The Making of an Expert! : Are you searching for self proclaimed sales experts or are you working to make experts of your people?
In a recent Harvard Business Review article new research shows that outstanding performance is the product of years of deliberate practice and coaching, not of any innate talent or skill.You are expects with your products, services, delivery and support, right? However how effective is your sales team when it comes to their sales expertise? The only experts in sales are those who get paid!
In this article written Harvard Business Review it was discussed how thirty years ago to Hungarian educators, Laszlo and Klara Polgar, decided to challenge that popular assumption that woman do not succeed in areas requiring special thinking, such as chess. The Polgars home schooled three daughters and as part of their education they were taught to play chess at a very young age. With continued daily training and dedication their approach paid off. By 2000 all three daughters were ranked in the top ten female players in the world. There youngest was a grand master at age 15, breaking the previous record for the youngest held by Bobby Fisher!
In 1985, Benjamin Bloom a professor at the University if Chicago wrote a book on the subject that examined the factors that led to developing real talent. His findings show that there is no real correlation between becoming an expert and IQ. The only correlation found was that in the case of sports or physical activities where body height and size did matter to a certain degree. This however is simply not applicable in sales, which is solely an intellectual game. All of the superb performers, regardless of field practiced intensely and had studied with devoted teachers. Later research found that the amount and quality of practice were key factors in the level of expertise people achieved.
Have you resorted to searching for the so called sales expert? Remember one thing. In the interview all sales candidates believe they are the best! Never forget that inherent in sales people is something called an ego. Were you sold on their ability, only to be disappointed with their inability to actually sell! Or have you actually invested in your sales team as you do in other areas of your company. Have you actually provided them with the tools and discipline to become effective sales people?
If you find yourself at this point in this article then this subject is obviously of importance to you. Understand your options. Fix them, fire them or grin and bear with it. Firing them leaves you with one bad option of having to rely on the same hiring criteria that led you to hire your current group of under producers. Grinning and bearing with it is simply acceptance of mediocrity and quite simply put you do not have a sales problem. You may have a management problem. Do not allow your sales problem to become a management problem!
For example, look any professional athlete, regardless of their skill level or their internal belief that they can move mountains. Are they simply drafted, followed by being placed on the field? Or are they put through on-going, rigorous and disciplined practice sessions prior to and during the entire season? Could your one week of product knowledge training followed by occasional pep talks be part of the problem?
Your ability to grow your company is contingent upon your sales team ability to consistently sell and outsell competition. You must look at the “Gap”. The “Gap” is the difference between where you are and where you are capable of being. One way to gauge the Gap is to answer the following question.
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest) where would you rank your current sales teams ability to actually develop new business?
Now a 10 would relate to a sales team/people who:
Proactively and effectively prospect to identify and open new opportunities
Consistently diplomatically challenge and dissolve objections
Clearly differentiate your unique services opposed to commodotizing them
Hold margins opposed to price slashing eroding your margins
Get decisions from decision makers sooner rather than later
Do not waste time chasing pipeline hopefuls and invest time developing new business
Now, what is your answer? The difference between where you are and where you are capable of being now can be translated into sales revenue. Are you 60%, 70% or 80% effective? How is this impacting your bottom line?
Our final question is, are you OK with the way things are?
At Peak Performance we essentially get two types of inquiries. We get the Business Owner or President who has problems, however they simply sit back, grin and bear with it. The second type has the same problems as the first however these problems are in the hands on someone who is proactive and decisive. These are leaders who are at least open-minded to exploring their options.
If you have come to the point where your options are limited contact us today. The cost of accepting your current situation is significantly more than the cost of investigating what might be the difference between where you are and where you deserve to be. Call Peak Performance Sales Training today at 866-816-0991 to discuss viable options.
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