The key to Sales Force Effectiveness - Industrial Ideas

Sales Force Effectiveness involves a systematic process to give your sales people the training and resources they need to effectively sell your industrial products and services. Tailored to your company’s sales process and structure.

Our Sales Force Effectiveness Program involves the following six key steps:

1 – Discovery and Planning

2 – Sales Process Review

3 – Sales Structure Analysis

4 – Sales Territory Examination

5 – Coaching and Talent Management

6 – Measurement and Improvement

Before you implement any Sales Force Effectiveness program you need to ensure there is stakeholder buy-in, sponsorship and a sustainable rollout plan. To succeed, there has to be some level of internal marketing. A way to “sell” the idea to your key stakeholders and a mechanism for tracking progress. These factors will lay the groundwork for a successful Sales Force Effectiveness program:

• Seek sponsorship
• Set key objectives
• Assess needs
• Determine how you will measure success

We have found sales people spend the majority of their time servicing existing customers in industrial markets. After all more than 80 per cent of sales will come from the top 20 per cent of most industrial brand’s existing customers. That’s the nature of B2B selling in industrial markets. Lose one or two of these key customers, the pressure is on to grow sales from the others very quickly.

Having a Sales Force Effectiveness program that employs a sales force pipeline of new business opportunities will help to fill this gap. Let’s face it, no matter how good your sales force is, new business will provide opportunities to venture into new markets, products, services and geographies.

Prospecting activity will allow sales to grow their territories and buffer against loss of existing business. If marketing supported this activity by providing highly qualified and ready to purchase sales leads – sales could then focus on what they do best.

At Industrial Ideas, we’ve assisted many industrial brands to achieve their new business development initiatives with our Sales Force Effectiveness Program by:

• Identifying prospects that match the criteria of key existing customers in select markets and geographies
• Targeting these prospects with tailored communications to introduce your product and service offerings
• Building trust with engaging content and evidence of winning case studies to showcase your value proposition
• Telemarketing with purpose and the sole objective to nurture a prospect into a sales qualified business opportunity
• Reporting and integrating into CRM systems like Salesforce to provide sales with the information required to build their case and sell

Related: Sales Force Effectiveness

Other Reading: Sales Force Effectiveness – Ask the Right Questions

SALES FORCE EFFECTIVENESS GUIDE

Learn how to connect your best people with your best customers. We’ll help you lay the foundation for designing a successful sales force effectiveness program involving 10 key drivers. Your Sales Force Effectiveness Guide provides the framework for improving sales performance to achieve sustainable sales growth.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Peter Zafiris is an industrial marketer and founder of Industrial Ideas. Having built his experience in B2B marketing from the ground up, Peter understands what it takes to succeed with your marketing strategy. All client projects are personally managed by Peter to help industrials like you get the return on investment you deserve. Peter and team, work hard to become an extension of your business, to help you get the most out of your marketing efforts. Get your free 30 minute marketing consultation to learn more.