Instant fixes for sales? Think again

Companies spend billions each year on sales training, organisational development, leadership training and other efforts to ultimately boost sales results. Often this is a waste of money because nothing changes for the better. Too busy looking for a short-term boost, magic bullet or quick fix – ie the one- to three-day motivational sales training event – many business and sales leaders miss the vital point that sales training is a long-term investment.  Smart business and sales leaders know that clarity, leadership and accountability are the cornerstones of any business. So what can we learn from them?

Before you spend your hard earned on a learning and development training budget and embark on your sales transformation project have you done the following?

• Developed a clear and relevant vision, sales strategy and sales process to anchor your sales transformation project?
• Established and/or communicated the reason the vision, sales strategy, sales processes and sales transformation project are important to the sales team and the whole business?
• Engaged business and sales leaders and gained their commitment to the vision, sales strategy, sales processes and sales transformation project from the outset?
• Set sales performance criteria, milestones and clear individual accountabilities?
• Created ongoing learning opportunities where regular reflection, review, coaching and refined application of sales principles and tools is a regular activity?
• Integrated the tools, knowledge, language and principles into customer relationship management and other business processes?

To improve sales performance and achieve better sales results, business leaders, sales leaders and their teams all need continued vigilance and discipline. There is no quick fix!  There never was. Why the perception that a brief sales training event is going fix your problems and improve sales performance ever got air time is beyond me. 

Smart sales leaders know they are in it for the long haul and they make sure that, besides their vision, strategy and processes being in place; clear, unambiguous, performance expectations are established and communicated to everyone in the business. Their sales people, sales managers and other key stakeholders are held personally accountable for their part in the plan and know the consequences if they do not deliver. 

The best business and sales leaders have planned ahead and consider every part of their business to see where they can seed the new sales way. They have a plan that integrates their sales transformation project across the whole business. They include everyone in their regular communication and do not let up on the core message. They know shifting old behaviours, beliefs, judgments and mindsets can be really tough and takes time; they are realistic and look at a minimum of 12 months to get the essential foundations in place and then build on these to continue the evolution and transformation. They set rewards and recognition around participation and completion of key learnings and milestones as well as sales input and output measures; they make sure that sales managers can and do coach, train and plan and measure performance and are held accountable for their actions. They control what they can control and leave nothing to chance.They are committed to leading and migrating their sales teams and the broader business to a better, healthier, profitable place.

So if you are thinking about embarking on a sales transformation journey, make sure you are committed, organised and equipped to be in it for the long term. If you need a partner to help you, make sure they are passionate, knowledgeable, skilful and determined to be in it with you for the long haul. If you are offered any quick-fixes that promise you the world, remember the old saying: ‘If it is too good to be true; it is too good to be true.’

Remember, everybody lives by selling something.

Sue Barrett practices as a coach, advisor, speaker, facilitator, consultant and writer and works across all market segments with her skilful team at BARRETT. Sue and her team take the guess work out of selling and help people from many different careers become aware of their sales capabilities and enable them to take the steps to becoming effective and productive when it comes to selling, sales coaching or sales leadership.To hone your sales skills or learn how to sell go to www.barrett.com.au.