Tuesday, May 30, 2006

What Holds the Sales Force Accountable?

I met with a company the other day that seems to be on the right track when the numbers are brought in. That is, until you dig a little deeper.

Last year they had a record sales year but their profit was down close to break even and lower than expectations. As the meeting progressed it became evident that the sales force, while putting up good numbers as it related to their quotas, wasn’t really bringing in new accounts and no one could identify the profit average of each sell.

Lagging indicators are tools that tell us what happened in the past not what is likely to happen in the future. Last months sales numbers are history and they can’t be changed without creative bookkeeping practices. But by and large, sales managers look at numbers from last week, last month and last quarter to tell them where they are headed. The question to ask with these numbers is why they are where they are. The answer to that single question will provide the basis for improvement in the revenue dollars you’d like to see. Without a process, you are likely to have unsatisfactory answers from your management team.

A process provides answers that are factual and provides a basis for improvement. A process will allow you to define actual actions that led to the numbers you’ve seen and give you a much better idea of where you are going. Surveys indicate that 85% of the business to business sales forces have no documented sales process to fall back on when times are tough. In today’s business climate, every other part of your company has a process. Why doesn’t your sales force? They are being held less accountable than the cleaning staff. You know when your office hasn’t been cleaned because you see the results. And yet, the sales force, the group tasked with getting your product to the customer, is not held accountable to a documented set of standards. Without this, improvement is illusory, fleeting and all too often a frustrating waste of time.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Welcome to Sales Catalyst

cat·a·lyst: an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action

Welcome to the first post on Sales Catalyst where I’ll explain my theory on what’s what in the sales profession. My goal is to discuss the sales profession in today’s market. Along the way, I hope to learn some new and exciting ways to sell, discuss my opinions, tell you what has worked for me in the past and gain further insight into the sales process.

I believe in having a sales process and that every company needs one. A systematic selling process will yield consistent and profitable results allowing the company to find, acquire and keep customers at an accelerated rate. If you control your opportunity volume you will control your dollar volume. Contest more deals and you will book more business. That’s the foundation of my selling process and I want to share more on this in future posts.

I’m looking forward to what journey this blog will ultimately lead me to complete. It’s a work in progress and I welcome your comments. Let’s keep it civil with a meaningful discourse. You can contact me on my profile page via email or leave a comment here and let’s see what happens.

Wish me luck.