For SMB companies that do not have huge resources to fall back on, the difference between failing, staggering, and thriving will largely be determined by the leadership, energy and effectiveness of their sales teams. Sales execs are going to have to sell their way out of this mess. There are a near infinite number of sales trainers out there, many of whom add considerable value. For many execs the $$ and time spent on traditional training is not feasible. However, there are two things that you can do that can have an immediate and lasting productivity impact.
First, stop making bad sales hires. No one intends to hire a weak sales person but it happens quite often. A non-performing sales rep is one of the most damaging profit and revenue investments that you can make. At a minimum you have the expense of attracting, recruiting, evaluating, selecting and onboarding a new hire. When they fail these costs go in the loss column. The opportunity cost that derives from the revenue and margin that they do not contribute can be several times greater than the direct costs. The easiest way to ensure good sales hires is to utilize Objective Management Group’s predictive Sales Candidate Evaluations. Use of OMG’s assessments will give you a 92% likelihood that a recommended new hire will be a performer.
Secondly, improve your sales reps hunting skills. This will involve helping them to become comfortable and effective using the phone. While cold calling is not very effective, warm calling can be hugely effective. Using multi-channel, multi-touch strategies every call can be a warm call. A number of folks can provide you with help developing hunting skills. With management engagement, reps develop and retain improved hunting skills. The primary attribute that a rep must have if they are going to succeed at developing new business is an intense desire to succeed. If they don’t have this fire, they probably shouldn’t be on your team. Let me know how we can help.
Comments