05.2008
FORWARD OUR eNEWS
TO AN ASSOCIATE
The Accountable Approach to
Sales Force Transformation
Sales professionals typically play a critical role in organizations achieving their revenue goals, yet they frequently are overlooked when senior teams examine ways to improve overall company performance. True, the sales force will be considered to some extent in the overall planning process, but most frequently its role will be limited to how the new directions translate to new sales targets. It is rare for the sales force to be engaged in the creation of new directions or in finding ways they can interact more effectively with operations, customer service and finance.
With new directions and goals in place, attempts will be made to motivate the sales force with training on various sales strategies and skills, technical knowledge, inspirational speakers and energizing conferences, all intended to help them fill their pipeline and close contracts.
Our experience suggests that most sales professionals already have sufficient skills and technical knowledge. That doesn't mean they couldn't improve in some skill or technical area; it does suggest, however, that training them in even more skills and knowledge is tantamount to whipping the horse that is already charging down the racetrack.
If we are looking to improve the performance of our sales team, one might assume that training, skills, knowledge and inspiration are what we need. Sometimes we think we need to reorganize the sales force, carve out new territories or repackage our offerings. And again, these are all things that have been done, more or less successfully, in the past.
So what do you do if you want to really transform your sales force? Do you want your sales force to execute a common, systematic sales approach, one that aligns sales with marketing, with operations, with customer service and with finance? Do you want your customers to be confident that what they buy is what they receive? Do you want operations to know that what was sold can be manufactured in the time frame promised and generate sufficient margin for the price that was quoted?
Well, of course you do!
What is the role of your sales force in ensuring proper alignment between the selling, manufacturing and customer service functions within your business? What can you do to increase the level of sales and still maintain appropriate margins, satisfied customers and well-coordinated internal groups?
Three Accountability Pitfalls That Prevent Greater Success
Clarity of Intention and Focus -- Beyond the goal of hitting sales targets, one of the big differences we see between top salespeople and the rest is their sense of purpose regarding the product or service they are representing. Does your product or service make a meaningful difference to your customers? Does your sales force demonstrate the commitment and inner conviction about what they are offering as a service or product, allowing them to communicate your message with certainty and confidence?
Accountable sales professionals have a clear intention and sense of purpose, one that is bigger than just making their numbers. When that drive is present, the sales professionals are more willing to perform tedious tasks such as tracking and reporting; deal with the rejection of disinterested potential buyers; and seek out and receive feedback from others in order to increase their personal results. They also are willing to look back to their own company for better coordination across multiple functions, so that the end customer is better served while the company still meets its numbers.
Commitment and Follow-Through -- It is sometimes easy to make commitments to potential customers in order to satisfy them and get the contract. However, oftentimes these are empty promises -- commitments that can't or won't be met by operations -- yet they're easily made due to a perceived lack of consequence. "The customer needs it and they'll just have to wait," or similar justifications are all too common.
When we don't deliver on time or fail to meet customer requirements, trust breaks down between the customer, the salesperson and the organization as a whole. The accountable sales professional will not make commitments he or she can't keep just to satisfy a customer's immediate demands. Integrity, effective service and long-term relationships become more important than accommodating demands that will get the order but also produce internal conflict and pressure or set up likely disappointment downstream.
Ownership and Responsibility -- Clarity of intention and focus, along with commitment and follow-through, empower sales professionals to take greater ownership of and responsibility for their results, both as individuals and as members of a larger sales team. It takes great courage to be an effective salesperson. They are the ones on the front lines, constantly dealing with skeptical or disinterested buyers and those who are just trying to beat them down on price.
Many salespeople deal with this difficulty by adopting a victim mentality of blaming the customer, blaming the product or service they are representing or blaming the organization for not being flexible or customer focused. While these claims may have some relevance, the accountable sales professional takes responsibility for seeking out solutions to any constraints or roadblocks. He or she puts effort and energy into finding ways to overcome challenges rather than complain about them. That may mean working with the customer to find a different, more creative solution, or it may mean working with operations or finance back home to find options that will work for the customer. These kinds of proactive behaviors require a great sense of ownership, commitment and responsibility, hallmarks of an accountable sales force.
Summary
While some salespeople don't perform because they lack skill or technical knowledge, many more fail to achieve their goals due to insufficient clarity of intention, lack of ownership and responsibility, and no appropriate follow-through.
So, how do you build an accountable sales force? The first step is to provide personal accountability training. Through training sales professionals create an awareness of the impact of an accountability mindset on customers, operations and their own personal performance. They develop new goals and habits to not only grow sales but also improve relationships with customers and operations. The second step is to establish action plans that not only focus on achieving target performance goals but also track accountable behaviors and interactions with others. Finally, the last step is to create incentives for accountable performance and relationships in addition to sales performance. Ultimately, the sales professional that exhibits consistent and effective habits related to sales performance and building strong relationships with customers and operations sustains success and optimizes business opportunities.
IMPAQ
9000 Sunset Blvd, Suite 525
Los Angeles, California
800 332 2251
contactus@impaqcorp.com