In Part I we discussed if Six Sigma could be applied to the selling organization, and if so, what should the considerations be. In Part II we will examine how to apply Six Sigma thinking to a selling organization.
In their book “Cracking the Sales Management Code” the authors at Vantage Point Performance did extensive research on what could actually be managed from a selling or sales perspective. They determined that too often organizations are trying to manage the wrong things. Sales results and sales objectives can actually not be managed—but they can truly only be influenced. What they determined could actually be managed were sales activities.
We contend the primary activity that sales personnel engage in is customer interactions i.e., the sales call. Too often this is simply taken for granted and not used as a measurement tool. What we know from our partners at Level 5 Selling is upwards of 60% of these activities are what they deem scrap and waste. This is where the application of a Six Sigma approach can significantly impact the results that sales are expected to deliver.
The single most measurable input of the sales production process would be the sales call and regardless of the product or service being sold, questions would be:
· How many calls did you produce?
· What was the quality of those calls? (your specifications)
· What did it cost you to make them?
· Who is inspecting that on the line? 1
By improving the quality of a sales call you can not only reduce your time to win but more importantly improve your brand perception in the marketplace by ensuring every sales call is adding value to your prospects or customers.
By applying a quality metric through effective coaching from sales managers we have seen an increase in sales results, better market perception, and a significant side benefit will be better retention of your sales professionals.
As we discussed in Part I, too often executives are simply looking at lagging indicators i.e., revenue results. Our contention is we need to look at and manage the leading indicators which will drive sales results. The leading indicators are what we can actually manage; the number of sales calls, quality of the sales calls, next steps, and that we are talking to the right people. These are easy metrics to start tracking given the sophistication of sales tools today.
The key to all of this is our frontline sales leaders. The current pandemic has given us insights into what we can do differently. Frontline leaders are learning that they don't need to travel nearly as much as they did pre-pandemic. What we must do is arm them to be effective coaches and ensure they are adding value to their sales personnel through a systemic sales coaching process.
If you would like information on how ZZ Sales Systems can bring higher reliability to your sales forecast and help your company with sales performance improvements, reach out to: info@zzsalessystems.com
Tom Lazzaro Managing Partner 719-351-2415 tom@zzsalessystems.com Jerone Jackson Managing Partner 404-918-9524 jjackson@zzsalessystems.com
About ZZ Sales Systems
We are a sales transformation improvements consultancy. We bring over 75 years of experience running sales organization and advising Company and Sales Leadership on their Revenue Growth Strategies.
Our offerings and solutions help build and sustain a successful sales organization that delivers profitable revenue and top line growth. Core deliverables include: Key Performance Indicators, Customized Sales Playbooks, Equipping Frontline Sales Managers as Coaches and Trainers, Salesforce.com Optimization, Productivity Tools, Advising and Consulting.
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