In 20+ years of advising CEOs, presidents and business owners I’ve heard countless times about how the sales team was just sitting in the office getting “all the ducks in a row”, so to speak, before going out and actually selling something. In business, don’t wait to have “all the ducks in a row” for sales success. Otherwise, you and your sales team may never sell anything on a consistent basis.
Here’s why:
By staying bound to the desk in the office, the salesforce isn’t necessarily prospecting in an optimal way. They may not be cold calling or social selling online. In other words, they’re not selling. And perhaps just giving you (the CEO, president or business owner) as well as themselves excuses regarding how sales goals are being met (or not met).
Instead, sales people were mostly just sitting around all day drinking coffee, making plans, researching and preparing materials as well as wasting a lot of valuable company sales time. Both time and sales you can never get back. Which means less profit to the company’s bottom line.
Sometimes sales people spend far too much time concentrating on getting all the “ducks in row”. Perfection isn’t necessary to sell. The desire to go and find new customers or contracts is vital for sales success – and to the very life of your company.
- If sales people are responsible at your company to make calls then they need to be on the phone. It should be scheduled into their day.
- If their responsibility is to sell they need to be selling. Again, having specific time scheduled just for selling. The paperwork or other duties can wait. It’s important but it shouldn’t be done during prime selling time. There’s no justification for late sales reports either. It’s finding and keeping the customer that counts.
Why?
Because you can never have too many customers or clients.
Planning is important. But any sales person who wants to spend more time in the office writing plans, catching up on paperwork, getting organized and otherwise just wasting time rather than selling will never give you the results you need to have a profitable business.
Don’t accept excuses.
Don’t let sales people sell you on their lack of sales productivity.
Bottom line: the sales numbers tell the real story.
Remember: Salespeople sell. Period. No excuses.
If your salespeople are selling you and giving you excuses about why they are not being productive instead of selling to your target customer base, you’ve got a business problem.
Solve the business problem. Don’t let it continue.
Getting all your ducks in a row won’t necessarily bring you sales success or help you stay ahead of the competition in today’s business world.
As a CEO, president or business owner ask yourself every day:
What did the company sell TODAY?
Know what stage every potential sale is at. Know what stage every closed sale is at for ongoing business success. The sale doesn’t stop just because you sold something.
Ask your sales team the same question on a regular basis.
It doesn’t matter what was sold yesterday or the day before that or last week or the month before.
It only matters what is sold TODAY.
To your sales success!
Ready to improve your business and increase sales at your company? Talk with Howard! – 888-738-1855 – Howard Lewinter guides – focuses – advises CEOs, presidents and business owners to MORE success – MORE profit – less stress.