Sales Insights
Year after year sales representatives in the US make their number about half of the time, while Sales managers meet their number 70-80% of the time. We accept this as “normal”.
This state of “sales effectiveness” is similar to US automobile manufacturing industry standards in the 1950s, when U.S manufacturing quality standards led the world. Automotive quality control consisted of the “start-stop” test, i.e. if a car started and the brakes worked, it was ready to ship. At that time, about 50% of newly assembled cars were able to pass the test. This, also, was accepted as “normal” to industry insiders.
Then along came W. Edwards Deming, suggesting that a 50% failure rate was expensive and unacceptable, and imminently curable. US manufacturing leaders were so confident with their 50% success rate, they rejected help from Deming.
So Deming took his work in manufacturing quality to Japan. Using Deming’s processes, Japan became the worldwide leader in manufacturing quality, and the US lost leadership in the automotive marketplace.
What does this have to do with sales effectiveness? Everything!
After decades of accepting a 50% failure rate as “normal” for quota attainment, it is reasonable to believe that the problem cannot be solved through the usual methods of trying to hire better, train better, and install elaborate systems. Sales effectiveness “success” rates, however, CAN be improved by applying proven processes (ala Deming) to create an environment that enables average sales reps to be successful.
The same processes applied to sales management enable a company to become a leader in sales effectiveness, providing the opportunity for a clear competitive advantage.
As Deming proved in the manufacturing sector, success is a matter of fine-tuning current processes, not wholesale change.
For sales effectiveness, both at the sales rep and sales manager levels, the difference between typical performance and awesome performance can be realized with a relatively small amount of effort, in many cases simply by addressing the right things at the right time.
The Palmer process is proven to work in numerous industries and sales forces both large and small. The impressive statistics: a track record of making a difference for a willing client 100% of the time.
If you are interested in a short conversation to learn more, please drop me a note.