Tips and Techniques to Improve Sales

1. Take a second look at the big picture.

What are your goals for the year? "Increase sales". Understood. Do you know where those increases will come from? Will you sell more of the same to current accounts? New products to current accounts? Or will the increases come from new accounts? And what will you sell them? Current products or new products? "All of the above" is not the right answer. The essence of strategy is denial.

2. Put the right people in the right roles.

The publisher of a large newspaper once said to me that he wanted his new sales managers to question everything, including the structure of their teams. He did not want them to uncritically accept the structure and the people that came with the promotion. If the goal is to open new accounts do you have the sales people who like to prospect? If the goal is to get more money from existing accounts do you have the sales people who can sell strategically? That team that helped make you a winner last year might not be the same team you need to accomplish this year´s goals.

3. Determine the profile of the ideal rep for each sales goal.

I know you have done that exercise before. Do it again. You must be absolutely crystal clear about the competencies required to be successful. The competencies are determined by your sales goals. The attitudes and skills required to excel at prospecting are not the same as those required to excel at account development. If you are not sure about what you need, take a look at some of the sales assessment tools that are available in the marketplace. (Start at www.interpersonaldevelopment.com

4. Do a thorough assessment of each sales person.

There are two major dimensions you should look at; skill and will. Mary likes prospecting but is not good at it. Enrique is good at it but hates it. If in doubt if a rep has a skill or will deficiency ask yourself, "If I put a gun to his head could he do it?" If your reps object to you waving a gun around then use a sales assessment test. The pen is mightier than the sword anyway. Personally I favor a combination of tests, track record, my own in-field observations, and the individual´s stated preferences. Assessment is a process, not an event. The very act of assessment begins to change behavior, too. And the best assessments are jointly owned by the manager and the rep. It´s not something that the manager does to the rep. It is not like measuring shoe sizes.

5. Rank your reps against the benchmarks, not just against each other.

If you rank them only against each other, you typically end up with a third who are outstanding, a third who are average and a third who are weak. However, it is still possible that none of them could do the job, and ranking doesn´t help you coach them. (Remember how you felt when your mother told you to be more like your older brother or sister? You ended up resenting your mom and your sibling and still not knowing what you were supposed to do). You have to measure them against the benchmarks. You have to explain clearly what they must be able to do and say precisely, in order to be successful in their particular sales role. A good competency assessment gives each rep a detailed inventory of the competencies they must posses, and a clear indication of where they stand against each. Only then can you expect them to be open to your sharing of your infinite wisdom and experience as a sales coach.

6. Train them.

Tailor the training to their sales role. Don´t expect your prospectors to sit through a training module on account strategy. Don´t expect your sales masters - the ones that scored off the sales competency chart - to sit through any training at all. In fact, get them to co-facilitate the training with you or your trainer. They´ll get the recognition they crave, they´ll contribute to the development of the others, and yes they will learn something. You don´t really know what you think you know until, you try to teach someone.

7. Coach them.

Guided by your competency assessment, and keeping in mind that it is a process, not an event, and trying to be as humble as you possibly can, offer your reps your experience, observations and enthusiasm. Notice I didn´t mention advice. In sales coaching, as in life, offer your advice only when it´s asked for. That´s not to say you shouldn´t ask if your rep would like some advice. But ask only when they appear truly baffled, and respect their answer if it is "No, thanks".

Tips and Techniques to Improve Sales - To learn more about this author, visit John Brennan's Website.

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