I’ve been quite surprised recently by the number of businesses I’ve worked with whose sales teams don’t sell. I know it’s pretty shocking to think that you can have sales teams that don’t sell. However, think about your sales team. Does every one of your sales teams sell four times their salary?
If not, why not?
And do you even know that number? And if they’re not selling, what are you doing about it?
Who is to blame when a sales team does not sell?
I’ve asked this question of a couple of business owners recently, and they have said that they have taken the blame for their sales team’s not selling.
Some of the reasons I have heard are:
1) I haven’t given them enough training.
2) They haven’t been here long enough.
3) I haven’t set their KPIs.
These are all valid reasons. However, let us ask these questions:
1) How is your profit?
2) How is your bottom line?
3) Whose job is it to sell?
Is the person whose job is to sell aligning with your values of having a highly motivated and ethical organisation by sitting there and not selling?
It’s like having a Thermomix. Thermomixer are amazing. I know I have one. However, I know what it can do. I know how amazing it is. I know how much time it can save me. However, mostly I eat salads, and the Thermomix isn’t the right tool for making salads. So I’ve got a great employee called Thermomix in the wrong position called salad making. So really, there are two solutions, I sell it, or I use it and set some targets.
Here are six things that you require in a salesperson:
1) Product knowledge.
2) How to identify a prospect.
3) Practice active listening.
4) Time management.
5) Interpersonal skills.
6) The ability to finalise a sale.
Do you have a documented system and process procedure?
If not, I strongly encourage you to document the end-to-end sales market and process. Looking at timeframes from the first touchpoint of the sale and then to the delivery is essential and will help with projecting forecasting and the needs of the business.
But it comes back to you. What you permit and promote and what you allow and then teach. Are you allowing your staff and your team to have a sales team that doesn’t sell? If this is correct, what will you do about it?
Here are six things that you require to have a sales team that does sell:
1) Set financial goals.
2) Develop a strategy.
3) Ensure that your staff are trained to up-skilled to sell.
4) Set an aggressive KPI goal.
5) Ensure that the entire team works together.
6) Reward and recognition
You will want your team to sell together rather than individually. It’s good to have both individual goals but also team goals. By having a team goal, your team will work together and not against each other towards the combined sales target.
For your sales team to be successful, you need to prioritise that your sales process has all of these aspects.