Sales Effectiveness
The extremely competitive business conditions of today’s marketplace are creating new challenges for corporations, forcing them to critically evaluate the effectiveness of their selling organisations. Senior executives are focusing on the sales force and its alignment with the corporate business strategy.
The sales force is the key component for the growth and survival of the organisation. Today’s competitive environment dictates that the sales process be effective in the retention, expansion and acquisition of business within a controlled, managed, and structured sales process. The components of the structured sales process include:
Market coverage plan;
Target account profile;
Selling strategies;
Organisational structure;
Roles;
Competencies;
Forecasting;
Goal setting;
Performance measures;
Compensation;
Rewards; and
Recognition.
Watertrace approach to enhancing the effectiveness of the sales process begins with an understanding that the competitiveness of the sales force is directly related to the sales force culture, leadership style, market approach and support infrastructure. The independent nature of the sales force requires an approach that invites their participation in developing the model for the transition to increased effectiveness.
Historically, organisations have attempted to improve the effectiveness of their sales force by focusing on single areas of the structured sales process such as compensation or training. Experience has proven that to change the behaviour of the selling organisation companies must consider a more comprehensive yet direct approach that utilises methods that engage the sales people “where it happens, in the street and offices of customers and prospects.” Through this type of approach the effectiveness of the sales process can be evaluated, critical success factors defined, barriers identified, and solutions to increasing effectiveness implemented.
