| Many sales cultures are traditionally based on | | | | * The competitive environment encourages sales |
| respect for authority, status and success, and | | | | people to fight over leads that come into the |
| encouraging competitive, challenging and | | | | business leading to 'bullying' tactics, attempts to |
| achievement-oriented atmospheres. Although this | | | | 'outdo' each other, squabbling and fighting over |
| is not true for all businesses, especially in the 21st | | | | who got to that client first |
| Century! There are a growing number of | | | | * Sales people 'sand bag' lists of clients just to |
| businesses adopting more collegiate, lead team | | | | make sure that the other sales people do not get |
| approaches. | | | | them even if they themselves are not working |
| However, despite different types of cultures, | | | | on those leads at present |
| sales performance and results are usually derived | | | | * Management provide no selling skills training, no |
| from the efforts of individuals. Harnessing those | | | | sales coaching, no sales support, no CRM, no |
| individual efforts to achieve synergy (the sum is | | | | documented sales strategy nor a 'go-to-market' |
| greater than its individual parts) is a key task of | | | | plan |
| management, yet so many get it wrong. Let's | | | | * There are no formal sales management |
| take a look at one case study and see why. | | | | practices in place except for the weekly sales |
| What is wrong with the following scenario? | | | | meeting which deteriorates into an 'I'm better |
| * Sales team has great products and service | | | | than you are' bun fight |
| proposition and is part of an international business | | | | This is an example of lazy and ineffectual |
| * Sales team is made up of individuals who are | | | | management. Only focused on outcomes with no |
| measured on achievement of individual sales | | | | regard for strategy, team structure, performance |
| targets | | | | quality, clear leadership, staff retention, values or |
| * Each sales person is given a base retainer but | | | | culture, this sales team is not geared for high |
| earns the vast majority of their income on | | | | performance and continues to lag behind its true |
| commissions made from sales converted | | | | potential. |
| * There are a couple of high achieving sales | | | | Why create competition where it doesn't need to |
| performers, some average performers and some | | | | be? Why make selling harder than it needs to be? |
| new sales people yet to prove themselves | | | | 'Old school' sales management said that you had |
| * Annual staff turnover of sales staff has been | | | | to have sales people competing with each other |
| about 30-40% | | | | or they wouldn't sell. You weren't a legitimate |
| * Average tenure is 18 months | | | | sales team if you didn't have league tables. They |
| * The sales team is a state team all working in | | | | said that internal competition would motivate |
| the same city | | | | people to sell more. Well they are wrong. The |
| * Sales performance is purely measured on sales | | | | scenario above is not uncommon. It reflects an |
| revenue results | | | | actual real life situation - happening right now. |
| * Sales League Tables are on public display | | | | This archaic approach doesn't work. It's outdated |
| showing who is 'top sales dog' each week | | | | and old fashioned. If you want to generate real |
| * The sales culture is based on respect for | | | | sales growth, try harnessing the energy, talent |
| authority, status, success and competition | | | | and ambitions of your sales people in a |
| * The workplace atmosphere is competitive, | | | | constructive way where they can all achieve their |
| challenging and achievement-oriented | | | | individual goals along with those of the company |
| * The sales people do NOT work to specific | | | | without trying to 'kill' each other in the process. |
| territories/markets or customer segments to | | | | Remember the old saying 'a team of champions |
| manage and grow, instead it is 'first in best | | | | will not beat a champion team'? |
| dressed' | | | | Remember everybody lives by selling something. |