re getting promoted to lead others without being taught how to properly manage a group of salespeople, to train, mentor, coach and hold them accountable. So, if you need a starting point, be clear about how effective sales management is, and if it’s not great start by fixing that problem.
I strongly believe that creating a strong sales organisation isn’t rocket science, and when done properly, salespeople are then able to articulate the true value of what your business offers and avoid the slippery slope of discounting.
I am committed to writing regular “Food for Thought” articles, so I may share with you my ideas on how you can build a strong sales organisation and grow revenue.
If you have any challenges or successes you would like to share with me, I would love to hear from you.
You can contact me directly on 0416 115 266 or email me at
