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You’re making your revenue growth plans for the New Year. You’re looking to finish out Q4 with a bang. Consider what savvy firms are doing to out-perform revenue expectations. They’re changing how they execute on their front-lines in B2B sales. They’re succeeding ‘beyond the odds’, with a combination of performance analytics, agile techniques, and deliberate practice. The details:
Savvy firms have begun using performance analytics to see how their execution practices are affecting their results. It’s the equivalent of what pro sports teams are doing to find ways to succeed ‘beyond the odds.' As explained in this post on 6 Lessons for B2B Sales from the America’s Cup.
Savvy sales organizations are pairing such performance analytics with agile techniques. As explained in this post on 5 keys to solving tough B2B sales execution challenges.
This combination is enabling team-focused approaches to improving performance. It’s switching the performance focus from ‘me’ to ‘we’. Why does McKinsey think this is so important? See this post on 3 Ways to Jump-start B2B Sales Productivity.
When situations are complex [like B2B sales], it’s hard to predict the outcome. You’re better off to reduce the risks of bad things happening, unexpectedly. Savvy firms know this. They’re using de-risking analytics, moreso that predictive analytics, to improve sales performance. As explained in this Salesforce blog post.
All the analytics and clever techniques in the world won’t move your sales performance needle until sales practices change. Better practices require learning, with practice. It requires leadership and coaching to ensure the right things get practiced. As explained in this article on 7 Leadership Recipes for Improving Sales Productivity.
Your reps win conversations with target executives as a result of better practices, learned with practice. You celebrate. Except, once they gain access, they’re refused. They’re told “thanks, we’re in great shape." Now what?
Daniel Pink suggests questions Reps can use to get reluctant buyers to share their motives. As summarized in this post on 2 questions for uncovering buyer motives in B2B sales.
Small Moves, Smartly Made, Are the Key
In our experience no one of these pieces, by itself, is enough to move the sales performance needle. Progress, on all of these fronts, tends to be what savvy firms are chasing. The good news? They’re not using surgical procedures nor explosives to make change happen. They’re seeing fast lifts in sales performance from small improvements in practices, done as a team effort, informed by analytics, achieved with agility, and learned with practice. They’re making small, smart, moves to set bigger performance improvements in motion. Pretty savvy.
John Cousineau is the founder and CEO of innovative information inc., makers of Amacus. His firm provokes improved B2B sales productivity by helping sales teams see and improve the buyer value of their sales practices. Follow John at @jcousineau.
To learn more about the sales process map, visit our website, or download the free e-book.
