| One of the greatest things about fall for many | | | | customers, their wants and desires, and their |
| people (myself included!) is that it's football season. | | | | preferences in mind, you're ready to design your |
| Each weekend all over the country, hundreds of | | | | bank's unique sales system. This system should |
| thousands of adults and children play the game, | | | | be a sequence of steps over a period of time |
| using highly structured offensive and defensive | | | | that will: |
| systems and procedures designed to achieve | | | | - Ensure that you cover the market (touch all |
| specific purposes. The best teams practice hard in | | | | likely prospective or existing customers). |
| order to execute their plays perfectly during the | | | | - Make accurate assessments of who is and is |
| games. | | | | not likely to be a customer. |
| So, at the risk of inflicting sports analogy pain, | | | | - Explore the issues with those who are likely to |
| here's my point: Football players and fans don't | | | | be customers. |
| question the need for detailed systems and | | | | - Make compelling proposals. |
| structure in order to win. But why do so many | | | | - Help customers make good buying decisions. |
| salespeople think that structure, systems, and | | | | - Nurture and expand existing relationships. |
| procedures are somehow inappropriate-even | | | | Your sales system should reflect the most |
| demeaning-in sales? | | | | effective practices of your current sales |
| Your Sales Playbook | | | | organization, and should be designed to appeal |
| Sales, like sandlot football, can be a very simple | | | | specifically to each group of your prospective |
| game: Set appointments, make calls, ask | | | | customers-reflecting their psychographics, in |
| questions, and follow up. Sales "players" use their | | | | particular. For example, if the best days for |
| strengths and capabilities to create processes by | | | | prospecting are Tuesdays, then your sales |
| which they manage their sales activities and | | | | system should direct salespeople to prospect on |
| communicate with customers and prospects. The | | | | Tuesday. If a particular way of exploring needs |
| question is could salespeople be more effective if | | | | seems to work best, salespeople should use that |
| their processes were more structured-if there | | | | method. If blue shirts seem to encourage more |
| was a standardized sales "playbook," so to speak? | | | | sales than white shirts, then salespeople should be |
| Evidence from the field clearly suggests "yes." | | | | wearing blue shirts. |
| Just as football coaches have systems that | | | | Give each step a name (such as Approach |
| enable them to teach and coach by identifying the | | | | Prospect, Assess Needs, Design Solution, Make |
| effectiveness of different plays and reducing | | | | Proposal, Implement Solution, and Expand |
| unwanted variations in performance, so a | | | | Relationship) and define them in terms of: |
| structured sales system gives sales managers the | | | | - Inputs - What triggers the step to begin and |
| same power to assess the flow and quality of | | | | what is brought forward from preceding steps. |
| leads and the conversion of leads to customers. | | | | - Activities - What salespeople do, what tools |
| This will help reduce unwanted variations and | | | | they use (e.g., lead generators, prospect lists, |
| increase sales effectiveness. | | | | scripts) and when they use them. |
| A well-structured sales system will help reveal | | | | - Outputs - What signals completion of each step. |
| which activities salespeople should be | | | | This structure brings you and your salespeople |
| performing-as well as when, how (and how often), | | | | several benefits: |
| and with whom to perform them-at each stage. | | | | - Training and quality improvement - If you see |
| It can become one of your most important | | | | that salespeople can't or won't use the sales |
| competitive weapons and increase your return on | | | | system effectively, you can develop a clear |
| investment as you accelerate your sales | | | | picture of where additional training or |
| revenues and profitability. | | | | encouragement may be needed. |
| How to Do It | | | | - Risk management - If your team is using a |
| Just as a play in football is designed to achieve a | | | | structured and standardized sales system and |
| specific purpose in specific conditions, so should | | | | tracking its progress through it with each |
| your sales system. The first set of "conditions" to | | | | prospect or customer, you have an early warning |
| define is your customers, in terms of three | | | | system that tells you whether you have a |
| specific criteria: | | | | sufficient flow of opportunities through the sales |
| - Demographics - Use descriptions like company | | | | pipeline, and whether the sales team's activities |
| size, industry, number of employees, maturity, | | | | are leading to a sufficient yield of closed business. |
| etc. | | | | - Quality control and yield - Your sales playbook |
| - Psychographics - These are your customers' | | | | should describe the "high probability plays"-the |
| psychological profiles, particularly those related to | | | | most effective path to sales success with your |
| how they buy and what prompts them to buy. | | | | clients and prospects. If salespeople "shortcut" the |
| - Likely movement - These are conditions that | | | | playbook, you can intervene in order to put them |
| could be affecting customers, like advancing age, | | | | back on the high probability path. For example, a |
| changes in interest rates, expansion into other | | | | salesperson may think he's at the Make Proposal |
| parts of a region, or changes in technology. | | | | step because the prospect has asked for a |
| Salespeople need to know exactly who they're | | | | proposal. But when you look at the work that has |
| pursuing and, just as importantly, who they're not | | | | been completed, you may find there are several |
| pursuing. This is equivalent to telling a linebacker, | | | | activities in the Assess Needs step that still need |
| "You focus on #32. Forget about everybody else. | | | | to be completed before moving on to the |
| Where ever he goes, you go. If he gets the ball, | | | | proposal. |
| you tackle him." If your bank sells to different | | | | Tweaking and Improving |
| groups of customers (as defined by their | | | | When it comes to observing, measuring, and |
| demographics, psychographics, and likely | | | | improving your sales system, one more football |
| movement), you should define these profiles for | | | | analogy. Think about the coaches sitting high in the |
| each group. Your message to your salespeople | | | | stadium, tirelessly charting plays, filming games, |
| should be, "Pursue prospects who fit our profiles, | | | | and compiling different statistics. They want to |
| and leave the others alone." | | | | know the facts about what works and what |
| The next step is to craft a "story" for each | | | | doesn't. |
| profiled group. The story should say why your | | | | If you're observing and measuring your |
| bank exists in terms of helping meet the | | | | salespeople's use of your sales system, you (and |
| challenges your prospects face; prospective | | | | they) will see opportunities to improve it. Make |
| customers who hear the story should be able to | | | | one change at a time so you're able to see the |
| see themselves in it. The people who don't see | | | | impact of each change. Set up control groups or |
| themselves in your story are telling you they're | | | | other ways to measure the impact of each |
| not likely to be customers. | | | | change-so you can make your decisions based on |
| Designing your System | | | | facts rather than guesswork. |
| With a clear description of your prospective | | | | |