3 Strategies to unlock MASSIVE sales growth
Most sales execs have been there – it’s mid-year, you’re not on track to make budget, and you’ve tried every incentive you can think of to motivate your team, but no luck. You’ve promoted your best salesperson to lead the team in the hope that they will increase production, but all you ended up with is less sales AND the realization that a great sales agent does not automatically make a great manager! Now what? You need the sales and have exhausted your options so where to from here?
Jacqueline van Rooijen, Founder of SkillsX, explains that there are 3 proven strategies that unlock massive sales growth. “We’ve seen it across many different businesses in countless industries – selling face to face, online, over the phone – the same strategies apply because we’re dealing with people. The easiest way to unlock serious revenue growth is by implementing micro-goal setting, creating pain killers and injecting skills training.
Micro-Goal Setting:
Salespeople are built to sell – assuming that they are also great at planning, self-discipline and goal setting is a serious management tripwire. Breaking down budgets into production requirements per sprint in a work day is a very valuable exercise in helping articulate to sales teams, what they have to aim for in each sprint, each day. This makes large targets seem doable and helps rake in production consistently throughout the month – not just when an individual or team realizes they might not make target.
Creating Painkillers:
Incentives are great but you’re going to end up running dry if that’s all you’ve got in your arsenal. Creating recognition and rewards programmes that give salespeople goals to aspire to, will aid you in increasing average production with the added benefit of increased staff retention (assuming your program is worthwhile). There is a famous quote by JC Maxwell and it reads ‘Babies cry for it, grown men die for it – recognition”. A solid recognition program will take the pain out of sales – it will drive energy and enthusiasm during the tough times.
Skills Training:
Another massive landmine that sales execs face is negating the importance of aggressive sales skills training. Often the only training provided to sales teams is product training – presented by trainers that have never sold anything in their lives – with no sales skills training delivered at all. To assume that every salesperson is equipped with the hardcore skills they need to weather the storm is naive. Training and refreshing sales skills are one of the most powerful ways to unlock massive sales growth.
“If you’re looking at your sales budgets and starting to get nervous, these are the 3 strategies that will unlock the growth you need and smash your budgets,” concludes Jacqui.
