| Why? Because the average sales professional | | | | they are not bringing in new customers, since |
| these days is a high paid service person. Yep, I | | | | Prospecting is the necessary first step in getting |
| said a high paid service person. | | | | new customers. |
| I know this from spending a lot of time with sales | | | | So let's go back to our premise. The average |
| professionals in the field. | | | | sales person is not making Prospecting calls - they |
| Here is what companies want to have happen. | | | | are providing customer service. As a result, the |
| They want their customer base to grow so they | | | | customer base of most companies is staying |
| can spread their future over as many customers | | | | pretty much the same as it has been. Except for |
| as possible. That makes a lot of sense and I | | | | the usual losses. |
| know that most of us want the same thing. The | | | | If your customers are having a really good year, |
| more customers we have the better and safer | | | | then they will order more products and your sales |
| we are. | | | | will go up. If not, sales will go down. As I have |
| The catch here is that sales professionals and | | | | said in this forum many times before, putting all |
| most companies don't actually do that. The | | | | your hopes on the performance of your |
| average sales professional spends the vast | | | | customers' sales teams and industries is not |
| majority of their week in providing some form of | | | | something you will see taught at The Harvard |
| customer service. They are following up on | | | | Business School. |
| orders, making visits, talking with end users, taking | | | | And in this economy, that is a very risky position |
| folks to lunch. All nice and important activities, but | | | | in which to find yourself. |
| this is not growing the customer base. | | | | The simple solution to this is two fold. First, train |
| If you are in management, look at what your field | | | | your sales people to Prospect and then reward |
| sales team is doing. If I am wrong about your | | | | their successes. Instead of their regular sales |
| folks, great! Your company is growing and will be | | | | presentation training this year, teach them to |
| a lot more secure than your competitors. | | | | Prospect so they will have a place to use that |
| However, I know that most sales people are out | | | | presentation training. |
| there doing customer service far too often. | | | | Second, if you actually need all that customer |
| There are two reasons this happens. The first is | | | | service, make some people just customer service |
| the reward system. If sales people are rewarded | | | | and have others as an actual field sales team. This |
| for new customers, you would get more new | | | | may require re-allocating people and probably |
| customers. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to | | | | reducing your field sales force. |
| know that sales people go where they are | | | | When you think about it, if your field sales team |
| rewarded and the discomfort is the least. | | | | is not providing customer service but actually out |
| Which brings us to reason number two, no | | | | Prospecting and selling, you can probably reduce it |
| Prospecting skills. When sales people have no | | | | by half! |
| Prospecting skill, they feel very uncomfortable | | | | There, I just saved you a lot of money so you |
| making Prospecting calls. We all know that when | | | | can train your folks to Prospect this year. |
| sales people feel uncomfortable about anything, | | | | It's just that simple. |
| they will NOT do it. This, of course, means that | | | | |