The top business topic discussed in business magazines, blogs, videos, seminars and conventions is SALES. Moreover, “sales” is usually the MAIN focal point when business owners enlist business coaches and consultants. Why?
Think about it, it’s often said, “Nothing happens without sales!” Correspondingly, if there’s a problem with the company’s bottom-line, management therefore believes it MUST mean, “more sales” is the solution. The result is, other company issues receive lesser attention and scrutiny.
Consequently, no matter the company’s size, management will usually place “more sales” as its top priority. Therefore, concentrating on the “seemingly” obvious.
And, since SALES is the Top Business Topic, let’s explore it a little further!
Top Business Topic and Bragging Rights = SALES
When socializing with business professionals, the top business topic of sales often pops up, because a bragging right among business professionals is a company’s annual sales. If a business demonstrates what is considered “good sales,” the perception is, they MUST be successful.
Is the Answer for Business Woes, simply “More Sales”?
Surely, sales are very important, but the often-echoed mantra of the business world, “more sales will solve ALL our problems,” is far from truth!
When a company becomes more established, with a fair amount of sales, but begins losing money, they need to STOP and look internally to find the root cause. For this reason, we promote bench-marking processes and studying industry ratio reports to find the answer.
Sometimes the problem is NOT lack of sales; its customers coming in the front door and leaving out the back door. In other words, poor customer retention, a symptom of poor service and quality.
However, this article will not focus on quality of service. We will be sticking to “sales!”
In fact, we offer here FREE tools, that will help any business owner get MORE sales, via a process for holding their sales team accountable.
Is Sales the Answer for Business Success?
Consider the following. When anxiety rises, due to low profits, small business owners will quickly hire a salesperson in hopes of improving the company’s bottom line. If the salesperson is “lucky,” they will receive only a few minutes of orientation. Then usually, the owner will point them to the door leading to the field, with a simple instruction, “Now get out there and sell something!”
Mind you, this is the person charged with the urgent mission of getting “more sales;” whereby, the future of the company sometimes hangs in the balance. This, while the owner sits back anxiously and waits for a miracle.
Doesn’t it stand to reason, with this much pressure on the salesperson, that management should give more attention to their modus operandi? (The actual way they DO their business and its processes).
Sadly, with NO orientation, along with ZERO accountability tools, MOST salespeople simply FAIL. As a result, the business loses more money, which can become a race to the bottom. In like manner, when management has NO idea what a salesperson is doing with their time, it can be a disaster waiting to happen.
I have to say it—that is blatantly stupid! How do I know? I was that “stupid” business owner, before seeing the light of process systematization.
Free Accountability Tools = Sales Staff Success
In many businesses, a new salesperson often becomes INVISIBLE until six months to a year down the road, when it suddenly dawns on someone, “Hey, that guy’s NOT selling anything!” At which point, the sales person is shown the door, and the madness starts over with a new salesperson; using the same old “no-accountability-sales-system.” The definition of the old “insanity” cliché comes to mind.
For this reason, I want to share some FREE ACCOUNTABILITY TOOLS for your consideration. Tools to use as a template that will help in your sales effort.
A Salesperson Daily Routine Checklist and a Sales Manager Daily Routine Checklist is downloadable here with just a click.
For the Skeptic | “I Don’t Need Sales Accountability Tools!”
Even for the skeptics among us, occasionally a company gets lucky with a “Russian Roulette” style of hiring salespeople. But, throwing new recruits in the water, then waiting to see if they can swim, can be risky.
To be certain, sales success is much more assured when the process of selling is systematic. And the sales prospect pipeline remains full.
NOTE: If a salesperson works for commission only, and doesn’t receive a draw or paid expenses, then it’s understandable, them having little accountability.
However, we recommend that ALL sales staff is given access to a (CRM) Customer Relationship Management software. More importantly, one owned and in full administrative control of the business owner. A CRM owned and controlled by the salesperson is a poor business practice. That’s where a company risks losing its investment made for acquiring prospects and new clients.
In simple terms, if the salesperson leaves or is terminated, the time and money spent acquiring a pipeline of prospects for the company will walk out the door, at some point. NOT SMART!
In conclusion, also consider—great service and quality makes SALES a much more enjoyable process.
Did I mention? Great systems work!
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