The pandemic has been with us for almost a year! It’s time to really look at Salespeople, and Sales Management with Science, Data, and Objectivity in 2021.
Experience tells us that many CEO’s, Presidents and Owners have gotten more involved in their sales departments in the past 6-9 months than ever before. Why?
They are trying to figure out: “What can we do to help drive revenue in these very challenging times!”
They’ve looked at their market, spoken with their peers, suppliers and “Executive Group” members. This input has been great for getting anecdotal information, support, and a few ideas. However, until you put Sales Science in the mix, you may be doomed to “staying the same.”
Let’s look at the Science of Sales using data from Objective Management Group’s (OMG) data warehouse, which comes from evaluating over 2 million Salespeople & Sales Managers in over 30,000 companies, over the past 25+ years and share the data to look at your sales team.
First, Pre-Pandemic…money was abundant; SP were basically taking & filling orders; People were buying…It was not a question of “should I buy this?” It was “who should I buy from?”
Second, the Pandemic has changed sales and has created new issues for companies & sales teams. One MAJOR change is remote selling, as face-to-face visits are minimal.
OMG data tells us that only 41% are suitable for selling remotely! Why?
There are 3 critical factors needed to effectively sell remotely:
1. The Salesperson MUST be a “self-starter.”
2. They MUST be able to work independently (self-motivated) and
3. Must be able to work without supervision.
How many of your sales team fill those 3 critical factors?
Gaps between Great salespeople and weak salespeople are more pronounced & apparent during the Pandemic.
There are 4 key gaps of differentiation:
- Hunting new business skills. Only 51% of sales people are Hunters. They will all take leads and call them…only half will “hunt” on their own.
- Only 41% can Sell Consultatively. (Ability to Listen, Ask good questions, ask many questions; summarize conversations and discuss commitments & next steps). The others can only sell “transactionally,” quick, short 1-2 step sales.
- Selling Value. Only 55% of all salespeople can sell Value vs. Price. Not selling value impacts “qualifying” as well as pipeline management!
- Qualifying. If they struggle Qualifying…then Closing becomes a nightmare because they will not be able to close. They result low, low closing %!
Wonder why sales is not where you need it to be?
A few thoughts about Sales Manager “gaps” that are statistically important in these difficult times.
- Only 10% of all Sales Managers have “coaching” as a strength. (Pre-call deal review, strategy development; deal role playing; Post Call review & next step tactics.)
- Salespeople reporting to a Sales Manager with strong coaching skills have 26% more closable opportunities
As we are in the middle of Q1—2021, it is time to “Raise the Bar” and disrupt the status quo; and close the sales performance gaps in your business…regardless of how much longer the Covid-19 pandemic lasts.
It’s February…the clock is ticking in 2021; time is a “depleting asset” for us all.
Is it time to close the “gaps” and “profit leaks” in your company?
Looking for candor objectivity and sales growth?
Click here to schedule an appointment now…or call us at 630-560-3614
