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Sales Training – Where Do We
Go From Here?
By Thomas
Fee Einstein
is credited with saying that the
only thing that doesn't change is the way we think. Never has that
been more evident than today. Those in sales, who choose to remain focused
on traditional imperatives, are facilitating the perpetuation of a lack
of productivity, but non-traditional approaches to sales training can
provide reps with the tools to create competitive advantages beyond product,
pricing and services. Traditional
assumptions promote three primary ideals in sales training: first, to teach sales reps how to sell, secondly, to be skills focused and thirdly, to produce
increased revenue. The problem
with these objectives is that they are not appropriate in today's market.
They do not result in added value or profit. Organizations
need to develop sales training programs that do not try to answer today's
problems with yesterday's solutions. "If it ain't broke, don't fix
it" is dangerously old- fashioned thinking. The sales team is responsible
to win the marketing war on the front lines. That doesn't mean winning every battle. It begins with investing limited
resources in the battles that are most likely to be won and walking away
from those that are likely not to produce results.
Organizations must stop creating sales reps that don't know how
to make such basic decisions about opportunities. This is
especially true in the complex selling arena. This selling situation is
unique because of its characteristics. Complex sales have long sales cycles.
They require large investments of time and resources on the part of the
vendor and the prospect. In this selling situation there is a need to
contact the organization at many levels. Lastly, a complex sale means
there are significant dollars at stake. Organizations
that participate in complex sales campaigns need to nurture effectiveness
at developing opportunities in ways other than investing greater amounts
of resources. Reps on the front lines must be taught a new set of operating
standards. Creativity cannot be
stifled by continually going back to basics. As the market evolves,
so must training objectives. Organizations
must stop teaching sales people to sell and start teaching them how to win. Sales reps are paid to win, and are up to their navels
in technique driven methodologies that do not produce results. What they
really need to know is how to demonstrate
business value at the executive level, how to defeat the competition's strategy and how to differentiate themselves and their organization. Even more
basic, sales reps must know how to select
opportunities based on the likelihood of winning. This requires a
deeper understanding of how businesses operate. Anyone who has ever lost
a sale to a competitor with a weaker business case and a higher price
knows the value of understanding political structure. This is where deals
are won or lost. Tools must be in place to support and
enforce the sales process once it's defined. Manual systems are the horse and buggy of selling. No sane organization
would consider using a manual system to keep their financial records or
to run manufacturing. But, the same organizations that spend millions
buying and selling systems for
automation often use manual systems for reporting sales activities and
forecasting.
This happens, despite the fact that these same sales campaigns often represent
investments of thousands of dollars in time and resources. Perhaps
the greatest enigma is that the sales
process often stands alone as the single element in an organization
that is not integrated with
other organizational systems. Therefore its impact on company results
is not really considered in the equation of success. Businesses can tell
you, to the unit, how many half-inch screws are in stock, but cannot accurately
predict their sales for the month. Along
with sales automation, the use of data
base information is woefully inadequate. The computer is the great
equalizer in business. Now, more information is available to more people
that ever before. To gain a competitive advantage, organizations must
sort and disseminate information. Most organizations are not competent
at communicating strategic information to those closest
to the point of sale. In the area of implementation alone, the computer
is the single most effective way to reinforce
process. Many otherwise sophisticated organizations, however, are
still trying to monitor and control sales activities and quality manually. Process re-engineering, which
has been a revolution in many disciplines, has not yet had a great effect
the sales field. Every organization recognizes market changes, but few
change their sales approach to adapt to these changes. Sales professionals
must begin to insist that the sales process in their organization be defined
and developed. There
is no greater opportunity for growth in sales than in the areas of developing
team skills and empowerment. The day of
the single person sale is long past in complex selling. Now the sales
rep serves as team leader. It is the their responsibility to set strategy
for the campaign and to coordinate the sales unit. This requires a new
set of skills and a new level of management. Finally,
the focus of any sales campaign should be on its return on investment. Winning at all costs is not good business. Put
simply, it costs as much to lose a sales campaign as it does to win one.
The proper allocation of resources should not be based on the size of
the deal, but on the opportunity for success. Teaching the development
of business acumen as it relates to managing a sales campaign should be
a major focus of training. Furthermore, the manager's role in this process
is critical, requiring tremendous credibility and experience both to model
and to coach. Organizations
must stop forcing sales reps into the traditional role and start viewing
them as market development resources. Staffed with seasoned line professionals
or consultants, sales training must take the lead in developing processes
and ways to implement them, that produce measurable results. The organizations
that survive into the twenty first century will write the book on how
to meet this challenge.
About the Author: Thomas
Fee is the founder of Performance Management Consultants™.
Performance Management Consultants™ is dedicated to providing the next
generation of professional development enhanced by technology and coaching
to enable users to change their behavior resulting in improved performance.
Sales Training – Where Do We
Go From Here? continued
They have
developed numerous programs and processes to enhance the skills, behaviors
and activities of managers, sales, client service and pre-sales (SE) professionals.
Performance Management Consultant’s™ programs address the specific challenges
faced by those working in the areas of business practice known as Customer
Relationship Management and Complex Sales.
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