Your sales force could be better. They could perform better both individually and collectively. That said, they probably aren’t the biggest obstacle to producing the results you need.
Your sales managers could be better, too. They could be better leaders, better trainers, and better coaches. They could do more to help their teams succeed. All that being true, that isn’t likely the biggest challenge you face when it comes to creating and winning opportunities.
Your sales process hasn’t been updated in a few years. It is clearly past its expiration date, and it badly needs a serious refresh. Some of the methodologies you’ve bolted on top of the process haven’t been updated since forever. As old as your process and methodologies may be, they aren’t the obstacle to better performance.
Your messaging isn’t the best you’ve ever seen. You worry that it isn’t compelling enough, that it’s a little tired, and a bit stale. Messaging is vital, and it’s worth working on. You might want to point at messaging as the villain in the story you tell yourself about what your disappointing results and what you need them to be now. Messaging, however, isn’t likely your biggest problem.
Your problem is execution.
You are always going to have a top 20 percent and the 80 percent that trail them. You are always going to have a bottom 20 percent in your sales force. Your competitors have a bottom 20 percent, too. Moving the whole curve towards better performance requires that each quartile executes.
Your sales managers also need to execute. Execution here means leading, coaching, and spending time with their teams. How do you know your leaders are executing? Your sales force is executing.
Your sales process and all of your methodologies are part of what is supposed to be executing. Done well, your company strategy and your client acquisition strategy are all rolled up into how you sell. If you aren’t producing the results you are capable of, it might be the strategy, but it’s more likely the execution thereof.
Messaging that isn’t used doesn’t have the chance to be effective. Changing the messaging without changing the execution is like changing the tires on a car with no engine. You still aren’t going anywhere.
Before you decide what needs changed, why it needs changed, and what you should do about it, look to make sure that you are executing what you have in place. Bouncing from change to change without the execution leaves you no better than you are now.
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