going the extra mile the how-to
a problem for select members of your team then chances are the problem lies with the individual, not the target. Often this is simply an issue of motivation. Remember those stats we saw earlier– that 80% of sales come from 8% of the sales force? Those in the 8% see a high target as a challenge. The 92% meanwhile will settle for average or throw their hands up citing an unfair playing field. As for what you can do about it: cut your losses. As legendary businessman William Clement Stone once put it: “Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman– not the attitude of the prospect.” Alternatively, salespeople can liaise with marketing –or whoever sent the warm lead through– to improve the quality of referrals and garner further information on the lead in question. Not only does this increase the likelihood of the lead staying “live” but according to Ledger Bennett –a UK-based lead generation agency– sales and marketing departments that work closely in this way have 36% higher customer retention rates and achieve 38% higher sales win rates. 3. “I didn’t know I should chase up old leads.” Many salespeople, particularly those who are still a little green, are often mistaken in thinking that it is their job solely to hunt down sales from new incoming leads. In reality, the job entails chasing up on old leads that failed to materialize in the past. The potential impact that digging around in these so-called “dead leads” can have on a sales target can be significant.
Why? Because most old leads aren’t actually dead at all. A commonly quoted figure is that around three-quarters of companies drop leads that aren’t ready to purchase immediately. But as research by Marketing Donut shows, the majority of potential customers who show an interest in your company are not ready to buy at the time they make contact. In fact, for 63% of them it will be over three months before they are in a position to purchase– while 20% won’t be ready for over one year. So, just because the time wasn’t right six weeks, six months or even six years ago, does not make a lead dead in the water. 4. “The targets are unrealistic.” This is a tough one. If every member of your team is complaining of this –and missing targets– then perhaps you have set the bar a little too high. If that’s the case, sit down with staff and work together to redefine targets. If, on the other hand, this is only
5. “Our products/services are not good enough.” If a salesperson is questioning the worth of the product or service they are selling then it goes without saying that they are not the right person to sell it. I’m sure there are people out there who will contend that a good salesperson can sell anything, but I just can’t see how that can possibly hold true. If you can’t vouch for the quality of what you are selling, then how can you earn the trust of a customer and convince them that you have the answer to their problem? Customers will instantly pick up on someone who doesn’t believe in the product they are selling. What’s more, salespeople who have a genuine love and enthusiasm for the product require much less motivation to sell it and are far less likely to offer up excuses. That was certainly the belief of author Zig Ziglar, who said, “If you believe your product or service can fulfil a true need, it’s your moral obligation to sell it.” So, the real question here is whether
or not your salespeople can get on board and learn to love what they are selling. Because if they can’t, then they’re not adding anything to your organization. Many salespeople, particularly those who are still a little green, are often mistaken in thinking that it is their job solely to hunt down sales from new incoming leads. In reality, the job entails chasing up on old leads that failed to materialize in the past.
6. “I forgot to follow up.” The final entry on our list is a reason all on its own to find new salespeople: “I forgot.” This excuse -if it can even be called that- is completely unacceptable and tantamount to saying “I didn’t do my job.” Organization is a key part of sales, and missing out on potential business through absent-mindedness or slapdash practices simply isn’t going to cut it. Particularly as most modern sales CRM systems make it hard for even the scattiest salespeople to miss a reminder. However, even if you are tracking your sales pipeline in Excel, that is still no excuse. In the end, salespeople must be hungry for sales- so followups get done and reminders get noted. As for the potential impact of forgetting to followup: Research by sales acceleration platform Inside Sales shows that between 35-50% of business goes to the vendor who responds first. What’s more, the Harvard Business Review recently reported that companies that attempt to contact prospects within an hour of an enquiry are seven times more likely to have a “meaningful conversation with a key decision maker.” Early bird. Worm. You get the idea.
As Managing Director at Virtugroup, Karl Hougaard ensures the company maintains its position as one of the fastest growing business setup operators in the region. Karl was in fact a customer before joining the company, having owned and operated three different companies set up by Virtuzone. Karl started his career as a senior manager with Primovie, the cinema operations arm of Primedia LTD in South Africa, which saw him relocate to Dubai in 2001 as part of the group’s global expansion plans. He has also represented some of the region’s largest media firms including ITP Publishing Group and Dubizzle.com. 20
Entrepreneur january 2017