When I was in High School and College I competed heavily in track and field. In fact, during my high school days I would spend almost four hours on the track in preparation for competition.
Track similar to most athletic competitions requires an enormous amount of preparation. Selling is very similar to athletics in that many sales managers must ensure that their selling staff prepares for calls, conducts immense research on competition in the industry and seeks to discover new opportunities. Yet today, even with the numerous uncontrollable environmental issues many sales teams seem lethargic.
The problem with apathetic sales teams is that they lack productivity, morale and most important for senior officers – results!
So what are the factors that assist in refueling energy so that sales teams perform?
- Connectivity – Selling today is not a solo sport. Selling requires optimizing marketing and other departments to ensure the acquisition and retention of clients. Selling also requires the use of continuous networks so that others know of your personal brand.
- Consistent/Relentless Communication – With the amount of available technology selling professionals should NEVER find it difficult to connect with clients. However this does not mean that selling professionals default to technology for technology sake. Rather than use voice mail; visit a client and rather than send an email, send a personal handwritten letter.
- Visibility – In order for prospective clients to “buy you” they must know that selling professionals and the organizations exist. This requires constant networking as well as a list of at least 12 other Sales Acceleration Activities© that ensures community.
- Derail the Vendor Syndrome – Sales Managers hear this: If you sales professionals are not speaking directly with the decision maker they are nothing more than a vendor. Relationships sell business not contracts and features. The only manner in which to successfully sell is with a trusting relationship. If selling professionals only speak with subordinates they are order takers and not selling professionals.
- Service with Intent – Return all calls. I return mine within 90 minutes of receipt. Nothing is more important than customer connections but frankly many sales people are terrible at this. When customers call sales people this is laziness. When sales people become inattentive to A/R and A/P issues they are lazy. Over 60% of every interaction involves customer service it helps acquisition and retention.
- Accountability – To increase speed and velocity requires a keener sales force. There are numerous methods but suffice to say the only method to ensure constant fuel is accountability. And the only way to ensure results is the number of new clients. 60 cold calls is not accountability, 60 new sales is. What are you measuring?
- Time – Let’s face it there can be much time wasted in the sales field, from completing reports to handling problem customers. Yet the only valuable time is that in front of clients. It is important that all sales people spend less time behind windshields, airports and desks and more time with the organizations most valuable asset- clients.
We live in a competitive world that does not allow much time for waste. In order to be more successful it is important to find methods that lessen labor while increasing revenue. The only way to do this is having sales managers focus on specific areas that ensure accountability. This quickly gets sales teams from the pit and back into the race.
