 Frontline is the bottom-line
There is an old saying that everyone lives by selling something: a
product or service. This is true from a labourer to a politician, an
entrepreneur to a CEO. The only exception would probably be religious
leaders or genuine voluntary workers who do not typically complete a
transaction but yet offer a service.
Business success solely depends on sales success; an argument that
has no opposing view. Revenue is the key driver for any business and it
is sales that generate the all important revenue. So the number one
priority for any organisation should be sales.
The ideal functional model is where the organisation places the sales
function as the controlling function and all other functions as
supporting functions to do one thing right - creating value for the
customer through quality and productivity to deliver the targeted
bottom-line. Believe in the fact that the frontline is the bottom-line.
If you have a strong frontline your business will always have a strong
bottom-line.
Sales culture
Accept that selling is the hardest job in business. We would all be
multimillionaires otherwise, selling products or services to one
another.
Understand the fears of your sales people, they often receive a 'no'
than a 'yes'. Emotional pressure of this rejection is enormous. Build
self-reliance among your salespeople.
Sell them the images of sales excellence to motivate them. It is also
important to adjust your sales culture to the customer's culture to
forge a greater bond between the organisation and customer for long term
business health. Rather than applauding the results - encourage the
sales people to adopt the behaviour of success to a greater degree than
they do now. Let improved sales be an outcome of right behaviour and
action by the sales force.
Profits
Demonstrate the discipline you expect of your sales people. You
should address their issues with energy, urgency and purposefulness. Use
'sales stars' to influence the sales team. Create the notion that sales
people bring profits not revenue. Leaders set the selling price and
control expenditure. You know what percentage is profit.
Lead by example
Conventional CEOs think that selling is not their job. Some do not
realise the concepts discussed. But the reality is that the CEOs
ultimate goal is to sell more to deliver the expected bottom-line for
the shareholders.
CEOs have to spend a significant portion of their time talking about
customers and sales people to better understand and extend support to
the sales leadership.
Let everyone know that the sales target is the priority in your job.
Set team challenges, when problems occur involve the entire team in the
solution.
CEOs should go out regularly with the sales staff. This would give
you the insights you need to make the right business decisions.
Fix problems quickly. Surprise the team occasionally. Keeping the
sales people on top in every forum within the organisation should be a
regular feature to live the culture.
Recognise every significant achievement and celebrate success. It is
this feeling that will keep the sales staff continually motivated. |
