The final thing a sales manager needs to try and do is to travel through a certification course in ‘Sales Prospecting’. They’ve been there and they’ve done that, or they’d not have been promoted to a sales manager level. After all, that’s up to the sales rep. That’s why they are hired on. In fact, I recently asked a vice chairman of Sales in an exceedingly competitive business if he’d be hospitable gazing a ‘Sales Prospecting System’ for his sales managers his remark was That’s what we hire sales reps for. If they don’t do it, we fire them and find some that will.
Well, by definition, I guess that’s fair. Because if you take a look at any outside sales representative job description, you’ll see experience criteria listed such as: Excellent cold calling and lead generation experience, or Must be able to identify Target Prospects and maintain an appropriate activity funnel, or Must meet or exceed activity standards.
So why should a sales organization consider establishing a prospecting certification course for Executive Management Recruiters . In order to consider this argument, lets first take a look at standard criteria within a sales manager job description:
Responsible for managing Sales activity for new and existing Account Executives
I don’t know about you, but if I understand the Kings language here, I am beginning to feel I have some Skin in the game as a sales manager already. Let’s investigate a touch additional by withdrawal method the phrase ‘managing sales activity’.
There are (2) different ways to manage. You can choose to Supervise or you can elect to Organize. If 100% of your sales team is 100% effective at professional prospecting; meeting or exceeding the necessary activity standard, supervising will do the trick.
You’re dismissed.
But to the extent that they are not is the extent you will need to organize, put in order a best practice prospecting system to support new sales appointment activity. (Or start over like the sales executive fore-mentioned.)
Now lets peel back the phrase new and existing account reps.
In a sales manager wordbook, ‘new’ suggests that ‘New-hires’ and ‘New-hires’ reflects ‘Ramp-to-quota’. Simply put, the quicker a new-hire ramps to Quota the better for both parties; the new-hire and the sales manager. Both get more credit, earn more recognition and receive more commission. And what is the most important facilitator in getting a new-hire sales rep to Quota in the least amount of time?
Its making sure they secure the necessary amount of new appointments. Its the fuel in the tank. The quicker they do that, the quicker they will ramp to quota with the proper mentor support of course. And that brings us back to the leadership choice between choosing to Supervise versus electing to Organize.
In this example, reducing the time it takes for (1) new-
hire sales rep to achieve Quota by only 1 month returns back to the sales manager $112,800 in additional sales revenue.
The other and generally forgotten performance silo inside the term ‘New-hire’ is sales turnover. Most sales employee turnover occurs with the first 8 months of bring a new sales employee on board. My studies also tell me that 90% or more of that turnover is directly related to low sales activity; not setting enough new appointments to meet the quota ramp criteria.
Using identical model as on top of, let’s consider what’s in it for the Sales manager to push a Prospecting system to cut back new-hire turnover.
Reducing annual turnover for just (1) new-hire sales rep returns back to the sales manager $44,633 in additional sales revenue and recovered costs. Multiply that out by your own sales employee turnover number.
Now back to our sales manager job description criteria of Responsible for managing sales activity for new and existing Account Executives. Lets investigate the term existing account managers and what managing sales activities by supervising or organizing means to our career.
First of all, what percentage of your existing sales team is reaching or exceeding quota each month?
Of the percentage that is not, what percentage of them are not achieving quota due to sub par sales activity? When you uncover that sales performance number and understand the ramifications to revenue result, you will move another notch closer to your ultimate answer of supervise or organize.
Secondarily, what percentage of your sales reps time is spent on securing new business appointments?
JDH Group clients spend on average 50% of their weekly hourly rate on prospecting. For a sales rep working 45 hours per week, that’s over 22 hours dedicated to front end activity. If you decided to organize a prospecting system, become certified in it and help others with it, would that drive that number down? Will that allow your sales team more time to pursue higher-value, solutions-based selling opportunities?
One definition of Best practice is the sum of everything everybody in your sales organization knows that gives you a competitive edge in the market place. Putting in place a ‘Prospecting system’ with best apply elements and components, turning into severally certified thereto as a manager/leader and mentoring it throughout your sales team can make sure that no one is left behind.
And enabling your sales team to share knowledge and insight stimulates Targeted sales activity that will drive new business and help you reach your desired results more often.
Get More Information: