Now is the time to rethink your sales strategy and your sales force.  Design the sales force your business needs and get great results.

Tip: It’s all in the thinking and planning that happens before the execution.

To help you start your thinking and planning here are two case studies from our work files where the businesses got it right.

Story one: Transform your current sales team into a new sales team

“The Sales Culture transformation and competency project we worked on with you in 2008 has been such a great success for our team.  The culture is now fantastic and the morale of the Sales Team is very good.  We aimed for the culture we wanted and got it.  People have settled into their roles and are working out fantastically. It was the planning and thinking behind it that made it work.  The Competency work has, without a doubt, made a difference. The Sales Competencies are ‘Gold’. We refer to them all the time and the Sales People are using them as well to develop themselves and have clearer, more accountable, performance reviews.  The competencies helped our team realise how responsible they need to be in their roles.”

This is what can happen when you design your sales force to deliver your strategy.  This quote comes from a Sales Director of a business we have worked with for many years.  They had the same sales force structure over the last 15 years and a very stable sales force to go with it.  The team and structure had worked very well, however the market was changing and the business and its sales people needed to adapt and evolve to ensure they were current, fit and productive.

In 2008, this Sales Director realised she needed to develop a new strategy moving forward and with that needed a new sales culture and team to deliver it.  But she didn’t want to get rid of the current sales team.  They were good operators with great industry knowledge and experience.   She knew it would be foolish to start from scratch with a new team and she didn’t want to create confusion or unnecessary unrest or anxiety in her existing team.

Her concerns rested around getting buy-in from the team regarding the new strategy and, in particular, their need to adjust their roles somewhat.  Despite not wanting to lose people she was prepared to do so if necessary.

What did she do?

• Developed her sales strategy and then presented her strategy to her sales team, inviting feedback and explaining ‘why’ they all needed to move in this direction using a well researched, evidenced based approach.  The team knew what was happening in the market place so it came as no surprise to them that they needed to shift.  That is fine intellectually, however we knew the challenge would be in actually getting them to shift in real terms.
• To get the real shift happening she then engaged her team in the development of the new Sales Roles by engaging in a ‘job design’ process with us.
• Out of the ‘job design’ process we developed the right Sales Behavioural Competencies (DNA) and ‘ideal’ role/person specification matched to sales strategy, product and customer base.
• Sales Behavioural Competencies were then linked to the Sales Team performance management reviews and are now being used in coaching, recruitment and succession planning processes.
• Sales Behavioural Competencies were mapped to measurable sales metrics
• The Sales Behavioural Competencies now act as a pivotal reference point in all their work.

As mentioned, the Sales People are using Sales Behavioural Competencies to develop themselves, have clearer, more accountable, performance reviews and better role clarity which means they know how they need to perform to achieve their strategy goals.

Story two: Design the sales team you want from scratch – green fields

A Divisional Manager of a large Australian corporate came to us because they didn’t want to hire people from their industry as they didn’t think they were competitive in the current market. They wanted to refresh the gene pool and bring in fit sales people who were not tarnished by the industry mindset and its way of doing things.  They knew that in this over commoditised marketplace their sales people were their competitive edge.

They were on the right track but didn’t know where and how to start.  So here is what we did together to find elite sales performers:

• Reviewed sales strategy, path to market, and products being sold
• Developed the right Sales Behavioural Competencies (DNA) and ‘ideal’ role/person specification matched to sales strategy, product, and customer base
• Built a structured sales recruitment process and kit
• Targeted industries the new breed of sales people could come from and went to market to find them
• Built and implemented the right sales induction training program matched to sales strategy, sales competencies, product, and customer base
• Had new sales team present their ‘go-to-market’ action plan to senior management before they went to market
• Implemented a sales management support system
• Followed up with infield training and coaching
• Mapped and measured sales metrics

The results were stunning from a sales initiative perspective.

The ‘new breed’ of elite sales performers achieved a sales closing ratio of 4:3 within 2 months against an industry average of 3:1 and sold the annual sales budget within 5 months.

Feedback from the sales people was that this was the best sales recruitment and sales induction process they had ever been through.  In all their sales careers, and many came from big name companies, they have never been set up so well to succeed.  They felt confident, proud, and capable to really deliver.

