The Sales Force Impasse
Are you faced with this ongoing challenge: You hired some great new sales reps… or so you thought. You invested your time and money in recruiting and training them. You’ve been waiting for the big surge in new business and revenue, but it just hasn’t happened, and it’s not likely. One of the reps is doing pretty well, but the others… well, to be honest, they’re not meeting their quota. And now you’re not so sure you made the right staffing decision after all.
Traditional wisdom finds companies struggling to fix their sales issues by asking questions like these:
Do My Reps Need…
- To improve their ability to overcome objections?
- To do trial closes more consistently?
- To be more motivated and enthusiastic?
- To improve their pitch, by focusing more on benefits, and less on features?
- To create more urgency in their sales process?
- To begin to demonstrate the product or service early in the cycle?
PSI’s Opinion…
- Doubtful that’s really going to make a difference. To do trial closes more consistently?
- That’s not it.
- Important, but it’s not the difference-maker.
- Probably not where they should be focusing their time.
- Not if they expect the prospect to make a commitment.
- Not a good idea in a complex sale.
The reality is… none of the above are likely to make a measurable difference. Traditional approaches simply do not work consistently in a complex sale.
Before you spin your wheels looking to old solutions or approaches, ask yourself this: “Is there something missing in our sales process?”
In 2006, what are the attributes that distinguish the top producer from the underperforming, below average sales rep?
Top producers know how to effectively thrive in the new, challenging environment of increased customer expectations. Top sales professionals thrive in an atmosphere where they must differentiate themselves and their services from their competition so that buyers won’t “commoditize” them. Some need to adapt to new channels of distribution, and others need to learn how to go direct.
Bottom line: they achieve persuasion by providing consultative value to their prospects. But how did they get that way? Were they born with it, or did they acquire the skills?
For the past 10 years, Productive Strategies has taught customized private workshops in consultative/persuasive sales skills to hundreds of companies, from manufacturers to law firms to high-tech software companies, ranging in size from two or three person firms to Fortune 500 corporations.
Here is our offer: We will meet with you or talk to you by phone for an in-depth session to help you identify your greatest sales challenge – the one that, if overcome, would result in the greatest return to you and your company. There is no charge for this session – our fees are earned by helping our clients convert their underperforming sales reps into top producers.
If you are interested, please contact us using the reply button.
P.S. If you’re among the 5% of sales forces that does not have the challenges stated above, please visit our website www.productivestrategies.com for more information about our unique lead generation services.
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