By John Moore, Moore Power Sales Vision
Will you be starting the New Year with the same selling issues you had in 2015? Now is a good time to start working on those top issues that may prevent your company from growing to the level you want in 2016? Whether you are an owner or a sales force of one, you can begin by evaluating these Top 10 questions:
- Are we doing the right sales activities in the right amounts?
A solid activity plan will enable you to have enough of the right conversations with prospective decision makers to fill your pipeline, as well as do a good job of farming with your current accounts.
- If we had a good 2015, (hopefully so), was that because of a solid and pro-active sales effort, or was it due to the growth of our current customers?
We can sometimes fall into sales complacency in a good year and not realize it was our customer who had a great year and we rode their success. That can make us vulnerable, so it’s important to know the difference!
- Are we de-briefing every sales call to make the most of very opportunity?
De-briefing every call helps you learn what you did well and identify areas for improvement.
- Is our Sales Pipeline accurate or is it more of a wish list?
Be certain your pipeline is based on being highly qualified opportunities, not just “suspects”.
- Is our sales process one that is documented, listing phases and steps? Do we have milestones in each phase so everyone is on the same process?
We know that just following a strong sales process can increase sales by 25 %! Yet, 91 % of the companies we evaluate do not follow a real process!
- Do we have the right people to execute our sales vision in 2016 and beyond?
Your salesperson(s) may be loyal to the company, but it’s important to evaluate that they are also improving every year in their sales effectiveness.
- Is our sales management growing the effectiveness of the sales force or mostly a fire-fighting department?
Sales management is the most misunderstood job in the world. A good sales manager will provide ongoing coaching to their team rather than solving problems.
- Are we truly salespeople, or are we mostly just estimators?
If you are simply providing a quote on the prospects project, you are not selling. Plan to have a conversation with your client on the value-add or why they should choose you, aside from just price.
- Do we have a process to recruit high performing new sales people?
You cannot hire salespeople like you do every other position in the company. Evaluate the specific traits and skills to provide the best fit for your company and stick to it when selecting your candidate.
- Do we have the right Key Performance Indicators for knowing whether we are on track to make our goals before it is too late?
Too many companies end up behind, and then it can be too late. Know where you are at all times, and adjust!
These are difficult questions! Look them over, maybe rate yourselves 1 – 10. Then, decide the most important to focus on fixing to ensure sales success in 2016!
Good Selling!
John Moore is an authorized Sandler affiliate since 1995. He is a sales development specialist helping companies evaluate their sales infrastructure to build a predictable sales model for success. Www.moorepowersales.com