Feedback from the client:  “We worked in partnership to develop an end-to-end model for a new innovative sales team. The approach was unique in that they worked with us across recruitment, training, needs analysis, pitch planning and the end delivery. They added huge value to any sales process.”

By designing your ‘ideal’ sales force blue print you can build and achieve the following in your business:

• Change your culture by creating the sales culture you want
• Design the ideal sales force you want
• Recruit the sales force you want / your strategy needs
• Refresh your thinking, ideas, actions and results
• Develop career paths and succession planning
• Clear performance expectations
• Clearer, more accountable, performance reviews
• Provide a framework for identifying what a high performing sales person looks for your business
• Profiling of the core sales capabilities / competencies for sales managers/ sales people for use in recruitment, performance management, training, coaching and succession planning.
• Provide a framework for assessing the calibre of candidates as defined by core competencies and values;

As you prepare for the next financial year and are developing your sales strategy take time to reflect on what your ‘ideal’ sales force blue print should be.

Do not underestimate the value of taking time to think and plan, ultimately it could make you a lot more money.

Sincerely, your advocate for selling the  right way.

It is well documented that being healthy (physically, emotionally, and mentally) is vital to leading an effective and productive life.

In sales your health is a critical factor to your success.  Many highly successful sales people I meet are self disciplined in all aspects of their life ensuring they are fit, healthy and well trained in their profession.

Having a healthy sales career is underpinned by the individuals healthy life style, and a well managed business which includes good sales support, clear goals and leadership.

I have written before in a previous post Healthy salespeople, healthy sales about the issues associated with poor health and inconsistent sales, especially the ‘boozy’ culture associated with some sales teams and sales cultures.  Sadly this stereo type if often the only one portrayed in the media further perpetuating this type of behaviour.   Yet this is not the behaviour we see in healthy sales people and sales teams.

However another issue we see more often now is overwork, especially with some high achieving sales people and teams.

We Australians are known for working excessive hours and for not taking our quota of annual leave.   This is not a good recipe for ongoing success as I can attest to myself, having burnout a few years ago from over work.

It is very tempting in these challenging times to work longer and longer hours and one could be (almost) forgiven for not taking time off, feeling the need to work more than ever before.

The problem is if you are already overworked and now further distressed by the current business climate then you could be setting yourself up for bigger problems in the future namely your health.

However the issue of overwork is being further exacerbated in some business sectors by excessive cost cutting, which is leaving sales teams under resourced.  A number of sales people are reporting that they are losing the support people from their teams, or worse still being asked to pick up larger and larger territories when sales people leave and are not replaced.

The conscientious ones will try to pick up the slack and put in more hours trying to make up for the lack of resources.  This then leaves them tired and eventually vulnerable to burn out.

One person I met now has to manage over 300 clients, up from 100, with a full service offering in a complex sales environment which they admitted was impossible. This person is a good operator and takes pride in doing a good job but now they cannot deliver to the standards expected and are left feeling overwhelmed, distressed and demotivated.

While I know we may have some sales people who are not and may never pull their weight and need to go, penalising those who are doing their best to keep sales coming by not resourcing them properly is a recipe for sales and business disaster.

Overwork and lack of support are not recipes for a healthy life, a healthy career or a healthy business.

Burn out due to overwork can be an issue for some high performing sales people in the good times, but let’s not make it worse and create a burnout epidemic by cutting vital sales support such as administration, marketing support, etc. or overburdening our sales people because  we feel the pressure of tough times.

The one thing you cannot afford to lose in this climate are your effective sales performers.

In these challenging times it may seem counter intuitive to take time out, however regularly taking time out to rest, relax, exercise, socialize, be with family, have a small holiday, gain perspective are important to our wellbeing.  This coupled with a healthy diet, and being around people with health mindsets and ‘can do’ attitudes are vital to keep us going.   I would encourage you to encourage your sales people to look after themselves.

And you could look after them by providing appropriate support and being realistic in your business expectations.

These approaches are vital to leading a healthy sales career and team.

Sincerely, your advocate for selling the right way.

I declare right up front that I am not, and never have been a fan of the Hard Sell.  You have probably guessed that from all my previous posts.

And if you ask most people about what they think about the profession of selling they will often describe something akin to the ‘Hard Sell’.   Of late  I have also noticed a rise in ‘hard sell’ stories where people are being unnecessarily pressured to buy or sales people being pressured to sell at almost any cost.

