Sales is a dynamic occupation that engages the VUCA world around us. It acts as a third-party catalyst between the external and internal environment of businesses and helps them in prospering further. In today’s world, companies spend somewhere between 5-15% of their revenue on sales. For the investments to bear the desired fruits, it takes the right synergy between the salesmen’s knowledge, skills, and attitude that together contributes to sales excellence.
Context:
It is important to know about the context to make the sales growth sustainable, the first step towards Excellence.
Have you heard of the story of shoe manufacturing companies from the US and Japan each trying to venture into the African markets? When the salesman from the US visited Africa, he saw that nobody wore shoes in the area and immediately informed the boss that it would be a bad idea to forge into this market. On the other hand, the Japanese salesman saw a huge potential in the area and recommended his boss to set up a factory in Africa at the earliest. Who gauged the situation right?
In the first go, the Japanese salesman might seem to be optimistic about the situation and making the right move. But if we delve deeper, we may want to understand the context in which both companies operate. It is possible that the Japanese company enjoyed more revenue, had a bigger size or a high potential for investments than the US firm. In such a scenario, the move by salesman from the US will also seem to be rational. Didn’t the context make all the difference here?
Awareness of the Ecosystem:
Awareness is another core element for Sales Excellence. The salesmen need to understand the nitty-gritty of the organization, the industry it operates in and the client base it caters to.
Additionally, they also need to understand the social, political, economic and technological trends prevalent in the organization as well as the market. This would make the salesmen move beyond the clichés and make humongous progress.
Sales as a Catalyst:
Sales excellence essentially requires a wholesome discovery process that can convert potential growth into real. This can happen when the breadth of relationships within the organization increases. In today’s’ world, a person must go beyond his/her Job Description to know the other side of the story. For instance, Sales-and-Marketing personnel should take a step forward to know how the financials or operations are carried out behind any campaign. This would also foster cross-functional learning and dissolve the boundaries between departments.
Sales profile – there is no right profile:
Being a salesperson is not always about selling; it is about building a clientele. There is nothing like ‘the right skill for a job’. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. While it is important to work upon your weakness, it is utterly essential to sharpen the strengths further. The right approach to do so is probably making a ‘workable’ relationship with the weakness and conquer the world.
Keep chanting the golden mantra- “It’s all about the client” & ‘You matter the most, always!’ and witness the excellent metamorphosis that takes place in you.
Excellence is a habit
Sales Excellence is an approach to be a Partner of Choice.
Thank you @Pragati Nagpal for assisting in putting this article together.
Kalpesh Raichura has the vision to help Organizations & Leaders to develop wholistic thinking in their approach and set up growing cultures.
A Business Coach, Herrmann (HBDI) Certified Practitioner, Leadership Facilitator has been an influential leader to drive growth and develop possibility mindsets for more than 2 decades in various roles.
Comentarios