If there is one expression that executives throw around without considering the true definition, it’s the word strategic.” More often than not, when a sales manager is described as “strategic,” it is because this person is adept at bringing in deals. While that is an important skill, the use of “strategic” in this case is for a sales person not a sales manager.
For sales managers to be considered strategic in their roles, they need to look at more than just getting deals done. Are you truly a strategic sales manager?
Strategic sales managers analyse the recruitment process and search for ways to continually upgrade their talent pools. And, they are interviewing even when there are not gaps in the team.
When strategic sales managers recruit sales people, they use effective training programs to reduce the amount of time it takes to get up to speed while also ensuring that the newly-recruited sales people are positioned to succeed.
Strategic sales managers use best practices to create processes and provide their sales people with success models to follow as guides.
When strategic sales managers review reports, they do not just look at the revenue column … they focus on the metrics that lead to sales. They view the report, not as information, but as data to affect change in their sales teams.
When strategic sales managers design compensation plans, they do not just ask how much sales people should make. They focus on aligning the incentive plans with business objectives and to focus the activities of their sales people.
Strategic sales people generate sales. Strategic sales managers build the framework that leads to the development of consistent, high performance, profitable sales teams.
It is the epic stand-off. On one side of the table is the new sales candidate determined to get the job. He is ready to position himself as a master prospector and strong closer.
On the other side of the table is the executive hoping that they have just found a high performer. They are looking for a great sales person.
The sales candidate impresses the executive with a great gift of gab and receives the job offer. Both sides win … at least, for today.
Six months later, this supposed high performer is shown the door as they have failed to produce as the company would have hoped. Both sides lost.
Executives often walk into the interview room looking for a great sales person … which in a new business team would be defined as a master prospector and strong closer. These executives have dreams that they will recruit so-called great sales people and success is guaranteed. Yet, more often than not, the dreams become nightmares as the “high performers” fail to perform as expected.
Why does this happen? The issue lies in what executives seek in sales recruits. They look for “greatness,” while they should be looking for “potential to be great.” The difference here is that “greatness” infers that it is a standalone attribute.
However, the “potential to be great” means that the candidates are evaluated against your unique ideal sales person profile to see if they have what it takes to become great in the sales role for your company. Your ideal sales person profile addresses the factors that cause sales people to succeed or fail in your company, not universally. If you have not yet developed this critical tool then make it a priority task.
The next time you find yourself in the sales candidate versus employer stand-off, do not get caught looking for the “great sales person.” Find the “right sales people with the potential to be great” in the sales roles for your company.
Ian Treadaway
Sales people often tell me that they want to use LinkedIn for business development…to increase their sales. After hearing that, I look at their LinkedIn profile with one question in mind.
“What message does his profile communicate?”
More often than not, my review of their profile leaves me confused…wondering if this
person is looking for a job or prospects. If your intent is to use LinkedIn for business development, the message that your profile provides must be exactly that. If in your profile, you try to leave yourself open for job inquiries as well, consider this…why would a prospect want to conduct business with you…when you are looking to be employed elsewhere?
As you construct your LinkedIn profile, remember that there is no law that says that everything that you have ever done in your life must be presented in it. Only share information that aligns with your business development goals. When you develop your profile summary, write it with your clients interests in mind and be sure to address how you create value for your clients.
If a prospect were to read your LinkedIn profile, what message would he learn from it?
Directors and managers plan how revenue goals are to be achieved and correlate those with the headcount of the sales team. If there are empty spaces in the team, the math doesn’t work. Each member of the sales team may meet their annual revenue goal, but if you are 20% short on headcount, the teams number is in jeopardy.
When sales people get busy, the first thing thrown out is prospecting. However, we all know that when sales people stop prospecting, the pipeline eventually runs dry. The same principle holds true for sales leaders. When they stop prospecting for sales talent, they run with empty spaces in their team which means they have little chance of hitting the revenue goals.
Panicked, they rush to recruit sales people to fill spaces instead of making good choices. Further compounding the issue, once they recruit the sales people, they do not have a plan in place to quickly get these new recruits up to speed so they can generate revenue fast. Some of the sales people make it, and others fail, leaving the cycle to repeat itself once again. Not having a healthy sales person recruitment
pipeline has a major impact on both the top and bottom-line of your business.
Hold yourself accountable for maintaining a healthy sales talent pipeline just as you hold your sales people accountable for keeping a strong prospect pipeline
Have you noticed a flurry of people requesting to Link with you. That’s what a round of redundancies in a company does, people that were not really using LinkedIn suddenly want to LinkedIn with everybody in case they need a job opportunity.
Most people are on LinkedIn, but few know how to use it to find new clients. Firstly, not the way LinkedIn suggest. This would mean identifying someone on your contacts list that you would like to work with, then sending your contact a mail asking them to mail that person on your behalf requesting that they get in touch with you. The chances of all that happening are remote. Here is the way to do it:
List all the people from your clients LinkedIn list that you would like to meet. When you meet your client next go through the list and find out who they think would make good prospects for you. Ask your client to email these prospects on your behalf saying that you will telephone them.
Of course, do not leave the email to your client, they have enough to do. When you get back to the office you write the email detailing the good work you have done for the client (be conservative) send your client the email and ask them to cut and past it and make any changes if they are not entirely happy with it.
They then send their contact the email referring you and you telephone the prospect the next day. This works like a dream and will give a very high conversion rate for meetings and for the business. Don’t forget to thank your client and if you get business, buy them a good lunch!
Ian
Come and join us in the New year in the City of London
Our free sales breakfast seminars are:
19th June 2012 – Build a referral based business
16th October 2012 – pshychometrics in selling
see you there!
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