Why Sales Strategy is so Critical

Recently, SalesXceleration took a look at the current state of sales within the small-to-medium-sized business community, and what was found was plenty of room for improvement. What’s missing here, and what steps can be taken? Let’s explore why sales strategy is so critical.

The State of Small to Mid-Sized Business Sales

Here’s what we found: start-ups and existing companies don’t build the right sales processes or put the right teams in place. As a result, they find themselves unprepared for growth, stagnating in their existing markets, or losing revenue.

But why is this happening?

It all comes down to managing sales teams and sales processes effectively – something very few SMBs are doing right now.

Top Ten Areas for Improvement

As a result of this research, we found ten key areas where companies need help to increase their sales effectiveness and drive revenue.

90% of these companies:

  • have not tested their hypothesis for the markets they serve
  • don’t provide any structured onboarding
  • don’t have a good understanding of how likely they are to close a sale
  • and don’t have a sales process that is followed

furthermore:

  • 91% don’t issue individual sales rep quotas
  • 91% don’t know if sales training is effective
  • 92% don’t consider ROI when deciding where to spend their marketing budget
  • 92% reported there is no sales process, therefore it isn’t understood by anyone
  • 94% don’t typically do much training
  • 97% have not done a thorough analysis of their competition

It’s safe to say that the current state of sales in SMBs has plenty of room for improvement.

Four Important Sales Success Areas for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses

These ten areas of weakness can be divided into the four categories we mentioned earlier.

First, we plan a sales strategy, which covers:

  • Guiding sales principles
  • Industry positioning
  • Competitors
  • A well-articulated value proposition

Next, we incorporate sales methodology, which includes:

  • Territories
  • Coverage
  • Processes
  • CRM

In addition, we perform a sales analysis, which covers:

  • Goals
  • Quotas
  • Metrics
  • Reporting
  • Compensation
  • Incentives

And finally, we help develop a successful sales organization, by including:

  • Staffing
  • Hiring
  • Training
  • Delineating roles and responsibilities

All four areas are critically important to sales success – and all four are falling short in nearly all small-to-mid-sized businesses we researched. It’s key to keep in mind that this was all determined by self-assessment, meaning these businesses know where their weaknesses lie.

But knowing where improvement is needed is just the first step.

CARES Program blog contributed by:

Dean Ash, Co-Founder of 360 Consulting, excels in enabling clients to grow sales revenue, improve profitability and implement comprehensive sales strategies. As a leader, communicator, and collaborator, Dean is a proven executive skilled in building and leading organizations to achieve superior sales results.

Learn more about  Dean’s seminars: Creating Your Ideal Client Profile, Managing Metrics to Grow Your Revenue and Why Sales Strategy is So Critical  and about how to access customized consulting through the Collin SBDC CARES Program.