It’s a sad fact that sales people and the sales process rarely receive positive column inches. Society’s perspective, or to be more specific, UK society’s perspective, tends toward the view that sales is a kind of circus act, and that sales people are a bunch of clowns. Sadly, TV programs such as The Apprentice do little to scotch it.
Of course, this isn’t the case. Not only is the sales function an essential component of any business, but when you have the right people, processes and products, a strong sales team can generate a lot of added value for both the supplier and the customer. The best kind of selling is 99% consultation and 1% transaction.
Creating an excellent sales team requires focus and investment in three key areas for each team member:
Skillset: It’s tempting to see the process of selling as a black art. We also tend to use phrases like: “she’s really got the gift of the gab.” While there is no doubt that individual gifts can make a difference, mentoring and coaching are needed to enable sales people to meet their full potential. Selling is a skill that can be practised and learned. If that wasn’t the case, it wouldn’t be possible for the gifted to under-perform and the average to shine.
Structure: I’ve never been that enthusiastic about time keeping and self-discipline, but it is vital. Just as a football team needs organising for defence and attack, so do sales teams. It doesn’t matter how many or how few leads you have to follow up, it’s essential to ensure each one is treated in a way most likely to generate value. How you organise your structure should ensure this.
Mindset: Don’t assume this is just about targets and commissions. The most effective sales people I have employed have been the ones who enjoy serving their customers. They know enough about what they sell and the needs of their customers to offer sound advice and maximise any opportunity to the benefit of all. Sure, they want to make money, but in a way that delivers value in the long term.
As you can guess, all of this needs to be delivered with a combination of inspirational leadership, mentoring and management, but for the sake of this series of articles we’ll take those as given.
Next month we’ll start to look more closely at the skill-set – I’m sure you’ll be surprised how customer-centric it should be.