by Susan Walsh, President and CEO, Sales-Link, Inc.
For the longest time, we’ve continued to reward sales on the back end. That’s how it was always done and still continues today. It’s funny how we get settled into a habit, and let it run on and on, sometimes way too long, before anyone does something about it.
I’m passionate about the sales business, and truly believe we need a change in the policy of rewarding once the sale is made. The need for new business is greater than ever, so isn’t that where focus should be placed with sales reps?
Most companies we talk to, we consistently find the same exact need: LEADS, MORE, MORE LEADS!
As we examine what the processes are within most companies, we typically find the sales organization’s policies to be the same as we saw 30 years ago. “What’s wrong with that?” you ask? A lot, because 30 years ago we didn’t have the robust internet we have today, and we didn’t have the interactive databases we do now. A lot has changed in the processes and the ways customers do business.
It is safe to say that sales has evolved into somewhat of a self-service industry, for the fact that customers can now read about and research the services they want on their own, rather than having a sales-person educate them. So what is the role of the sales person today, and how do we apply incentives for the process needed to sell?
What I’m observing is that more upfront hunting is needed. Call it lead generating or sales…today it is one and the same. Why? The world is moving fast, and the sales of yesterday is the new lead generation of today. On the first call, you better be ready to sell your arse off, because that is what is expected, if you get someone on the line.
So if companies want to be real about what is happening today, you need to look at the sales role, and apply incentives where you need to increase activity. What I see, is that more companies want, and need, their sales people to be hunters. So why not incentivize people on the front end to hunt?
We do this with our Pharma BDI system. So should you. Let me show you how we can get your organization turned around to generate new levels of opportunities in the first month.
While we’re on the topic of sales incentives, here’s a great message from Hubspot that’s worth a few minutes of your time: