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How Do Your Sales People Sell? |
| Reviewing Sales Objectives |
| Palladin |
| Direct Sales & Channels Execution |
| Thought or Comments? |
Profile, Align & Define Direct Sales:
Hiring direct sales people can be risky. It takes time to train and build a
book of business. It is important to develop a sales rep profile. The
profile is important, moving too far away from it will produce poor results.
“An empty apartment is better than a bad tenant”.
Style should be a consideration of the sales rep profile. Since by nature,
sales people tend to be outspoken, be sure you understand how their
style fits into your culture. Certain styles works better in large companies,
other styles works better in small companies where everyone carries a
bag. Some styles do not work in either!
Style consideration is particularly important when you choose a leader to
run your sales organization, because more than likely, they will bring in
their own posse of sales people who will behave similarly. It is important
to understand what you are in for before you bring in a new sales
executive & sales team. If not, your entire organization may suffer.
Other than references, here is one simple way to get first hand experience
about the profile & style of a potential sales candidate: Bring them out for
a round of golf. You would be surprised what you can learn about
someone in a 6 hour pressure packed round of golf!
Since compensation also drives sales behavior, make sure that the sales
compensation plans are aligned with company business plans . Be real
sure that territories are clearly defined to avoid channel conflict with other
reps and selling partners.
Finally, define the sales process and assign resources based on
process steps. This will encourage information sharing and opportunity
qualification. All this information should be contained in a collaborative
sales tracking & forecasting system that all company stake holders have
access to.
Geographical Expansion:
Europeans like to buy from Europeans. A successful sales group in the
US may not succeed in Europe. Look for talent that has been successful
selling similar products in the foreign territory. It is important that they
have contacts and the ability to bring in good people. Look for expansion
through American multi-national companies to get local references.
Partnering with Purpose:
Choosing partners can be very difficult. Analysts can be very effective at
suggesting potential partners and making introductions. Ask your
customers what service providers they use. Look at your competition,
who do they partner with? Partnership include, selling partners that sell
with you, OEM partners who embed your solution in their offerings and
technology partners which extend your solution.
To gain revenue through partners you must understand how they sell and
get paid. Are they vertically aligned and is your vertical alignment similar.
Are you speaking with the right people, you can spend a lot of cycles
chasing a marketing relationship. Follow the money, sell with your
partner. Check your contacts with analysts or other influencers to see if
you are speaking with the right people.
As outlined earlier, be sure the compensation plans for your direct sales
teams are in line with your channel objectives. Compensation drives
behavior. Do not create compensation plans that are destructive to your
objectives.
Find a compelling reason to partner. Make sure that your joint value helps
them win deals. Make sure they understand how the partnership makes
them more competitive. Never get stuck in a program.
There is a lot to do, and if you can do it quickly you will beat your
competition. Who is your coach? Palladin can help. Our partners have
lived this problem at many companies in different roles. We can help you
through the process rolling up our sleeves, working with you, sharing
contacts and giving you the benefits of our experience. Why can we help,
because that’s what we do? Go to our Website, explore our Blog. Then
please give us a call.
Hiring direct sales people can be risky. It takes time to train and build a
book of business. It is important to develop a sales rep profile. The
profile is important, moving too far away from it will produce poor results.
“An empty apartment is better than a bad tenant”.
Style should be a consideration of the sales rep profile. Since by nature,
sales people tend to be outspoken, be sure you understand how their
style fits into your culture. Certain styles works better in large companies,
other styles works better in small companies where everyone carries a
bag. Some styles do not work in either!
Style consideration is particularly important when you choose a leader to
run your sales organization, because more than likely, they will bring in
their own posse of sales people who will behave similarly. It is important
to understand what you are in for before you bring in a new sales
executive & sales team. If not, your entire organization may suffer.
Other than references, here is one simple way to get first hand experience
about the profile & style of a potential sales candidate: Bring them out for
a round of golf. You would be surprised what you can learn about
someone in a 6 hour pressure packed round of golf!
Since compensation also drives sales behavior, make sure that the sales
compensation plans are aligned with company business plans . Be real
sure that territories are clearly defined to avoid channel conflict with other
reps and selling partners.
Finally, define the sales process and assign resources based on
process steps. This will encourage information sharing and opportunity
qualification. All this information should be contained in a collaborative
sales tracking & forecasting system that all company stake holders have
access to.
Geographical Expansion:
Europeans like to buy from Europeans. A successful sales group in the
US may not succeed in Europe. Look for talent that has been successful
selling similar products in the foreign territory. It is important that they
have contacts and the ability to bring in good people. Look for expansion
through American multi-national companies to get local references.
Partnering with Purpose:
Choosing partners can be very difficult. Analysts can be very effective at
suggesting potential partners and making introductions. Ask your
customers what service providers they use. Look at your competition,
who do they partner with? Partnership include, selling partners that sell
with you, OEM partners who embed your solution in their offerings and
technology partners which extend your solution.
To gain revenue through partners you must understand how they sell and
get paid. Are they vertically aligned and is your vertical alignment similar.
Are you speaking with the right people, you can spend a lot of cycles
chasing a marketing relationship. Follow the money, sell with your
partner. Check your contacts with analysts or other influencers to see if
you are speaking with the right people.
As outlined earlier, be sure the compensation plans for your direct sales
teams are in line with your channel objectives. Compensation drives
behavior. Do not create compensation plans that are destructive to your
objectives.
Find a compelling reason to partner. Make sure that your joint value helps
them win deals. Make sure they understand how the partnership makes
them more competitive. Never get stuck in a program.
There is a lot to do, and if you can do it quickly you will beat your
competition. Who is your coach? Palladin can help. Our partners have
lived this problem at many companies in different roles. We can help you
through the process rolling up our sleeves, working with you, sharing
contacts and giving you the benefits of our experience. Why can we help,
because that’s what we do? Go to our Website, explore our Blog. Then
please give us a call.
| Competitive Death Darts |
| Motivating a Sales Team |
| Feel free to comment on our blog |
| Understanding Sales Operations |
| Partner Programs That Work ! |