By Gary Walker, EVP of Channel Sales & Operations, CustomerCentric Selling®
As the result of our weekly Sales Thoughts and other published articles, we have the opportunity to speak with salespeople and sales leaders almost on a daily basis. We talk about their sales process and what they can do to make it more effective; how to conduct a territory prospecting planning session; etc. We gain very valuable insights from these conversations.
A question that I often get asked in some form is, “Should I train my sales people?” Or, “Do I really need to train my salespeople?” The fact of the matter is, you as a sales leader should be answering that question, not me.
However, I do have to tell you that I’m convinced that you become so laser focused on revenue attainment, that you overlook many of the sales behaviors which lead to revenue attainment. You know, “I don’t have time to sharpen the ax! I’m too busy chopping wood.”
So what I’ve done is come up with some questions that you can use to begin to self-diagnose your team’s performance. It’s not an all-inclusive list, just a short list of simple YES or NO sales performance questions about your sales team and how it is performing.
In order to protect your privacy this is not an interactive form. It’s a static document that you can print off and complete. Put a check mark next to the appropriate answer.
Okay, now it’s time to look at how you responded. Total up your YES and NO answers. What can you conclude about your sales team? Do they have some sales performance issues that need to be corrected? Do you need to take the time to “sharpen the ax?” If you do and 50% of your sales team close ONE additional piece of business in the next twelve months, what will it be worth to you and your company?
Please feel free to call me (1-800-993-1228, ext 702) if I can be of assistance to you and your salespeople.
