Seven things you can do immediately to improve your sales operations

Sales operations are complex systems with many moving parts. It is a constant juggling act for many sales leaders and business heads.

Here are just some of the things to be considered:

• Designing an effective sales strategy
• Right-sizing sales teams
• Picking the right sales segments to sell to
• Delivering the right level of sales training
• Coaching their sales team
• Dealing with underperformers
• Key accounts management
• Managing and reporting on sales financials
• Liaising and linking with other departments across the value chain
• Boosting team morale, and so on.

It’s a very complex role. So where to start?

Here are seven things you can do immediately and seven ways you can approach the improvement of your sales operations:

The what

1. Define an easily understood and relevant compelling reason for your prospects to buy from you, rather than a rival
2. Incorporate sales in your real value chain
3. Shift from making sales to achieve financial goals to selling solutions in order to help your customers achieve their goals
4. Reward salespeople by removing non-sales related activities from their activity mandate
5. Introduce effective governance that automates critical non-revenue generating activities in sales
6. Employ and develop salespeople with the right attitude rather than solely sales or technical experience
7. Give sales managers the freedom to be leaders rather than super-salespeople

The how

1. Review and develop your sales strategy and go-to-market plan
2. Analyse your market segmentation
3. Audit your sales processes and protocols
4. Review your key account management and overall sales practices
5. Review your sales selection protocols
6. Assess the knowledge, skills and mindset of your sales team
7. Train and coach your sales managers and your salespeople

So instead of falling into the old trap of relying on a ‘point solution’ (you know that one thing that promises to fix everything – the one thing that sounds too good to be true because it is) take a more holistic approach to running your sales team and operation. Don’t try and do it all by yourself. Enlist support from within your organisation first and check if you have the knowledge, skills, and systems in place to address these seven areas. If so, proceed and break the project down into its components and work with the people in your business to create a fit, viable sales force and well supported sales operation.

Remember, everybody lives by selling something.

Sue Barrett is founder and CEO of www.barrett.com.au and www.salesessentials.com and has written 21 e-books and 500+ articles on the world of 21st century selling. Sue and her team partner with companies to improve their sales operations and provide sales consulting, training, coaching and assessments.