Align Your Sales and Corporate Strategies
Align Your Sales and Corporate Strategies
A business’ corporate strategy defines “what” the business wants to do, such as grow market share, increase revenue, reduce costs, increase customer retention, prevent customer defection, etc. A sales strategy defines “how” the business will achieve those goals. And the sales methodology defines the skills the sales people need to “execute” the strategies. All these strategies need to be aligned and consistent in order for a company to reach success and maintain a positive customer retention rate.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a business’ corporate strategy to be misaligned with its sales strategy. The symptoms of misaligned strategies are varied and often times quite obvious. One particular symptom, for instance, is clouded and inconsistent leadership, as opposed to leadership with a clear vision and direction. Likewise, communication suffers with poor alignment. Problems, concerns and even creativity are not shared across the organization. Management also seems cumbersome and lacks verification. You can often recognize this symptom when people ask, “Why are we doing this?” Another warning sign of poor alignment is when there is no risk-taking and there exists a lack of courage throughout the organization, when instead instinct and gut-feelings are needed to make tough decisions. Finally, timeliness suffers causing decisions and actions to become unnecessarily long and drawn out.
The effects these symptoms have on our business and customers are destructive, to say the least. Management is perplexed. Sales resources are dispersed and conflicting. Forecasts are unpredictable and revenue is inconsistent. Marketing messages are conflicting and ineffective. And of course, customers are confused, which negatively effects customer retention. Customers experience poor support, service failures, confusion, and at last, unmet expectations. These effects lead to increased customer exposure to your competitors which causes reduced customer spend, at least on your product.
A good corporate strategy should define the sales process. In other words, the sales process is a function of the corporate strategy (“What we want to do”) since it helps define “how” the corporate strategy will be carried out. Hence, a sales process defines the process in which a customer moves throughout your entire company. It identifies who does what, how they do it, to whom and how it gets handed off to the next person/department, how follow-ups are handled, where information gets recorded and logged, and all aspects of who interfaces with the customer and how they are handled. All parties must be knowledgeable and trained on the process so they understand their role and the roles of others.
As we just discussed, in order for your sales organization to succeed, they need a sales process. But they also need sales training, which is two-fold. First, they need to be trained on the processes so they know the steps, the players, etc. They also need training on sales techniques, or a sales methodology.
The sales methodology defines the skills the sales people need to “execute” the strategies. Sales training is therefore the methodology within the sales process. The sales process will identify specific stages the prospect is within the selling process, such as Initial Contact, Qualified, Presentation, Negotiations, etc. Each company will have it’s own set of stages which can vary from 3 or 4 steps to 9 or 10 steps. As long as they have this defined somehow, it matters little because these steps are what the sales people use to perform their selling actions.
Selling actions include items such as cold calling, asking the right questions, qualifying prospects, understanding the prospect’s requirements, presenting solutions, negotiating, closing, and the like. These actions will then align themselves with each stage in the sales process. If they are not aligned, then sales reps will end up trying to close when they should be qualifying, or listening to requirements when they should be negotiating. Thus, sales training is required to enable sales reps to learn the skills (the methodology) for performing these actions and to understand the order in which these actions should be performed (the sales process).
So what is technology’s role in this whole scheme of things? Technology is used to deploy these strategies and processes, not to drive them. Like building a house, you can have the best tools money can buy, but if you don’t have architectural plans, it doesn’t matter what tools you have. Thus, you must have clearly defined strategies and processes before you can proceed with using technology. The particular technology we are referring to here, of course, is CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software.
A CRM product will be a huge help in deploying your processes. As you define your processes and the steps everyone is to follow, your CRM tool will replicate and automate those steps for everyone to use and benefit from. It will also contain current information about your customers that will be available and accessible from any department, organization or individual that has contact with your customers.
CRM technology is especially useful when it comes to new or weaker sales reps. By providing them with a process and saying “this is what works 80% of the time in these situations,” and then showing them how a CRM tool can help execute that process while leveraging customer information, sales managers can improve the success of these reps while reducing the ramp-up time for struggling and new sales reps.
When you bring technology in to automate your processes, it has to benefit your customers just as much as your internal organization. For a customer, a CRM product will help you do a better job of following up on their needs. It will get them faster answers from customer service, support, and other customer-interfacing departments. A CRM product will provide a “corporate view” of your customer to everyone in your company for faster, more efficient and consistent service. This will improve customer loyalty, thus encourage customer retention.
By aligning your corporate strategy with your sales strategy, you will ensure your company will control costs, prevent wasted overhead, avoid internal conflicts, conserve valuable resources, and protect your most valuable asset, your customers.
Good Luck & Good Selling!
Russ Lombardo
Align Your Sales and Corporate Strategies - To learn more about this author, visit Russ Lombardo's Website.
