Survey results I have seen in recent months show a vast difference between the acceptance of Emerging Sales Management Trends and the implementation of Technology that is transforming sales methodologies.
One survey reported that 58% of salespeople use collaborative tools and 65% use CRM, yet 98% of managers surveyed believe technology is either “important” or “very important” in achieving sales growth.
Application of The Lesions Learnt from Technology and Emerging Sales Management Trends
Just under 50% of respondents say their companies are using data to assess the performance of salespeople, while 44% say they are using this data to evaluate patterns between business won and business lost so they can apply these learnings to future deals and win more business.
While technology is transforming sales methodologies and providing management with a better understanding of why business is either won or lost, Technology does not know, nor will it ever be able to evaluate and correct what happens in the processes of any sale.
Why? Because it’s a scoreboard, not a monitor that reviews the play-by-play action that provided an outcome, the scoreboard can report.
So here is my point, which I have made a thousand times before.
Sales Management is not about checking the scoreboard, and no matter what technology is used, it will never give management the play-by-play analysis that will let them apply the lessons learnt from Technology to win new business.
If you’re a Sales Manager and you don’t spend 60% or more of your working hours with your salespeople on sales calls observing play-by-play (Micro Selling Skills), you need to rethink how you use your time.
If you’re a senior manager to whom the Sales Manager reports and your Sales Manager doesn’t spend 60% or more of your working hours with your salespeople on sales calls, then you need to work with that Sales Manager to ensure the Microselling Skills of each salesperson are measured and that your Sales Manager has a plan in place to improve those Microselling Skills.
A 10% improvement in Micro Selling Skills will deliver a 30% increase in sales and a better ROI than any Technology you can implement.
