Create Your "Ideal" Sales Force Blueprint

Now is the time to rethink your sales strategy and your sales force. Design the sales force your business needs and get great results.

Tip: It's all in the thinking and planning that happens before the execution. To help you start your thinking and planning here are two case studies from our work files where the businesses got it right.

Story one: Transform your current sales team into a new sales team

"The Sales Culture transformation and competency project we worked on with you in 2008 has been such a great success for our team. The culture is now fantastic and the morale of the Sales Team is very good. We aimed for the culture we wanted and got it. People have settled into their roles and are working out fantastically. It was the planning and thinking behind it that made it work. The Competency work has, without a doubt, made a difference. The Sales Competencies are 'Gold'. We refer to them all the time and the Sales People are using them as well to develop themselves and have clearer, more accountable, performance reviews. The competencies helped our team realise how responsible they need to be in their roles."

This is what can happen when you design your sales force to deliver your strategy. This quote comes from a Sales Director of a business we have worked with for many years. They had the same sales force structure over the last 15 years and a very stable sales force to go with it. The team and structure had worked very well, however the market was changing and the business and its sales people needed to adapt and evolve to ensure they were current, fit and productive.

In 2008, this Sales Director realised she needed to develop a new strategy moving forward and with that needed a new sales culture and team to deliver it. But she didn't want to get rid of the current sales team. They were good operators with great industry knowledge and experience. She knew it would be foolish to start from scratch with a new team and she didn't want to create confusion or unnecessary unrest or anxiety in her existing team.

Her concerns rested around getting buy-in from the team regarding the new strategy and, in particular, their need to adjust their roles somewhat. Despite not wanting to lose people she was prepared to do so if necessary.

What did she do?

Developed her sales strategy and then presented her strategy to her sales team, inviting feedback and explaining 'why' they all needed to move in this direction using a well researched, evidenced based approach. The team knew what was happening in the market place so it came as no surprise to them that they needed to shift. That is fine intellectually, however we knew the challenge would be in actually getting them to shift in real terms.
To get the real shift happening she then engaged her team in the development of the new Sales Roles by engaging in a 'job design' process with us.
Out of the 'job design' process we developed the right Sales Behavioural Competencies (DNA) and 'ideal' role/person specification matched to sales strategy, product and customer base.
Sales Behavioural Competencies were then linked to the Sales Team performance management reviews and are now being used in coaching, recruitment and succession planning processes.
Sales Behavioural Competencies were mapped to measurable sales metrics
The Sales Behavioural Competencies now act as a pivotal reference point in all their work.
As mentioned, the Sales People are using Sales Behavioural Competencies to develop themselves, have clearer, more accountable, performance reviews and better role clarity which means they know how they need to perform to achieve their strategy goals.

Story two: Design the sales team you want from scratch - green fields

A Divisional Manager of a large Australian corporate came to us because they didn't want to hire people from their industry as they didn't think they were competitive in the current market. They wanted to refresh the gene pool and bring in fit sales people who were not tarnished by the industry mindset and its way of doing things. They knew that in this over commoditised marketplace their sales people were their competitive edge.

They were on the right track but didn't know where and how to start. So here is what we did together to find elite sales performers:

Reviewed sales strategy, path to market, and products being sold
Developed the right Sales Behavioural Competencies (DNA) and 'ideal' role/person specification matched to sales strategy, product, and customer base
Built a structured sales recruitment process and kit
Targeted industries the new breed of sales people could come from and went to market to find them
Built and implemented the right sales induction training program matched to sales strategy, sales competencies, product, and customer base
Had new sales team present their 'go-to-market' action plan to senior management before they went to market
Implemented a sales management support system
Followed up with infield training and coaching
Mapped and measured sales metrics
The results were stunning from a sales initiative perspective. The 'new breed' of elite sales performers achieved a sales closing ratio of 4:3 within 2 months against an industry average of 3:1 and sold the annual sales budget within 5 months.

Feedback from the sales people was that this was the best sales recruitment and sales induction process they had ever been through. In all their sales careers, and many came from big name companies, they have never been set up so well to succeed. They felt confident, proud, and capable to really deliver.

Feedback from the client: "We worked in partnership to develop an end-to-end model for a new innovative sales team. The approach was unique in that they worked with us across recruitment, training, needs analysis, pitch planning and the end delivery. They added huge value to any sales process."

By designing your 'ideal' sales force blue print you can build and achieve the following in your business:

Change your culture by creating the sales culture you want
Design the ideal sales force you want
Recruit the sales force you want / your strategy needs
Refresh your thinking, ideas, actions and results
Develop career paths and succession planning
Clear performance expectations
Clearer, more accountable, performance reviews
Provide a framework for identifying what a high performing sales person looks for your business
Profiling of the core sales capabilities / competencies for sales managers/ sales people for use in recruitment, performance management, training, coaching and succession planning.
Provide a framework for assessing the calibre of candidates as defined by core competencies and values;
As you prepare for the next financial year and are developing your sales strategy take time to reflect on what your 'ideal' sales force blue print should be. Do not underestimate the value of taking time to think and plan, ultimately it could make you a lot more money.

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Literature Dispensers - An Ideal Tool for Business Advertisement

It is well established in today's world that what is seen is what is sold. The western concepts of departmental stores and shopping malls have brought about this concept. Gone are the days when one had to go through the shopkeeper to inquire about the product or what are the varieties of those same particular products available. A person can get over the awkwardness he has to face when he would just want to inquire and not buy, but in a shopping mall you can go through the whole stock, and their related information reaches directly to them. There are many products which have a lot of information to provide. This information is found in their literatures or brochures. Instead of keeping these literatures in stacks or piles, which can get messy, literature dispensers are the need of the day.

Literature Dispensers can really be useful for big markets or shopping malls, because it can reduce the need of labor. This is how it works. For example, we presume that an exhibition cum sale is being held. Just like a mall. Items for sale are decoratively stacked all over a huge hall. Now, to help the customer, a salesman should be facilitating the customer by waiting on him or her i.e. attend them. But in a busy day it is not possible to attend all the customers. But it can be compensated by displaying a literature dispenser. A customer can go through the literature to check out the catalogue or the latest trends, surely keeping the chances of a sale open even without an attendant.

Now comes the part where we have to decide where to place the literature in your exhibition. Most important part is that the literature dispenser should not be kept in a very sophisticated manner. But that does not mean that it should be a mess. It should be placed eloquently, but it should not loose it casualness. The entire attitude of the literature dispenser should be very warm and welcoming. It should give out the message to the customers that they can easily go through them and they are for free. One must not have the doubt in their mind while reading the literature that he might have to pay for it. They should be sleek, smart but customer friendly.

Nowadays these literature dispensers are also getting fashionable and fantastically designed. They are made out of various kinds materials: from paper to metal. They also come in various shapes and sizes. Many times a customer's mind will be attracted just by the design of the literature dispenser. Keeping it next to the cash counter can be useful as a customer who has already purchased can be interested to go through the literature to find something more from the shop next time. This would help the business to build a loyal clientele.

Moreover these come in various colors shapes and sizes, and in many types of materials such as acrylic, plastic, wire etc. These look trendy and classy. They can not only be useful in showrooms, but they can be used in libraries, schools and many other places.

John Rowbotham the owner of Stand-store.co.uk is the leading supplier of Literature Dispensers in the United Kingdom.
For an extensive range of Literature Stands to help you in promoting your business, be sure to check out our store for your business display solutions.

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