I’ve worked with B2B sales organizations of various shapes and sizes for over thirty years. I’ve seen good ones and bad ones. And one common thing I’ve noticed that has a great impact is leadership. And I mean leadership at all levels in an organization; from CEO to sales manager. This may sound obvious, but I’m not just talking about their competencies and so-called leadership abilities, but equally (or even more) important is a set of beliefs that the best share. Without these four beliefs it is difficult for a sales organization to flourish, despite sometimes having qualified, well trained sales people.
1. Sales is important!
The best leaders not only recognize that Sales is valuable; they view it as critical to company success. Conversely, I am continually astounded by the number of senior executives, including some CEOs, who regard sales as a “necessary evil” or “overhead” with little real value. They often perceive that sales people don’t work very hard and frivolously spend precious budget dollars on junkets, expensive dinners and unnecessary entertainment. I readily acknowledge that there are some sales people who deserve this reputation and historical stereotyping doesn’t help, but that doesn’t mean the sales function isn’t valuable. The best leaders understand, appreciate and support their sales organizations with their words and their actions. They create a culture that holds the sales function in high regard. The “shadow of the leader” concept is in play here: if senior leadership don’t have a high regard for sales, then the rest of the organization won’t either! Mike Weinberg’s new book “Sales Management Simplified” expounds on this topic in detail and is a recommended read for sales leaders at all levels.
2. Sales is work!
This sounds obvious; of course it’s work. It’ hard work, despite the misperceptions many leaders have. The best work long hours although not always conventional 9 to 5. The fundamentals of sales require a high degree of effort and skill. Effective preparation, prospecting, conducting productive sales calls, developing solutions to meet customer needs, delivering compelling presentation and managing customer expectations are not things one just rolls out of bed and does. The problem is many sales people don’t do the real work. They fill their days with low gain activities that are mostly reactive: responding to RFPs they didn’t influence, pitching products and rushing to generate proposals without proper qualification, chasing down service issues, or spending an inordinate amount of time on administration. And too often sales leaders tacitly accept this behavior or even explicitly encourage it!
3. Work is a process!
Every other function (manufacturing, finance, service delivery, product development, etc.) is typically guided by documented processes and standards. The disciplines of lean, six sigma and agile have been applied to some of these areas. But Sales is often the exception. In these cases leadership fails to take the view that sales is comprised of a set of work processes and should be treated as such. Processes require structure and disciplined execution. The best understand that the work of sales requires consistent application of a methodology, competent and disciplined leadership and guidance, and meaningful inspection and measurement of activity and results. And where must this structure and discipline come from? Sales Managers. If they are not equipped to conduct the inspection and coaching on a regular cadence then there is little chance of sustaining success. Now I’m not talking about rigid scripts and micro managed teams. But there must be some order; a framework for guidance through the sales process, effective pipeline and opportunity reviews, win/loss analysis, and ad hoc as well as scheduled coaching, training and development activities.
4. Sales is a profession, not a job!
True professionals focus on their skill development, they practice, they prepare, they plan and they follow a process and cadence; athletes, doctors, pilots, you name it. Unfortunately, many sales people (and sales managers) don’t live up to this standard. They want to be called sales professionals and may use the term to describe themselves, but they are really people who conduct sales as a job, not a profession. They go through the motions, don’t create call plans or opportunity plans, don’t structure their time, and on and on.; they just wing it. And worse, their managers don’t expect or inspect these crucial activities. Little wonder so many people don’t respect sales as a profession and research suggest that most buyers see little value in conversations with sales people. We shouldn’t feel sorry for them. They’ve made their own bed! But the best do behave like professionals and they are usually supported by leaders who share a healthy set of beliefs about selling as a profession.
What do you think? You may see other beliefs that are important. I welcome your comments and ideas. And if you’d like to learn more about how to execute on this set of beliefs you can contact me directly at dmulhern@pvgsolutions.com. And please visit our website at www.pvgsolutions.com to see how we help B2B sales organizations deliver improved Performance, Value and Growth!
