Every organization sells something. Whether it is a product, a brand, a reputation, something. Sales is part of business. Without it, you cannot succeed.
It is essential that you engage in sales leadership training to train your sales leadership to deliver accountable results. In many organizations, the salesforce is a sort of “wild beast”, that has characters of different styles all competing for business. Through different techniques, charisma, or other charms, they sometimes land a customer, but many times they don’t. Sales management’s priority, then, is to ensure that sales people aren’t cutting corners, getting bad habits, being lazy, ignoring what the customer is saying, or avoid steps that they aren’t comfortable with.
Once you have a sales process in place, here are 10 accountability steps for salesforce leadership to drive results:
1. This is Mandatory
Some sales reps are always under the impression that they know best, and as such, can skip over key steps in the sales process. Even basic sales processes, like “Meet, Greet, Ask, Offer, Close” require reps to follow a specific set of steps. Make sure that they know this is mandatory. If they skip a step, they jeopardize the sales process. Sometimes they may get lucky, but the odds of success increase by following the process.
2. No Exceptions
Do not allow exceptions to the process. By allowing on exception, you open the door to others. Before long, none of your salesforce is following the process you created, and you are back to square one. This doesn’t mean there isn’t room to innovate or change the process – but don’t allow exceptions to what leadership wants.
3. Everybody Plays
Just like it sounds, everybody must embody the process and play. Management, supervisors, and every sales rep and team member. A united front is always more successful than a divisive front. You can’t have sales force getting mixed messages. Don’t change the structures constantly, keep it simple, and keep it consistent. By having everyone playing together, you will see your method pay off.
4. Accountability
Everyone must be held accountable to executing the process. Supervisors must watch and course correct. Managers must watch the supervisors. Accountability is the key to success.
5. Coach
With accountability, it is essential that you coach your team to follow the process you want. Not getting good greetings, coach and tell them your expectation. You must hold them accountable. If you have a rep deviating from the process, you must coach them and get them back on track. Not coaching is not holding accountable, and not holding accountable means that everyone is not playing. As a result, you will not have a successful salesforce.
6. Recognize
Hand in hand with coaching is recognition. If a rep is doing it right, highlight this positively. Positive reinforcement is much stronger than negative reinforcement.
7. Highlight the Consequences
Make sure that you show the consequences of not following the process – both positive and negative. Positive consequences can be highlighting how many more sales are closed by doing the process. Negative consequences can be as easy as showing a low conversion rate. Either way, show the difference.
8. Reward
Make sure that you a providing rewards for your salesforce. This is very common in the form of commissions. However, make sure that your structure aligns with your process, you are rewarding the proper metrics, and that you are not changing your structure too often. This may be difficult, but continuity of rewards makes a stronger force.
9. Practice
Practice makes perfect, and it is the same with sales. Make sure that your team is practicing your routines and pitches everyday, not just with the customers. Everyone needs to be on the same page, and you only get there through practice.
10. If Still Not Achieving, Start Back At #1
Finally, if you are still not achieving your desired results, go back through steps 1-9 and see where the disconnect is. There is something missing from your process.
About Carson Derrow
