11 Steps In Preparation For the Good Times

Business leaders must continually keep sales teams focused on goals and activities that make teams and companies successful. But recent political and economic upheaval have proven very distracting and cast a pall over morale and drive. Economic gloom, punctuated by layoffs, has left sales professionals suffering from survivors' guilt. They lament about the loss of comrades, income and security.

Sound familiar? Well, don't despair. Tax cuts, stock market gains and other factors have given lift to our economy. Now is the time to build a better sales organization that can increase your market share. Here are 11 things to do now.

1. Mobilize by motivating: To keep your team focused on activity, build belief in your company by visiting your most satisfied customers. Your team will benefit from the experience, and the customer will appreciate the attention.

2. Review your products, services and pricing: It's a perfect time to review your product line and make short-term adjustments. Create or amend features or offerings or, better still, consider new options. New offerings will confuse your competition while creating value-added opportunities previously overlooked.

3. Analyze and profile what's required to penetrate your markets: Start by hosting a customer focus group. Ask customers how to better serve their needs. Explore exactly what they are looking for. Then, look at your own team and determine what essential attributes and profiles your sales employees and partners need to provide. You may find it advantageous to discontinue some relationships.

4. Muscle up your sales team: With so many very good salespeople looking for work, now is the perfect time to recruit. But remember: hire the best person for the job, not the most available.

5. Analyze each opportunity: If you face increased competition, then each opportunity is more precious. Schedule time in a team setting to study each existing opportunity. Find ways to counter objections, determine buyers' decision criteria, establish client decision-makers and initiate multilevel contact with influencers inside sales prospects.

6. Identify supporters who will recommend your products and services: Analyze the type of organizations or people that impact your clients' decision processes. Note, that may include consultants that work for other IT consultants. Consider other sales organizations that would benefit directly or indirectly from the sale of your product or service. Develop a plan to formalize alliances.

7. Create new leads with an active target-marketing campaign: A smart, targeted campaign starts with a focused plan. Determine the five reasons your customers use your products and/or services. Boil that down to the ROI, productivity gains and other benefits you provide. Next, establish a plan of action for the next six months and include a plan of attack for sales.

8. Review your current compensation plan: Are the goals of your plan aligned with the strategic goals of your company? Does the plan reinforce desired activity and behavior? If not, consider a new one. Focus on shorter-term goals, implement a strategy and commit to it for six months.

9. Increase your investment in sales skills and product and service knowledge: Develop programs to ensure your salespeople fully understand your product/services. Next, invest in commercial sales skill-training programs for your best people.

10. Connect with everyone who wrote you a check in the past 12 months: It's a great time to contact each existing client to better understand their needs. Ask yourself how they would benefit from new offerings. Develop, execute and monitor plans for maintaining contact with targeted clients, prospects, influencers and partners.

11. Plan better: Failure to plan is the No. 1 obstacle thwarting revenue generation. Map out your sales process and ensure that each salesperson executes those steps effectively. Develop detailed, six-month individual business plans. Identify named-account tactical sales plans for key strategic accounts, and follow up on your salespeople's actual actions.

Ken Thoreson is managing partner of the Acumen Management Group, a consulting organization focused on improving sales management. He can be reached at [email protected].