Can a successful Sales Development program During and after a Pandemic be run?
The answer is yes. If you haven’t read either of my previous posts on The Power of Positive Thinking and Belief Systems, I suggest you have a look and see what is possible with the right attitude and approach.
So, if you’re not happy with the performance of your sales department or simply want to use this time to invest in improving the performance of your sales staff, then you should consider the following.
A recent report on Trends in Sales Management published in 2020 reported that sales management was underperforming, averaging 35.9% in the following eight categories.
1 Sales process and methodologies
2 CRM and other systems training
3 Customer’s marketplace/acumen
4 Coaching/mentoring skills
5 Forecast/pipeline management skills
6 Salesperson performance review skills
7 Training on value justification
8 Salespeople hiring skills
If your current role is in Sales Management and any or all of these points concern you, then now is the time to take action.
If your current role is CEO or anything between the CEO and Sales Management, then now is the time to invest in reskilling your team.
Coaching/mentoring skills were rated as underperforming by 35%, so now is the time to get your marketing and sales management teams working on improving their skills in all areas while maintaining a strong focus on the #MicroSellingSkills of your salespeople.
Why?
Improvements in these skills offer Sales Acceleration and sustainable long-term improvement in closing sales opportunities.
Ask your Sales Manager to provide you with six Micro Selling Skills he is measuring and how they intend to improve these skills.
WHY?
If you improve just three Microselling Skills in any salesperson, you will achieve a 30% increase in their conversion ratio.
How do I know this?
Because I proved it with the sales teams I managed, they achieved 180% sales.
So, if you’re unhappy with your sales team’s performance, now is the time to make changes.
While businesses worldwide are experiencing difficult times, with sales falling below forecasts, sitting back and waiting for the recovery is the wrong choice. Instead, now it is time to invest in the future, and our future is our people.
As someone once said, “More sweat in preparation, less blood in battle.”
New Zealand has eliminated the transmission of COVID-19 and lifted all containment measures except for border curbs, making it one of the first countries to do so.
Had it not been for the recent spike in Victoria, which accounts for almost 50% of the confirmed number of cases in Australia and with the state now locked down, Australia would not have been far behind New Zealand.
While the Marketing Department talks about expanding the Market and Market Share size, the Sales Departments focus on the opportunities in front of them and report on converted business.
A significant number of consumers right now have reservations about where our economy is heading and, as such, have held back on purchases.
That being the case, time spent now in preparation and training will see exceptionally stronger results when consumer confidence returns.
The big question is?
Will the winner be you or one of your competitors?
