04 Aug Are Your Sales Like Sprints or Obstacle Races?

You may have heard a recent news story about a man who ran the entire Boston marathon while juggling. (His name is Michael Bergeron if you want to look him up.) Now, you might ask yourself, “Isn’t running a marathon hard enough? That sort of endurance is its own special skill. Why throw another tricky skill like juggling on top….?”

Clearly, Michael Bergeron is a person of special talents, but just because he can do both of those things at once doesn’t mean the rest of us can, too. Nor should we feel bad about not being able to. We all have certain strengths and weaknesses (such as keeping four little balls in the air for 26 miles).

That brings us to your sales process.  Do your sales reps focus on getting your customers over the finish line?  Or do they juggle a ton of people, none of whom have any incentive to help sprint to the end of each deal?

1. Admin
   Yes, getting the paperwork and contracts right is critical—and that’s the rub: getting them right. There are so many little details that have to be captured and even a minor error can slow sign-off down by days or weeks. Wouldn’t you rather have your sales people working on the next deal instead of dotting I’s and crossing T’s?
2. Partner/ Channel Support
   Your partners and channels need to be kept aware of what’s going on, what the new products and services are, so they can help drive success. Are your training, engagement, and communication efforts meeting the mark with them, keeping them motivated and focused?
3. Market Intel Abraham Lincoln once said that if he had six hours to chop down a tree, he’s spend four of them sharpening his axe. But imagine if he had a pre-sharpened axe ready and waiting for him at each tree? Having all the research and data ready for your reps on each market gives them more time to work directly with their clients, closing deals and making money for your business.
4. Promotion
   Do your reps need events or promotional and incentive programs to help them sell? And do these need to be tailored to different markets around the world?

5. Marketing and collateral
   Who speaks for your reps when they aren’t face to face with their clients? Your marketing materials, that’s who. Having the right brochures, presentations, posters, one-pagers—done to a quality that reflects and reinforces your message and your brand—is a must. But do you always have the resources to get them done when needed, and to standard?

That’s a lot of little balls to keep in the air. And that why Sales Beacon exists—to take as many, or as few, of them off your hands so you can close deals faster, improve sales efficiency, and increase customer satisfaction.

We’ve got over a decade’s worth of experience in helping to develop, manage, and execute projects world-wide, and a long list of clients that will attest to the success they’ve had thanks to working with us.

Interested in finding out more about exactly how we do it? Let’s chat in person so we can hear about your goals and challenges and how we can help you keep winning.