Skills before Process – (Part 1)

Someone told me the other day that the most difficult hire in any organization right now is sales and sales leadership.  Even with over 8 million unemployed people, organizations still struggle to find great sales talent!  I have certainly experienced this in my career, and struggled to determine the “real” from the “Memorex”.  I have lots of ideas, and have read a ton on the subject, but there are just so many factors that make this process brutally difficult, even for the best of us.  Rather than sharing my thoughts on finding great sales talent (I will take that on at a later date), let me discuss the big picture issue…a lack of talent in the entire profession.  Our sales leaders aren’t developing sales talent, and their leaders aren’t developing sales leaders.

When execs look to improve sales performance and effectiveness, they typically look to implement new tools and new processes.  These have proven to be very expensive and results have been spotty at best.  I think we need to evolve the dialogue and promote “Skills Development” in front of ”Sales Process” and “Tools” from a priority perspective.  Let me explain. 

Most sales orgs get around 70-80% of their goals met from High Performers, about 20-30% from Average Performers and usually very little from Under performers.   I don’t spend time on Under Performers here.

Tools assist High and Average Performers, if they add value without requiring habit change (usually not the case), and if the implementation is adopted (again, spotty) and if it has the right support and ongoing investments (rarely seen by me). 

Process adds very little value to the High Performers and usually does not capture high adoption among this group (and who really cares as long as they continue high performance, right?).

Process can really help to increase predictability among the Average Performers; a good a necessary endeavor. 

BUT…let me shoot some holes in the process argument by asking one question:  If your sales team improved all selling skills, but never adopted your process, would your productivity go up?

Now let me ask…if your team fully adopted your process, but their skills were underdeveloped, would you see a change in productivity at all?

I am into revenue growth, sales effectiveness, marketing and leadership

I don’t like shoes.  Never really have, not sure why.  I just know I ditch them as soon as I walk in the door at home.

I  have worked my entire career in sales and marketing  I didn’t start out intending to become a lifetime sales and marketing professional but quickly discovered a major passion and a bit of talent that lead to a number of significant “wins” in my career.  I have also worked in a couple of losing sales organizations.  In all, I have worked for 7 sales organizations and produced several hundred million in revenue over an 18 year span.  I have been a direct producer, a VP of Sales and a CEO.

Most of my career has been in early to mid-stage companies managing sales teams between 5 and 50 people.  I don’t have specific knowledge and experience working in huge sales cultures, and spend most of my time thinking and writing on issues related to increasing demand, effectivess and winning culture.  I have worked for two successful venture backed companies, done one successful start up and exit myself and built two sales teams achieving Inc. 500 status for revenue growth.

Here is what buyers are saying…

The sales world is changing again. Too many vendors/salespeople, not enough buyers leads to longer sales cycles and smaller deals. These factors have been true for a few years.  Now, the economic circumstance is driving dramatic new changes in the life of sales professionals.  After conversations with a number of senior executives who make buying decisions, I have a few observations:

New “green-field” buyers may not know you, and probably don’t trust you or your company.

1. “Your claims are less and less relevant.  Your customer’s claims are more and more relevant”
2. “You have a very small window to establish trust and relevance and you better do it early”

Fear rules in down markets

1. “Innovation is not in our current mind-set so it won’t motivate a purchase”
2. “Understand, acknowledge and address my fear”
3. “Take as much risk out of the deal as possible”

Buyers want simplicity

1. ” I want fewer, more trusted vendors”
2. “Show me simpler to accomplish solutions that I can implement without a major undertaking”

Relevance and Specificity rule

1. “I don’t care what you have done unless it is important to us, right now”
2. “Demonstrate you know something that can help me”

 

 

Is Sales Excellence in the DNA or is it learned?

“Excellence” is always a combination of many characteristics. One or the other will never lead to excellence by itself. Michael Jordon was not only super athletic’ (a birth trait) he was driven, competative, game intelligent, and had a work ethic far above most. Who knows where all of that comes from?  The combintion of the birth traits and environmental states create excellence. True excellence. The are many examples of guys born with more talent than Jordon had who have not even gotten close to making the NBA. Many, many examples of guys who work way harder than peers, but also never sniff the NBA. It takes both. Sales excellence is no different in my mind that any other endeavor. The truely excellent have a combination of both inherent traits and learned.