The hard times may be pushing some people to do things they wouldn’t normally do like the “Hard Sell”.

The Hard Sell can also be described as:

• Boiler Room Techniques
• High pressure selling

To put it into perspective, the ‘hard sell’ is not a common sales strategy employed by many businesses today and for most people it is not their preferred way of selling or buying.  Most people revile from being asked to sell in this way.  And I would question whether it is deemed ‘selling’ at all or just a form of bullying or intimidation.

Given the escalation I have seen in ‘Hard Sell’ stories this prompted me to have a further look at what the Hard Sell is and if it has any legitimate place in our world of business and selling today.  Here is some of what I found.

Hard Sell
(definition from www.businessdictionary.com)

Applying psychological pressure (by appealing to someone’s fears, greed, or vanity) to persuade the prospect to make a quick purchase decision. This approach is justified on the ground that most people are lazy and will postpone making a decision—even if it were in their best interest to make the commitment. This practice is, however, reviled when its sole purpose is the salesperson’s gain at the customer’s detriment. Also called high pressure selling.

I think the last sentence in this definition is key here. I highlighted this in Think you can get away with it. Think again.   If a person is willing to be convinced and happy to take part in the process fine.  However, many people who may not know what they are getting themselves into or may feel intimidated and do not know how to say ‘No’ may be caught up in the moment and buy something they do not want or need.  For example if we look at the following technique you can see what I mean.

Boiler Room techniques

Outfit where salespeople use hard-selling (often dishonest) techniques to peddle (often fraudulent) offers to unsuspecting prospects (referred to as suckers) over the phone or face to face.

These techniques have often been attributed to Insurance or Car Sales industries i.e. used car salesman,  e.g.  …extremely aggressive behavior by an Insurance Agent to convince a Prospect to purchase the insurance product without due regard for the prospect’s ability to pay the Premiums and/or needs for the product.

Just think of the Subprime market in the USA and you know what I mean.

Let it be said however that I am not proposing that all sales people in Insurance or Car Sales are selling this way.  In fact more and more businesses in these industries are consciously training their people in more sustainable and honest selling practices.   See A car sales story with a difference

Some industries like Time Share and certain personal development courses still mainly employ Hard Sell tactics bringing people in for 90 minutes pitch fests coupled with a lunch or some small incentive.   Prospects are often pressured to sign up before they leave and can be intimidated to do so as described above.

I have had experience of this myself some years ago and my advice is this: walk away and think about it before you buy unless you are really certain and have done your homework.  If the salesperson says you can’t walk away and think about it outside of the venue or call them the next day then in my opinion it’s likely to be dodgy.   A colleague described one such situation happening to her earlier this year.  The salesperson in question was charming and positive to my colleague up until she said that she needed to think about it and would get back to him.  He tried to convince her to part with $1,000 upfront but she would not do it.  It has to be said that my colleague had nothing against time share she just didn’t want to be pressured to part with her money just yet.  When she did not cave in to his demands and asserted herself, the salesperson’s attitude turned from one of charm and positivity to disdain and frustration in a split second.

By contrast, the term Soft Selling is to describe the opposite of Hard Selling and is often defined as where:

Sales philosophy oriented toward identifying the customer’s expressed and tacit needs and wants, through probing questions and careful listening. It contrasts with hard selling which promotes application of psychological pressure to generate a relatively quick sale

I do not like the term  Soft Selling, what they are really describing is Consultative, Diagnostic or Solution Selling.  Soft implies weak and insipid to me.  Those people how engage in healthy, trust based, transparent  Consultative/ Diagnostic/ Solution Selling are assertive positive and very helpful to customers and understand that not everyone is in a position to buy now.  By treating people with respect and working in partnership with them then you set yourself up for a better future.

One of my clients said just that the other day.  They employ a Consultative sales approach and have found to be far more sustainable and professional.  He said it really cements them as a preferred supplier or partner, especially up against competitors who employ ‘Hard Sell’ or price gouging tactics.  He should know because his business is a much smaller player at present up against much bigger businesses with a much larger sales forces. He said his sales people are well respected, well regarded, and are making good sales despite the competitions’ tactics.   He has held firm and not resorted to the ‘hard sell’ and it is paying off in more ways than one.

