So in the last video you learnt about breaking down the sales system. This video is really just an extension of the previous one where I actually break down a sales system that I worked through with a previous client.
Like anything, these things take time and are worked through
- Over multiple sessions
- With multiple teams – a cross-functional one
- Piloting before transferring to full scale operation
All in all this process of performance improvement took 4 months, Rome wasn’t built in a day and either will your business performance, so be patient. You will have to dig down deep in to your current set up to truly find
- What’s working well
- What’s not working well
- What do you need to keep tweaking, piloting and improving
And everything needs to be backed by data. There is no use staying in perception mode. A good example of that in this video is when the Quality Manager stated that every time he was involved in the process, the sales team won the order. We went back through the data, and this was true. So what happened next? A new step was added to the process for a pilot study. So for example, instead of the Sales Rep asking for the sale, all they asked was for the Quality Managers of both companies to have a discussion. And this made perfect sense in this case. Why?
- From a sales perspective, it’s much easier to get get a potential client to agree to a meeting between Quality Managers than it is to get a sale
- When the Managers met and had a very strong meeting, then it made the Sale’s Rep’s job easier in closing the deal, it was very warm
- As a side note, this was in a highly regulated market, so quality was of the utmost importance
Now it’s very rare that you would add another step to a process, however when it can add value to your business, and your client, it must be considered. And that is where the pilot comes in. While you are doing to your day to day work and still getting your expected results, this is something to do on a small scale to ensure what you thought in theory made sense, does so in practicality too. This is so important. Do not miss this step, yes it adds more time to the improvement process, but I’ve seen so many incidents where businesses think of a great idea and implement before truly knowing what the consequences are, and sometimes those consequences can be very dramatic.. So don’t underestimate the power of piloting!
There are some many moving parts to building new processes, especially something as intricate as a sales system, that’s why it can take time…However when executed in an effective manner there are so many other benefits
- It’s been a cross functional exercise so there was improved collaboration
- As processes and systems always cross multiple teams
- Improved handovers between teams
- Better management going forward
- Metrics and process
And my absolute favourite is how the law of reciprocation kicks in, that is teams helping each other. When you have a business of people helping each other, you know you are building a successful culture, and a strong culture is the foundation of any business success.
In this case, the Sales Reps started helping the Quality Manager to improve his communication, what to say and focus on and how to build an integral relationship with a potential client.
