Keeping the momentum going
With any transformation project initially the focus is on the strategy and implementation. So when everything is in place to drive positive change how do you ensure you realise the benefits?
How do you keep the momentum going?
- How many times have you seen your sales people revert to the old way of doing things six months after a training programme?
- How can you maintain the change?
- And more importantly who is going to do it?
According to a 2011 report by ES Research Group, 90% of all sales training programs have no long-term impact beyond 120 days, which means that only 10% of programs do. One way of ensuring that your training investment is one of the 10% is by making training and coaching a regular event instead of a one off. Making it part of business as usual allows for the learning to be absorbed, put into practice, readjustments made and then reviewed and strengthened at the next session.
Thinking about who is best placed to provide that on going coaching and leadership try asking yourself who:
- Spends the most time with your sales people?
- Is the expert on your products, markets and competitive edge?
- Has a vested interest in every ones performance?
Often it’s your Sales Managers who are best placed to embed the learning from a position of expertise and credibility and then keep it dynamic with regular interactions. However, we often see them focussing on the administrative complexity of the sales operation rather than their team’s development. When we work with Sales Managers we focus on three key areas for a measurable and continuous improvement in performance:
- Coaching their team for success using a simple 5 point format and live practice of course.
- Understanding their motivators using regular 121 reviews and ad hoc interactions because assessment experts say that motivators drive performance more than attitude and skills.
- Using the numbers to identify where the best opportunities lie as well as the gaps in performance.
The other advantage of this type of approach is that your own people are driving and sustaining the change in behaviour and performance. Helping you to realise the full benefit of your transformation programme in a cost effective and sustainable way.
If you want to hear more about using your Sales Managers to keep things dynamic and about helping them to become sales leaders please contact Cathy on 01189 526993 or email her at cathy.bennett@verticalsales.co.uk
We’ll be summarising the approaches we’ve been discussing to get people to do things differently in the final article in this series designed to leave you with a plan to take your sales transformation from paper to practice.
Other articles in the series:
