As a successful CEO, president or business owner, you need a highly motivated, goal driven team of salespeople that truly enjoy their work. As you know and understand from leading a company, it is essential to the success and growth of the company to be consistently profitable. Otherwise, why are you in business? A company cannot be profitable without a sales plan and sales process in place to drive revenue. There needs to be a steady flow of new prospects, established customers or clients, ongoing sales presentations and closing of sales or contracts. To do that effectively, the sales concept needs to be integrated throughout the entire company as appropriate to every department and job position. In fact, every employee at your business is a salesperson! It’s not just a matter of the sales team bringing business into the company; equally important is customer satisfaction and the retention of customers. All part of the sales process.
Most businesses have a traditional sales staff or department with employees holding titles such as salesperson, sales representative, account executive, sales specialist or order taker, to name a few. If the business is online, the sales method may be different but there is still the need for a sales process and online interaction with customers. The key is someone contacts someone else for a sale to begin.
Your sales department is vitally important because without it you won’t bring in the sales volume necessary to be in business. Yet every employee, whether in the sales department or another department in the company, can be and is your best salesperson. For example: If you have someone answering the phone at the reception desk, this is where sales begin at most companies. If it isn’t a professional yet friendly voice who is also a good listener but rather is someone who seems to…
- not really care about their job and the company they represent,
- isn’t interested in really helping whoever is calling into the company
- doesn’t acknowledge someone who frequently calls into the company
… this puts your sales potential (and business) at a disadvantage.
Over the 25+ years of advising CEOs, presidents and business owners throughout the United States across a wide range of industries and business circumstances, I’ve experienced very few companies with exceptional employees greeting people by phone or in person at the reception desk. These exceptional employees made you feel like they knew you all their professional life.
- One specific individual is an individual with a firm in Pittsburgh, PA. When you call into the company, she always makes you feel like she is your trusted best friend and ready to help in any way.
- Another works for a large company in California. She always finds something to personalize the brief conversation. Though the conversation may last just seconds before connecting your call to another extension she makes you feel welcome and glad that you called in today.
Every employee at your business is a salesperson.
- It might be the person who handles the incoming and outgoing shipping when the UPS or FedEX guy/gal shows up daily to drop off/pick up packages and does everything possible to make the UPS driver’s job a bit easier.
- It might be the service technician that goes on site and always treats the people he/she meets with respect no matter the situation – and is always on time at the designated appointment time.
- It might be the people who clean the office where your company is located. You can count on their pride and willingness to keep the entire office sparkling clean. This makes it a pleasant place to work and visit every day. Employees and customers always take note of “little things” like this. Makes people want to come to your place of business.
- It might be a vendor you work with because you treat them always with respect and have built a professional working relationship. If someone should ask this vendor for a recommendation, without hesitation a recommendation, if appropriate, may be headed your way.
Remember: Every employee at your business is a salesperson.
The above sentence should be a daily mantra of every CEO, president or business owner.
Then it comes down to YOU, doesn’t it? You must be your own best salesperson.
It begins with having a consistent vision and strategy for the company you lead. It’s how you treat every employee.
- Motivating and encouraging everyone to make it a team effort of daily success.
- When stressful situations or problems arise, there is never any screaming or yelling.
- There is always discussion as to how to improve and make it better at your company.
- Ongoing training for everyone at all levels of the company.
- And don’t forget birthdays or other employee mileposts and achievements. It’s about taking a minute to stop and talk with people.
Remember: Leaders lead.
The key is to know what the right balance is to how you communicate with those you work with. You don’t want to be too friendly as it may cause employees to not take their jobs as seriously; but you also don’t want to sit in your office behind your desk and stare at the computer or paperwork all day either.
Every person that works for your company is important.
Every person that comes in contact with your company is important.
One bad or even mediocre experience is sometimes all it takes to make someone rethink working with or buying from your company.
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase: “One bad apple can spoil the whole barrel”. But do you really know what the phrase means? A quick explanation is: Apples use to be shipped in barrels made of wood. If one apple was rotten it would affect the whole barrel (or bunch) of apples due to the ethylene gas the one rotten (or bad) apple emits.
One bad business experience where people are not treated well will affect everyone and everything in your company.
Make certain you have the best possible experience for those you work with every business day.
Make certain everyone at your company understands their important role in the sales process and the success of the business.
Remember: Every employee at your business is a salesperson.
To your success!
Business expert and strategist, Howard Lewinter, guides – focuses – advises CEOs, presidents and business owners throughout the United States across a wide range of industries, to MORE success – MORE profit – less stress. Business people trust Howard’s vast business knowledge, practical advice, intuitive insight and objective perspective to solve business problems and issues. Get MORE from your business! Talk business with Howard: 888-738-1855.
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