No matter what happens, your sales team must have the tools necessary to close the deal. And that may depend a great deal on the processes you have in place.
Stuff happens. If you don’t have a strong process in place for your sales team, conditions you have no control over can throw a literal monkey wrench into sales success. Jane Clark, Vice President of Member Services for NationaLease covers this most important issue in her recent IdeaXchange blog, “Why process matters when it comes to sales.” The blog was based on a session presented at a recent NationaLease meeting by Michael Caceci of Excellerated Performance, LLC.
In today’s global economy, your customers can be affected, negatively or positively, by situations that are beyond their control. The trucking industry has experienced a lot of “stuff” happening over the past years. Consider the ELD mandate, tax reform, the driver and technician shortage, new technology, new competitors and so much more. Granted, when it comes to a number of these issues, companies can find ways to either minimize any damage or optimize any opportunity that may arise. That’s entirely up to them.
Your sales team needs to be aware of all major changes that might be affecting customers in order to be able to assist effectively. But your salesforce also needs to have a process in place rather than handling situations unilaterally. Jane’s blog notes that not every company handles their sales processes the same, but there are a list of questions that need to be asked and answered if the salesforce is going to experience success. These questions include the following:
- Are your sales and marketing processes documented?
- Are processes reviewed for efficiency and effectiveness?
- Does your process track every sales opportunity
- Do sales reps follow a consistent buying/selling process for every sales opportunity?
If the answer to these and other of Jane’s questions is “no,” you should be rethinking your sales processes. Your sales success may depend upon it.
To see additional questions and to learn more about this issue, read Jane’s full blog.
