Is your current sales strategy aligned to the overall business strategy? Surely, this seems like a naive question to which the only possible answer is “Yes, of course it is!” But is it really? So fast has the pace of change become, and the longevity of business strategy correspondingly shortened in order for companies to keep up or even remain one step ahead, that functional strategies within the organisation (Sales, IT, HR etc.) easily become disconnected from the overall strategic intent of the business.
So, what does this disconnect look like from a sales perspective? Obvious and simple examples include a change from new customer acquisition to customer retention or opting for profit growth rather than revenue growth at a business level whilst the sales operation fails to react accordingly. These may sound like simple, easily made adjustments but they invariably have profound implications for your sales team, the skills it possesses, the way it is led, the processes it follows and the infrastructure required to keep the wheels turning.