Exercise Your Reps
The exact same principles apply to developing an effective sales force. There are multiple muscle groups that need to be developed. A reliance on only a subset will hamper performance just like trying to ski the bumps with sissy quads.
When I work with companies who want to improve their sales capacity I will often ask what they feel they need to improve. If there was just one thing that would have an impact what would it be?
- Just need a better forecasting tool
- Really believe the sales team would do better with a new methodology
- We need to drive out wasted activity from low performing accounts
- If we just had more leads…
So, did one of these resonate with you? The question then to ask is whether this is the one thing that is holding you back or if it is the lever that you find easier to pull? I find too often it is the latter. The most common reason I will be invited to meet with a new client is to help determine how to improve the existing sales tools, or to select a new one that better fits with the needs of the business. Interestingly, I often find that there is a bigger need to address than the sales tools.
Many people perform exercises that they prefer rather than ones that they find uncomfortable. This happens with sales effectiveness as well. It is easy to throw money at tools or sales methods, but it is harder to improve accountability within the sales culture or raise the effectiveness of sales leadership.
Through some pretty exhaustive research I have found that there are eight factors that need to be in place to help a sales team perform at peak ability. These have been shown to differentiate between effective and less effective companies. In other words, these are best practices that if you have in place will increase your odds of success.
They are as follows:
- Sales Strategy – setting and communicating priorities including the integration between functions
- Sales Leadership – sales managers that motivate, coach, and aid salesforce performance
- Sales Process – consistent and documented business processes that facilitate the tasks of selling
- Sales Tools – technology that enables the sales processes to function efficiently and effectively
- Selling Competency – the requisite skills needed to identify, advance and close deals
- Sales Measurement – metrics that monitor performance and assist with driving direction
- Sales Training – formal methods that match the sales force’s skill, process and tool needs
- Sales Climate – a conducive work atmosphere that fosters rather than limits performance
Knowing about these 8 Salesforce Effectiveness Factors is only part of the key to success – you also have to do something about them. Most of the organizations that I work with have some that are more advanced than others and some that need help. The important thing is understanding which are the factors that are less mature – these are what holds back the performance of the sales team.
You may prefer to work on the factors that you like best, but those that need the most attention will give you the biggest payback. It may be great to hold a week-long strategy session each year with the leadership team, and you may really bang out great plans. However, if your leadership team is weak at execution, you are better off giving some tough love and spending less time at the offsite. Likewise, investing in yet more advanced and slick tools is likely a waste if you have under-developed processes.
Give the whole body a work out – not just the routines you like to do. Hate sit ups? Do more of those than you think you should. Love that Nordic Trak? Make sure you give equal time working your balance and core muscles.
Do the same with your sales team and you will see a similar improvement.
If only I had put in more time working the lung capacity before heading over to the Alps next week.