2 minutes to read
Sometimes when the sales pipeline is looking lean, the Sales team quite rightly comes under scrutiny.
Their lead generation methods, their pitches, feedback from prospects and their activity levels, among other things, will be reviewed.
While Sales is under the magnifying glass, its easy to fall into the trap of looking at it in isolation.
Sales doesn’t operate in isolation or a vacuum. In fact, Sales works in conjunction with a number of other factors, such as brand awareness, reputation, and customer service experience.
I recently took part in a discussion about a new product launch. We were discussing the sales process of an OEM product to other technology firms. During the discussion, he quite rightly pointed out that he was reliant on the technical team to develop manuals and specification documents that allowed potential customers to see how the new product would be integrated into their own systems, what software had been written that provided APIs for them to use and what after sales support would be available.
He’s going to be pushing it uphill if these things aren’t in place beforehand.
On another occasion, a business owner suggested to me that all he had to do was to add another sales person to his sales team. After a short discussion, it became clear that the business had not developed an idea that captured the imagination of its market. An idea that made it stand out from its competitors. An idea that would form a theme for its sales pitches. An idea around which all its marketing efforts could rally.
If Sales are flat lining, sure, scrutinize your sales operations to make sure your i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed but I suggest you also look at your key messages, your advertising, your website marketing, your case studies and customer experience processes.
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