TALKING POINTSAs a recession bites, it’s common for businesses to question whether the sales team is effective enough. Is it the recession? Or is the sales team simply under-performing? The answer is never going to be black and white, but Right Outcome can offer a clearer viewpoint.
It’s called Sales Force Effectiveness.
HOW IT WORKS- I’ll look at your marketing, establish its benefit and consider how it can be improved
- I’ll look at what the competition are doing. A company renting out vans for £1 a week is unbeatable on price, so the answer is to focus on the customer service
- I’ll look at the industry. The car industry is a good example. New car sales are down, yet good sales people will still be active – winners perform even in the worst environment
- I’ll look for the barriers to success. For example, does your credit control department turn too many deals down? No-one wants to incur bad debts, but having none could be a mistake
- I’ll look at customer service. A great sales person can be let down by poor customer service
- I’ll look at the numbers. I analyse metrics on: sales activity, pipelines, conversion rates, profitability, pricing, size of sale, source of business – new customer, referral, or repeat business – and product mix
- I’ll look for tricks of the trade, which can be used to mask poor performance
- I’ll meet the sales team. A face-to-face sit down means I can get their perspective, understand their success and explore their issues
The main advantage of an in-depth analysis of your sales force’s effectiveness, is that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.