Six Ways to Accelerate Results: Our Sales Performance Model
The are six ways to improve sales results. Our proprietary Sales Performance Model has been developed and refined over a 20-year period and has helped us achieve significant sales increase in more than 250 client companies. Although presented in a simple format, this model contains up to 50 best practices, proven techniques and processes for each step.
Starting at the base of the model, the following is a brief explanation of each building block used to develop high-performing sales teams and programs:
- Implement a complete sales strategy and process. Many companies haven’t defined their sales “best practices” and put them into a step-by-step selling system that increases closing rates and decreases sales cycle length. Expert assistance, with optional Sales Process Engineering & Testing can help ensure an optimal sales strategy and process is implemented via trainingt and other means.
- Hire the right people capable of performing the sales process. Good sales hires are an important element in overal sales department performance.
- Optimize motivation and compensation. As the addage goes, “salespeople do what they’re paid to do.” Oftentimes, issues such as lack of prospecting activity can be traced back to ineffective compensation plans (e.g where new account commissions are not much higher than general sales commissions levels). Both monetary and non-monetary motivators, such as recognition and advancement, are key to generating superior sales results.
- Provide superior and sales skills and tools. Great skills and effective tools are key to each salesperson’s success. We’ve found that using sales techniques which have not been published or popularized lead to better sales results since customers and prospects are often turned off or unphazed by sales approaches they hear every day.
- Coach for performance. All successful athletes have coaches. Likewise, training and coaching are not one-time activites, they’re ongoing. The fact is that companies who regularly coach their salespeople typically have superior ROI on their sales training investments.
- Manage and measure success. Great sales metrics help managers to examine sales process steps and bottlenecks and to forecast future sales. In short, active and strategic sales management is critical to long-term sales success.
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Sales Tools Key Component of Training
Several studies have shown that people retain less than 15% of what they learn in just one month! Moreover, most people don’t permanently change their selling approaches after receiving training. So, how can training have a long-lasting impact?
Training effectiveness is greatly enhanced by providing tools that help salespeople apply what they’ve learned continuously remind them of new and successful sales techniques. Examples of effective sales tools that we help salespeople develop during sales training sessions include:
- Prospect research checklists
- Prospecting call and campaign openings
- Elevator speeches for profitable networking
- Qualification questions list
- Prospect ranking criteria (e.g. A,B,C quality rankings)
- Telephone openings
- Voicemail ads
- Phone tag reduction strategies
- Needs assessment questions
- Major account profiles
- Problems-solutions checklists
- Objections and responses list
- Commitments lists
- Negotiation concessions
- Key information to track on a CRM
Although managers have developed and supplied their people with some of these tools, salespeople simply don’t use them! Why? In short, “people support what they help to create.” If salespeople create the tool, they’re much more apt to buy into it and use it than if a sales manager gives it to them. After all, the truth most sales managers hate to acknowledge is that their suggestions are often downplayed or ignored.
In summary, when post-training sales team coaching and reinforcement are combined with effective sales tools, long-term behavioral changes are likely to occur.
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Great post!
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I really like this page with the pyramid model and particularly item #5, addressing coaching – very good advice.
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I really like this page with the pyramid model. I especially like item #5, addressing coaching – very good advice.
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.....Tell us what you think or ask a question.....
12 Ways to Make Your Sales Training More Effective
Keys to making your sales training program more effective include:
- Select a sales trainer who knows, or who is willing to invest the time it takes to learn your business and get to know your people. Remember, low knowledge = low credibility.
- Base the training on the optimal sales process for your business. The training should use existing or newly-innovated sales best practices that are specific to your business.
- Gain “buy in” prior to the training. Good sales trainers will interview your staff prior to training them to understand their individual needs and gain their buy in to what’s being taught.
- Tailor all course materials. When salespeople perceive the training to be “canned” and they spot sections that are not relevant to their business, they often perceive the entire program to be irrelevant.
- Spread out the training. Providing salespeople time in between training sessions helps them practice what they’ve learned, ask the trainer for help when new techniques are not working for them and retain the knowledge longer.
- Require salespeople to attend all training sessions. Creative methods, such as tying learning objectives to compensation and incentives may be useful.
- Commit sales managers to 100% attendance so that they can observe their salespeople and note skills bottlenecks.
- Develop a follow on coaching and reinforcement plan. Permanent learning and behavior change occur over time and through repetition. That’s exactly why post-training coaching is essential for long-term success.
- Provide the sales manager with management and coaching training.
- Track key steps in the sales process so that sales skills and process bottlenecks can be quickly identified and corrected.
- Consider using short-term incentives to motivate important sales activities such as cold calling.
- Provide similar training to non-sales staff to ensure consistent customer experiences with your firm.
COMMENTS
.....Tell us what you think or ask a question.....
Great post!
I really like this page with the pyramid model and particularly item #5, addressing coaching – very good advice.
I really like this page with the pyramid model. I especially like item #5, addressing coaching – very good advice.
Thank you Brian !!!
Craig