So fast has the pace of change become in today’s business world, 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 operation, the skills it possesses, the way it is led, the processes it follows and the infrastructure required to keep the wheels turning.
And, even if you have the right strategy in place, do your instincts suggest that your sales team could be achieving more or that your cost of sales acquisition could be reduced? Do you feel that your sales team have the competencies to deliver your profit targets? Are they equipped to acquire new business, cross-sell, up-sell or farm your accounts to maximise all of your profit opportunities?
Sales Performance Optimisation will help you answer these questions and set you on the road to improved bottom line performance. We do this by analysing and understanding every element of your sales operation from planning through to execution. We will then highlight to you the real underlying opportunities to increase your bottom line through reduced cost per sales acquisition or increased revenue per sale or even both!
We do this by examining the key aspects of your sales operation, starting with the sales strategy itself. We look at the culture within your organisation and examine the impact, positive or negative, that it is having on sales performance. We take an in depth look at your sales operation, both in terms of its people and the way it operates. From a people perspective, we ask the questions – does the sales force possess the requisite sales skills and is it well led and motivated? Importantly, we also examine how well your sales teams plan and execute the sales strategy. Another key area of focus is to determine how well this strategy is underpinned by your processes and infrastructure. To do this, we look at every aspect of your organisation’s structure, processes or policies that support or impact upon sales performance to ensure they are having a positive effect. This includes key elements such as recruitment and training, remuneration policy, information services and sales force automation and so on.
Where appropriate, we can even work with your sales team on an individual basis to identify the current competency level against the competencies required for peak performance. We can report back to you whether your team are modelling the correct behaviours and demonstrating the necessary competencies to meet or exceed your sales goals, including areas of strength and areas required for improvement. We can even suggest the best way to go about developing and strengthening your sales team further with a variety of tools and methods to suit.
To help you act quickly and effectively on the opportunities we have identified, we’ll create a plan and work with you to execute it; ensuring that your sales operation is optimised and the required results are delivered with your business seeing a reduction in its cost per sales acquisition, reduction in its cost to service and/or increased revenue per customer.