I understand it is tough out there for many businesses but desperate times do not call for desperate sales measures. (Desperate times don’t call for desperate measures)

While the ‘Hard Sell’ has always been around and is likely to be around for some time in the future I would encourage you stay true to what you know is right.

Sincerely, your advocate for selling the right way.

Take note: Lawyers, Accountants, Engineers, Marketing Consultants et al

Professional Services Firms are struggling when it comes to keeping and finding business.  This on top of the fact that many have to come to grips with the fact they need to sell.   The market has definitely changed.  You cannot sit there aggressively waiting for the phone to ring anymore.

In speaking with one partner from a well respected law firm, he vented his frustration at the lack of action being taken in his firm by partners and their teams in terms of driving the push to find new business in current and new accounts.  He stated that some teams were just sitting around with no work to do and no one knows what to do about it.

“It’s so frustrating, they just don’t even know how to pick up a phone and call clients and prospects.  They are just sitting there saying they have no work to do all the while our business is struggling to meet revenue targets.   While I know some service areas have been hit harder than others there is still work to be done and if we could only just get talking to customers we would be ok.  All I know to do is to get out and have coffee with as many clients as I can and even though I haven’t been trained in how to sell well am finding business.  Although I would like to know how to do it better for sure”.

Despite the tougher market, there are market opportunities are out there.  There is money to be made.  There are clients to be won!  However, many professional services firms are not realising their true potential.

Relying mainly on passive referrals for new business leads and glossy marketing materials, most professional services firms are not securing their current and future revenue streams.  They have left themselves vulnerable and weak.  In many cases they are not even accessing their existing client data bases to see what new business opportunities exist there.

And don’t even talk to them about cross selling and up selling other service lines – many remain trapped in the silo mentality.

Through our work and observations in the professional services sector, it appears many managing partners and principals are wanting more from their partners, directors, managers and associates when it comes to proactively building sustainable and profitable business relationships with their clients.  The problem is many of them do not know where  to start or how to do it.  They have tried to make a start by putting on a Business Development Manager but it’s really the partners and managers themselves that need to be out there selling as part of their job.

Our research shows that no longer is it good enough for these people to rely solely on their technical competence i.e. being only a lawyer or accountant.  Now and in the future, these people also need to effectively self promote and prospect for new business using professional and ethical sales strategies, demonstrating real value for money.

However, the sales function does not come naturally to most people in these professions and often they don’t possess the relevant tools necessary to make it work.  They certainly weren’t taught this at university.  In fact many were fed derogatory myths about selling and many still believe them to be true today.  Which is one of the reasons they are in trouble.

We have found that many professional services staff have not been shown the right way to sell or taught the behaviours and skills necessary to put them in a position to win quality business.  Often the sales function’s importance is undermined, underestimated or left to too few people, usually the most senior partner or “rain maker”, possibly leaving the business vulnerable to missed market opportunities, hidden revenue and competitor erosion.

Many firms lack the foundations to create a viable professional sales culture e.g.:

• Inaccurate or poor perception of what good selling really is and its importance to business
• Very poor skills in the sales area
• Partners and directors lacking direct accountability for new business and revenue growth
• Mixed messages: “I’ve got to find more business but if I don’t do my  6 billable hours I won’t meet my performance standards”.  Partners are being caught in the billable hour performance trap and not using putting the time to get out and grow business they can then pass on to their teams to deliver.
• No use of client data bases and a silo mentality limiting up sell and cross sell opportunities
• No new business sales strategy or plan
• No client retention strategy or plan
• No sales model for people to learn, follow and apply
• Sales limited to ‘pull’ prospecting strategies such as brochures, website, etc. at the expense of proactive prospecting and real professional relationship sales strategies
• No Key Performance Indicators and Key Result Areas linked to sales, new business growth etc.

To name a few.

Given that professional services firms are operating in an increasingly competitive market place with more sophisticated clients expecting higher levels of service and value and some of their services are at risk of being commoditised:

What are firms doing to differentiate themselves?
How are they ensuring their future viability and success?
How are they making sure they are sales fit?

The ones who get it right NOW will set themselves up well now and in the future.   Those that don’t will either be reduced to shadows of themselves or be out of business all together.

So to all you lawyers, accountants, engineers, and consultants out there, if you are not already, it’s time to get sales fit and learn how to sell the right way.

It will be worth it.

Sincerely, your advocate for selling the right way.