What is sales success? That is probably a pretty easy question for you. Did we get the deal or not? Right, but often our sales process breaks down because we don’t know how to get there.
Sales happen even in the worse sales organizations and with bad sales processes. However, the difference between sales and sales success is all about building measurements and improving the process.
Are Your Sales Accidental?
Often times sales organizations manage to survive on the “accidental tourist” sales process. This means sales happen, but there is little or no explanation as to how they happen. These are sales that pop-out occasionally based on sales activities. Unfortunately, there is often little tracking of the process that got you to a closing.
A system of statuses and measurements can help to fix this disconnect.
Do You Have a Measurement System?
Measuring your sales activities can accomplish two important objectives in improving your sales performance. It can help you answer two important questions:
- What got you to this performance level?
- What can be adjusted to get you to the next level?
Tracking metrics will help you see progress and forward momentum. It also allows you to insert metrics and build benchmarks. These elements will give you a measurement system on which to build a consistent sales process. A sales process that you can improve.
Are You Continually Improving?
Once your measurement system is in place–it is time to look for opportunity. By reviewing your tracking, metrics, and benchmarks you will see opportunities to improve the process. Changing the order of an email or phone call, tweaking a script, or segmenting leads for a different product pitch can make dramatic results in pull-through on leads.
Measuring will improve your sales output and top-line revenue!
Related article by Zemanta
Marketing Metrics: The Hard and The Soft (myventurepad.com)