How to turn‘red flags’ into profitable people
“Companies that know how to spot the red flags within both their existing sales force and potential hires, have a huge leg up on their competition.”
—Dave Kurlan, Objective Management Group
WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY obsessed with instant gratification. When we want something, we want it now. Need to drop 30 pounds for a reunion? Try the five-pill-in-five-days miracle weight loss formula – even though 15 years of a sedentary lifestyle combined with poor eating habits produced the problem.
We also live in a time when we cease to be amazed by the warp-speed advances in technology. We have become so accustomed to advances that we think anything is possible, and it’s possible now.
The expectations generated by these factors cause problems in my business. Some presidents and CEOs to whom I talk want to transform their underachieving sales force, which hasn’t reached quota even one month since the economy started to sputter, into overnight successes. I hear comments such as the following:
I have good people; they just need to close more. Can you teach them a few good closing moves that will help them write more business?
I don’t know why they can’t do it like I can! Let me put them in a onehour seminar so you can teach them how to do it.
We’re just starting out, we’re a small company, so we can’t afford to invest time or money in developing our salespeople now – we’ll do it when we’re successful and making lots of money.
The truth, however, is that without positive sales revenues, a company won’t experience financial success.
No magic dust
Is your sales staff helping you achieve bottom line results? If not, what does it take to get your sales force up to par? Here’s a formula that works. It doesn’t contain any quick fixes or magic dust, but it will produce long-term profitable and sustainable sales.
Assess: Take an honest look at your existing sales force. Are your sales professionals delivering the sales needed to achieve your financial goals? If not, why not? What’s getting in the way? What are the red flags? Look at each individual. What will it take to get the person up to speed? Is it possible, and is it going to be worth the investment? The market is full of people who can sell. Far fewer will sell. Even fewer yet will execute successfully given your industry and market conditions
Analyze: Are your existing salespeople even trainable? How much money have you spent in the past sending salespeople to programs and seminars without seeing measurable sales results? That’s a red flag! Here’s a secret: most programs don’t work – not because they are bad programs but because the people who attended them aren’t trainable.
Many presidents and CEOs get scared at this point. What if they find that most of their salespeople aren’t trainable? Then they’ll need to make changes; that’s going to be tough. Interestingly, many would rather not know the diagnosis. As a result, they continue doing business as usual, permitting the non-producers to gradually suck the lifeblood out of the business. As president and CEO, you cannot afford to wobble in this area.
Acquire: Are you recruiting and hiring people who will sell? How many times have you hired a salesperson who did not work out? The superstar whom you just signed on faded into a supernova as soon as the ink was dry. You discovered the red flags too late.
The reality is that in this market, salespeople are looking for jobs. However, it’s difficult to find people who will execute successfully. The good news is that they are they are available, and you can find them. However, expect to implement a proven process to ensure you’re hiring those who will perform.
Appraise: Take a hard look at your sales management practices. Ask yourself the questions in the tip box with this article .
I challenge you to discover the truth, find the red flags and be ready to deal with them head on so that you can achieve bottom line results.
[contact] Danita Bye, president of Sales Growth Specialists, a division of SQS Inc. in Medina, works with CEOs and owners to increase sales, boost profitability and create predictable revenue streams: 612.267.3320; danita@sqsinc.com
