Want Better Sales? Get Back To The Basics

Jun 7, 2017 | Sales, Sales Management

A note from Alice: I know that some of my readers are sales leaders who have recently been promoted into their new role. They’ve been a successful salesperson and are now learning how to lead a sales team as they go. If I’ve just described you, a sophisticated sales process can help you shorten the sales cycle, increase sales forecasting visibility, and close more deals. But, to create one, you may need to get back to basics. Pipedrive.com has a great post about sales management definition, process, strategies, and resources that can help you. Here are some of my favorite excerpts from it.

Businesses that thrive execute one thing very well: Sales management.

Because there are so many moving parts within an organization, leaders need to fully grasp the sales management process to ensure each aspect of the sales effort is operating efficiently, resulting in the maximum profit for the team. A sophisticated sales process and management also returns the most benefit and best outcome for the customer. And, who doesn’t like a win-win?

So, What Is Sales Management In The First Place?

Sales management is the process of developing a sales force, coordinating sales operations, and implementing sales techniques that allow a business to hit consistently and even surpass its sales targets.

If your company brings in revenue, sales management should be a given. It’s crucial to boosting sales performance for any size of operation, no matter the industry.

Besides helping your company reach its sales objectives, the sales management process allows you to stay in tune with your industry as it grows and can mean the difference between merely surviving and flourishing.

Whether you’re an experienced or new sales manager, you’ll be able to evaluate and gain visibility into your current sales force and decide whether you should grow your team and how you should go about doing so. You’ll be equipped to pinpoint issues early on, coach people before it’s too late, and have a better overview of the tasks the team should be doing to increase its sales.

Sales management will help businesses and their employees better understand results, predict future performance, and develop a sense of control.

What Is There To Manage?

There are three “umbrellas” to manage within the sales process:

  • Sales operations
  • Sales strategy
  • Sales analysis

The process will vary from business to business, especially as you work your way down the line, but operations, strategy, and analysis are the three key starting or focal points.

Sales operations: Building the team

This may not be a total shocker, but the sales team is the backbone of the company – they are the direct connection between the product and the customer. In other words, they matter – a lot. All in all, the sales team should feel like they are a part of the company and be equipped to move it forward, rather than viewed as money-making machines.

Sales strategy: Defining the sales process

Once you have a team and know your targets, you might be wondering: How do you actually carry out the sales? The answer is by developing a sophisticated sales process that matches your business’ specific needs.

Sales Analysis: Reporting

Reporting is what allows you to understand how your current efforts affect your company’s success and gives you insight into what you can do to increase your efforts, whether it’s hiring more salespeople, or whether the salespeople should be making more calls or doing more demos.

Who Benefits From Sales Management?

Sales management is truly for the greater good of everyone involved in the sales cycle.

Everyone who works within and comes in contact with a company benefits from it. The more mature your sales process is and the more the manager adapts and improves it over time the more salespeople will achieve top performance, offering the best experiences for customers.

This is just a snippet from Pipedrive.com blog post. I highly recommend that you click on over to read the rest. 

If you need to build a sophisticated sales process and get your team off and running, Alice can help! Call her to chat about it at 775-852-5020 or schedule an appointment.

Pipedrive

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