In January, sales coach and consultant Mike McCormac posted an interesting blog article entitled Top Five Problems Facing Sales Leaders in 2012. It’s a bit long, but a decent read and worth passing on.
The “Five Problems” he addresses (missed objectives, insufficient pipeline, coming up with realistic forecasts, sales team effectiveness and overall poor profitability) are more a series of symptoms that could all fall under one label that no one really wants to hear: mismanagement. To put it more succinctly, in many cases it is the overall company sales structure that is the problem. The good news: it is also the opportunity.
Out of the five problems he mentions, four and a half could be addressed by
- Incorporating specialization into the sales structure (hunters, closers, farmers).
- Implementing a methodic territory management plan.
- Enforcing disciplined CRM usage.
(For more information read: Managing a Sales Territory, Lessons from Baseball)
Without a territory management plan, an understanding of the buying process, a CRM system, a defined end goal and an understanding of how to maximize the effectiveness of the technology available, your organization will struggle to reach its sales objectives. With a disciplined territory management system in place that pulls together multiple facets of your organization in one unified effort to find, engage and nurture prospects, your pipeline should remain full, yet fluid – with opportunities coming in on one end and closing on the other.
The only issue left, that can’t really be addressed by specialization, territory management and disciplined CRM usage is hiring and maintaining a good sales staff. For tips on that front, read, Finding and Hiring Great Salespeople and Teamwork, Fostering an Environment where “We” is More Important than “Me.”
If you are frequently dealing with missed objectives, inconsistent pipeline, unrealistic forecasts, employee turnover and poor profitability, consider outsourcing your business development activities to NuGrowth Solutions. We have territory management and crm down to a science. If you are interested in working with a partner you can trust to grow business, please give us a call at 800-966-3051.
