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What Will Your Sales Organization Look Like in 24 Months?

Guest post by: Gerry Layo

Article Overview: Let's face it, with the speed of change revved up as high as it is, developing and executing a five-year plan is nearly impossible to do. While it may be true that changes in technology, the economy, the political administration, and the markets are considerably volatile today (and certainly more difficult to plan for and navigate) I believe that when designing and developing a plan for your sales organization, you clearly need to decide what it is that you want to be “when you grow up.”

What Will Your Sales Organization Look Like in 24 Months?

Remember when we were kids and we talked about what we were going to be when we grow up. We had no limitations on our thoughts and dreams. We dared to make bold statements about our future. We aspired to be doctors, firemen, nurses, sports stars, and the President of the United States. My son, Cooper is now just turning 6 years old and the conversations are regular. "Dad, when I grow up, should I be a doctor or a police officer?" I like to tell him every day that he can be whatever he sets his mind to be. He can accomplish anything he really puts his heart into.

Although to some, that may seem somewhat Pollyanna, I truly believe that we lose some of that blind faith, courage, and belief over time and we start to accept that we will become what is decided by other things such as the economy, the competition, our education (or lack thereof), our fears, or worst of all, our indifference.

So let's take the bold step of deciding what it is that your business will look like in 24 months. Print out this article today and make a list of what (and who) you and your organization will bein a short two-year period. What would you dare to put on that list if you knew that you could not fail? What would you dare to draw up if you were certain of its eventual reality? Here are a few thoughts to give you some ideas of what I believe Smart Selling/World Class Sales Organizations might have "in play" in the perfect world:

1-We will have marketing teams that market (create visibility and value) and sales forces that sell (leverage that visibility and value)by converting opportunity to revenue. And guess what? We will actually collaborate and speak the same language. The marketing arm will create a very visible presence online that grants access to information and content (articles, white papers, videos, customer testimonials, case studies, interactive demos, etc.) to be used in the sales efforts by the sales team. The sales team will have consistent input as to the depth and relevance of this content and will understand how and when to use it in their efforts to attract and add value to customers. The marketing arm will be connected to sales and the customer base through various social media platforms and will listen to the marketplace in these arenas to better understand how and when today's buyers seek value and differentiation. As a part of the web based community, our marketing teams will create, with the sales force a visibility that drives customers feeling of "safety and security" in the brand by making sure we are EVERYWHERE that the customer looks. Lead generation will become based upon the frequency of the company's exposure in various search engines and web communities.

2-We will stand out from the competition! We will have a well defined PPOD (Positive Perception of Difference) that is created by design and delivered through the actions of all who touch the customer. We will regularly re-assess our current approach and continue to strive to be known for a PLUS ONE approach in all that we do. We will only hire those who strive to be part of a PLUS ONE team that takes full responsibility for the customer's experience. We'll be the MOST responsive, the MOST proactive, and the MOST customer-centric company in our space. Phones will be answered LIVE and in a way that lets the caller know that we are passionate about their care. We will ensure immediacy of communication in all that we do. We'll understand that if we don't take that call or make that call or respond to that inquiry or email NOW, they may call or inquire or email our competition. When the prospect, customer, or client has an experience with us, they will HAVE TO tell someone else about it.

3-We will have a sales force who understands our products and services well but seeks to understand what their application means to each individual customer even better. We will manufacture curiosity by teaching the questions that need to be asked of our prospects, customers, and clients. We will all understand that it is the preparation that we do in advance that will create our confidence in this dialogue and will do more to communicate our differentiated level of expertise and concern to the customer. We will be clear on the purpose of every call and if not, we will not make the call. We will be armed, in advance, with a well-thought out strategic approach to each sale that takes into account the current situation of each customer individually. We will make sure that our sales professionals have high levels of Curiosity, Awareness, and Urgency (without desperation) in all that they do.

4-Our team will be driven by well-trained sales managers whose jobs will NOT be to grow sales, but to grow salespeople in both quantity and quality. Our sales managers will be fully-engaged coaches that pull their people to greatness rather than push their people to activity! Our coaches will measure everything in the effort to find out where (and with whom) it is that they need to focus their coaching and time. We will hire and keep only those who are ALL-IN and we will not suffer those who cannot or will not perform to our well defined and communicated performance standards. Our managers will always have a recruiting basket full of candidates to add to their team who fit a specific profile that is defined in advance. We will constantly seek to top-load our team with "A" players who can and will create significant value to our team and to our customers.

5-We will possess a culture of constant growth. We will practice our approach and hone our skills. We will "inspect in private what we expect in public" through repetition, coaching, and rehearsal. We will have an extreme culture of learning through "team collaboration" and growth ON PURPOSE! We will understand that "readers are leaders" and will commit to being well read and well informed in both our profession (sales) as well as our customer's business. We will understand that we need to fight for every sale and every penny of margin and to earn those we simply must be the best!

There are a few ideas and thoughts to get your creative juices flowing for what it is that YOU could strive to be in your sales organization in 24 months. Remember the age old adage that says "we become what we think about most?" Well start thinking about what it is that you can become-what you must become to WIN more often. Don't wait-don't hesitate. Think...plan...do! What does your customer need you to be? What do your partners, manufacturers, and employees need you to be? Most important, what do you need you to be? So.... Decide what IT looks like, define IT in great detail, design IT as if you couldn't fail, and take action on IT every day AS IF YOU ARE that company:

Hire like that company would. Market like that company would. Measure and monitor like that company would. Treat your customers like that company would. Answer your phones like that company would. Train and treat your people like that company would. Before you know it, you will be that company and get a chance to enjoy all that comes with it!

And remember, if you don't decide what your sales organization will look like, the economy just might decide for you. Or the competition might have some input. Don't let that happen!

So...what will you be when you grow up?

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Article Tags: economy, goals, sales, sales managers, sales organization



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