Addressing Common Difficulties for Sales Leaders

Therefore, upper management receives inflated projections. Savvy sales leaders will adjust these figures down to reflect a more realistic target. The adjustment of these figures allows upper management to properly plan marketing, manufacturing, and other business related projects. This will help to regulate funnel projections, improving companywide initiatives.

The buyer engagement process and buyer engagement funnel is directly related to the accuracy of forecasts from sales leaders and reps. (Link to: Forecasting Challenges for Sales Leaders) Sales leaders who consistently audit the sales process and ensure it is working efficiently will yield better forecast results. Forecasting comes to the forefront when projections are short. However, this is an issue which should be managed all of the time. An efficient buyer engagement process will help with these shortcomings.

Difficulty Two: Great Products – Poor Sales Results

When actual sales fail to meet projected sales revenue, upper management tends to question why the product is yielding poor sales results. Depending on the size of the company, sales leaders should start by looking at product alignment, either from a marketing or sales perspective.

Misalignment by Marketing

Sometimes marketing becomes misaligned with sales initiatives, and targets the wrong market for the products being sold by sales reps. This situation has a direct effect on reps ability to effectively sell because the pool of prospective buyers in a reps sales funnel are not properly qualified.

The product must be right for the target audience. The buyer’s needs are always right. If buyers do not see the value in the product being offered, upper management must consider adjusting the product or its perceptions in the target market. Management can do this by ensuring their go to market strategy is correctly targeted and sending the right messages to buyers.

Misalignment by Sales Reps

In small companies, sales reps commonly have the added responsibility of generating awareness and leads. These reps need to revisit their value proposition and effective questioning process to improve interest and lead generation. Refocusing their prospecting efforts helps sales reps correctly adjust and attract the right buyers. They should question whether or not they are going for the right buyer. Reps can do this by referring to their ideal buyer profiles. It is vital for these reps to respond quickly in order to avoid experiencing buyer’s remorse or even losing buyers due to a lack of focused sales efforts.

The company’s sales process needs to be reconsidered. Sales leaders must make certain that the products offered to buyers are correctly aligned to their needs, and specific to the market segment. If the sales process is geared toward the buyer’s needs and the products suit their needs, then sales results will improve.

Difficulty Three: Holding Sales Reps Accountable

Sales reps must achieve what they project. Many individuals in upper management have a misconception that sales teams are difficult to hold accountable. This notion allows reps to continually underachieve and over-inflate projections without repercussion. Sales leaders must address this issue by ensuring reps are coached, an effective funnel, and a tried-and- true sales process to follow to close deals.

Upper management must build an open line of communication from the top down that informs reps of what is expected. The sales process needs to be well known within the company, and followed through on. This is accomplished through coaching and training by consistently reiterating company standards.

The sales process must be communicated, coached on, and enforced in order for it to be successful. Appropriate escalation and a well-planned performance improvement process must be understood and communicated to all reps. This creates expectations, improves sales performance, and reduces inconsistent and inflated forecast projections.

Sales reps must know the impact their performance has on the rest of the company. When reps over-inflate numbers and consistently underachieve, it has a great affect on other areas in the company. The company makes staffing and purchasing decisions based on forecasting, sales leaders base spending and other initiatives on expected revenue. If sales reps fail to sell successfully, the company could risk overspending, overproducing, and have too much staff for operations.

The ability to hold sales reps accountable has a positive effect on sales leaders. Sales leaders can more effectively manage and forecast revenue because their reps are performing as expected. This improves the sales team’s performance and builds credibility for sales leaders within the organization.

Bottom Line & Business Impact:

As sales leaders work closely with their sales reps, the entire team becomes more able to rapidly sense and respond to identify and rectify any issues that may arise.

Putting into Practice

• Avoidable Mistakes Made by Sales Leaders
• Highlighting Common Difficulties Faced by Sales Leaders
• Forecasting Challenges for Sales Leaders
• The Buyer Engagement Approach
• The 10 Steps of Coaching Coaching on an Individual Basis