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When your sales strategy is not aligned with your corporate strategy, your organization can become its own worst enemy. While the sales force may be heading in one direction (e.g., applying their own processes, emphasizing certain product lines, addressing their own objectives) the corporate direction and priorities could be completely different. Of course it’s the customer who suffers the most when these strategies are not aligned. Hence, it is critical that sales and corporate strategies be in sync to avoid conflicts with processes, priorities, resources, and especially customers.
A business’ corporate strategy defines “what” the business wants to do, such as grow market share, increase revenue, reduce costs, increase customer retention, prevent customer defection, etc. A sales strategy defines “how” the business will achieve those goals. And the sales methodology defines the skills the sales people need to “execute” the strategies. All these strategies need to be aligned and consistent in order for a company to reach success and maintain a positive customer retention rate.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a business’ corporate strategy to be misaligned with its sales strategy. The symptoms of misaligned strategies are varied and often times quite obvious. One particular symptom, for instance, is clouded and inconsistent leadership, as opposed to leadership with a clear vision and direction. Likewise, communication suffers with poor alignment. Problems, concerns and even creativity are not shared across the organization. Management also seems cumbersome and lacks verification. You can often recognize this symptom when people ask, “Why are we doing this?” Another warning sign of poor alignment is when there is no risk-taking and there exists a lack of courage throughout the organization, when instead instinct and gut-feelings are needed to make tough decisions. Finally, timeliness suffers causing decisions and actions to become unnecessarily long and drawn out.
The effects these symptoms have on our business and customers are destructive, to say the least. Management is perplexed. Sales resources are dispersed and conflicting. Forecasts are unpredictable and revenue is inconsistent. Marketing messages are conflicting and ineffective. And of course, customers are confused, which negatively effects customer retention. Customers experience poor support, service failures, confusion, and at last, unmet expectations. These effects lead to increased customer exposure to your competitors which causes reduced customer spend, at least on your product.
A good corporate strategy should define the sales process. In other words, the sales process is a function of the corporate strategy (“What we want to do”) since it helps define “how” the corporate strategy will be carried out. Hence, a sales process defines the process in which a customer moves throughout your entire company. It identifies who does what, how they do it, to whom and how it gets handed off to the next person/department, how follow-ups are handled, where information gets recorded and logged, and all aspects of who interfaces with the customer and how they are handled. All parties must be knowledgeable and trained on the process so they understand their role and the roles of others.
As we just discussed, in order for your sales organization to succeed, they need a sales process. But they also need sales training, which is two-fold. First, they need to be trained on the processes so they know the steps, the players, etc. They also need training on sales techniques, or a sales methodology.
The sales methodology defines the skills the sales people need to “execute” the strategies. Sales training is therefore the methodology within the sales process. The sales process will identify specific stages the prospect is within the selling process, such as Initial Contact, Qualified, Presentation, Negotiations, etc. Each company will have it’s own set of stages which can vary from 3 or 4 steps to 9 or 10 steps. As long as they have this defined somehow, it matters little because these steps are what the sales people use to perform their selling actions.
Selling actions include items such as cold calling, asking the right questions, qualifying prospects, understanding the prospect’s requirements, presenting solutions, negotiating, closing, and the like. These actions will then align themselves with each stage in the sales process. If they are not aligned, then sales reps will end up trying to close when they should be qualifying, or listening to requirements when they should be negotiating. Thus, sales training is required to enable sales reps to learn the skills (the methodology) for performing these actions and to understand the order in which these actions should be performed (the sales process).
So what is technology’s role in this whole scheme of things? Technology is used to deploy these strategies and processes, not to drive them. Like building a house, you can have the best tools money can buy, but if you don’t have architectural plans, it doesn’t matter what tools you have. Thus, you must have clearly defined strategies and processes before you can proceed with using technology. The particular technology we are referring to here, of course, is CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software.
A CRM product will be a huge help in deploying your processes. As you define your processes and the steps everyone is to follow, your CRM tool will replicate and automate those steps for everyone to use and benefit from. It will also contain current information about your customers that will be available and accessible from any department, organization or individual that has contact with your customers.
CRM technology is especially useful when it comes to new or weaker sales reps. By providing them with a process and saying “this is what works 80% of the time in these situations,” and then showing them how a CRM tool can help execute that process while leveraging customer information, sales managers can improve the success of these reps while reducing the ramp-up time for struggling and new sales reps.
When you bring technology in to automate your processes, it has to benefit your customers just as much as your internal organization. For a customer, a CRM product will help you do a better job of following up on their needs. It will get them faster answers from customer service, support, and other customer-interfacing departments. A CRM product will provide a “corporate view” of your customer to everyone in your company for faster, more efficient and consistent service. This will improve customer loyalty, thus encourage customer retention.
By aligning your corporate strategy with your sales strategy, you will ensure your company will control costs, prevent wasted overhead, avoid internal conflicts, conserve valuable resources, and protect your most valuable asset, your customers.
Good Luck & Good Selling!
Russ Lombardo
Align Your Sales and Corporate Strategies - To learn more about this author, visit Russ Lombardo's Website.
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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