Resolutions and promises are hard to keep, even for some of the most sincere people. Business Insider reports that 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February! YIKES! (Researchers at Strava, the social network for athletes, have even named January 12th as an official “Quitters’ Day,” statistically the day that motivation begins to falter for most people.) Why do you suppose that is? Well, countless articles are written every year pondering that question, but I suppose mostly it’s just human nature…we just seem seem to have trouble keeping promises.
Given these alarming statistics, it’s no surprise that most employees find it difficult to comply with corporate directives. As much as they promise to see procedures through to the end, it is astounding how many fail to keep that commitment, day to day.
This is precisely why it’s so very important for leaders to step up their game, and ensure that their charges stick with the plan. Presumably, you have developed and implemented a consistent process for your sales team to follow. (If you haven’t, deary me, then hop right over to a recent post: Methodology for Sales, that will walk you through the procedure quite painlessly.)
Companies in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostic industries are compelled to follow strict FDA guidelines to ensure the company can pass inspections. Would your company pass the same kind of scrutiny on the merits that your sales team members are typically following the process in place, and are being supervised and tracked, to ensure new business is being identified routinely? Are there metrics that show the activity of your sales team? Are you monitoring the processes to ensure there is compliance with the company directives?
If your company’s answer is “no,” don’t despair…you can fix this! Simply get back on track (and the new year is great for these kinds of changes) by documenting the sales process, putting reporting metrics in place, and ensuring someone is responsible for monitoring them. For more help, give us a call, we specialize in this kind of consulting and are passionate about helping others succeed in sales.
So what did you say your New Year’s promise is?