THE SALES FORCE PLAYBOOK

HUNTERS AND CLOSERS

I recently conducted a Sales Force Assessment for a company.  One of the biggest problems the CEO has is the fact that he has only one Hunter and zero Closers on his sales team.

Not surprising was the fact that his company had a poor Q4 in '08 and Q1 in '09 is also looking grim.

Members of his sales team are very nice people, but are really Account Managers.  They take good care of current accounts and do a good job of making the "milk run" to see both prospects and clients. Unfortunately, they are not hunting for new prospects, nor are they asking current prospects for the order.  They believe that the prospect will eventually buy from them because they are so likable.

A sales team full of Account Managers is dangerous in these economic times.  The vast majority of companies cannot depend solely on repeat business (from their current customers) to meet and exceed sales goals.  Salespeople must have the ability to find new business and close new business.

Don't confuse past sales success with future sales success.  Most of your salespeople have never dealt with the challenges we are now facing in this economy.  Just because they were successful when the wind was at their back, doesn't mean they will be successful when they are now staring into gale force winds.

Make sure you have the right mix of skill sets on your sales team.

SALES DEVELOPMENT

In dealing with the challenging economy, the number one problem most companies have is "how do we grow revenue?"

Unfortunately, too many companies are working at the wrong end of the problem and are looking for ways to cut, cut, cut.  Cutting salespeople, cutting lead generation initiatives and cutting sales training/development budgets.  While it is imperative that you are fiscally responsible, how does cutting these items help you grow revenue?

As somebody once told me, "you cannot cut your way to greatness."  Think twice before you cut items and/or people that will actually help you grow revenue.  You can, and will grow revenue if you

• Have the right people on your sales and sales management teams
• They are committed to doing whatever it takes to succeed in these tough times
• You hold them accountable for activity and results
• You are consistent in your daily huddles and weekly sales meetings
• You continually coach them to be better salespeople and sales managers
• You establish an effective lead generation system for your salespeople
• Your salespeople have a credible and robust pipeline
• You refuse to accept mediocrity

Not all of these are easy, but they are all doable.  Some of you may have internal resources to make this happen.  Others may need to find (and spend) the money to bring in somebody from outside the company to help.  In either case, think "grow" not "cut."

SALES INTELLIGENCE

A common struggle for many salespeople is wading through multiple information sources to help determine if a company is a "true" prospect.  Unfortunately, far too many salespeople spend more time researching than they do actual prospecting (dialing).

In the world of Sales 2.0, the seamless aggregation of information is a must.  A fantastic tool for you to consider is Inside View.  I cannot do justice explaining all the cool things it can do for you and your salespeople.  Check out the demo, or like I did, sign up for one of their weekly webinars.

Caveat, while Inside View is a great tool, it does not dial the phone, get to the decision maker and have a compelling conversation.  Your salespeople (or business development people) are still required to do those steps.

5 Steps Your Sales Force Needs to Take to Survive and Thrive

Here is a great webinar to check out.

5 Steps Your Sales Force Needs to Take to Survive and Thrive in the Recession is a free webinar hosted by Landslide Technologies.

It is being held on Wednesday, February 18th, form 1pm - 2pm ET.

One company recently transitioned their account managers to hunters and closers, from order takers to consultative salespeople and from selling on price to selling at their price – all while selling into the automotive market during the height of the recession.

Landslide Technologies has invited Dave Kurlan, CEO of the Objective Management Group and best-selling Author of Baseline Selling to discuss the steps organizations like yours can take in order to thrive, like this company did, during an economic downturn.

In this webinar, Dave will discuss the importance of:

• Having the right people in the right sales/sales management roles;
• Gaining your sales team's commitment and buy-in to work harder, be tougher and do what it takes in these more difficult times;
• Performing a pipeline analysis and working the pipeline;
• Creating the necessary infrastructure. This includes an appropriate sales process, recruiting process, sales management systems, and software;
• Developing the salespeople on process, skills and overcoming their weaknesses.

  
  Click to register.
  
  

FIRST SALES CALL

The saying, "first impressions are lasting impressions," is especially true in the profession of sales.

How effectively you both prepare and execute will almost always determine your ultimate results with the prospect.  So why not be at your best?

Check out the webinar, "Make Your First Call Count," hosted by Anthony Cole Training Group.

NEED FOR APPROVAL

I was conducting a session last week with a group of emerging salespeople.  They have sales experience, but are not yet sales superstars.

As we discussed various issues, a common theme kept arising.  They were concerned that some of the questions and/or statements I was suggesting might offend the prospect or make the prospect feel uncomfortable.

What it told me was that many of the salespeople in that group have what Dave Kurlan would call a Need for Approval.  This occurs when a salesperson's desire to be liked by the prospect is more important than making the sale.  A a result, the salesperson avoids asking tough questions that may lead to confrontation, rejection or "no."  This can lead to "constipation of the pipeline" - there are prospects in the pipeline but very few of them are closed or eliminated.

Now, I am not advocating that salespeople be rude or be an SOB.  Rather, I think that it is critical that we do the right things, including asking questions to determine (1) if the prospect has a problem that needs to be addressed and (2) if the prospect wants your help in fixing it.  Sometimes those questions are tough.  Sometimes those questions "take the prospect where he does not want to go."  But it is only through questioning that you and the prospect will be able to jointly answer #1 and #2. 

Professionals like attorneys, CPAs, bankers will ask tough questions because they know that unless they have all the information, they cannot be effective.  Salespeople need to adopt the same attitude.