| Not enough companies have learned how to employ | | | | Attitude + Skills + Process (A.S.P.) = Success. |
| sales training as a strategic tool. Those that have are | | | | Attitude is fundamental to any achievement because |
| leaders in their industries, offering their shareholders | | | | individuals with the right Attitude are far more likely to |
| maximum return on investment, are able to quickly | | | | embrace the essential skills and at the same time |
| adapt to changing market conditions, are respected by | | | | recognise the control that Process brings. |
| their customers, and provide consistent sales | | | | Skills are the 'tools of the trade' and have to be |
| performance. The sales people that work for those | | | | developed on an ongoing basis. They also need to be |
| companies are motivated and stay in their jobs longer. | | | | specific, because too much time can be wasted |
| Quite often sales managers and executives don't | | | | over-burdening employees with inappropriate and |
| have the time and experience to do this correctly. | | | | irrelevant skills without any identifiable plan for their |
| Companies with internal training departments often | | | | future requirements. |
| provide guidance, but sales training is quite different | | | | The implementation of any skills development |
| from designing and delivering training to other | | | | programme has to be well thought out and logical in it's |
| constituencies within an organisation, such as customer | | | | approach if a proper return on that often considerable |
| care, engineering, or human resources. | | | | investment is to be achieved. |
| The first step for any company deciding to make a | | | | Process brings organisation, efficiency and control, both |
| change in their sales approach is always an | | | | for the individual and for management. Effective |
| assessment of the situation. What processes and | | | | process provides objective analysis and indicators |
| methods are currently being employed by the | | | | which can be benchmarked and accurately measured. |
| company? What has their sales performance been? | | | | Many of the largest corporations around the world |
| What percentage of sales people are delivering | | | | have created a V.P. Process role to oversee the |
| against plan? What are the biggest obstacles to | | | | implementation of process systems including |
| success? How dynamic or stable is the company's | | | | Information Management and Customer Relationship |
| environment? What are the practices and | | | | Management. |
| expectations of the buyers? These are only a few | | | | There is of course a need to build in Knowledge and |
| considerations. | | | | that can include knowledge of products, industry, |
| Designing or adopting a sales methodology is critical. | | | | market sectors, competitors, business, etc but |
| Without that methodology in place, training is a tactical | | | | generally this education is provided extremely |
| attempt to fix a larger problem. The selling | | | | competently internally. |
| methodology must be developed based upon the | | | | However, recognition of the A.S.P formula is only the |
| company's unique situation--their market, their | | | | beginning and in truth, most organisations merely pay lip |
| customers, how those customers buy, the complexity | | | | service to it, preferring to regard any form of ongoing |
| and price levels of the products and services the | | | | training as a cost rather than an investment, whether |
| company offers, competitive pressures, reporting | | | | that be short, medium or long term. And yet there is |
| requirements, the participation of partners, the skill level | | | | substantial evidence to indicate a direct correlation |
| of their current sales people, etc. | | | | between continuing education and consistently high |
| The primary objective of creating an individually tailored | | | | achievement, increased job satisfaction, enhanced |
| Organisational Development Programme has to be: To | | | | levels of motivation and loyalty. |
| achieve consistently superior results through the | | | | Our commercial functions, including the sales team, |
| performance of every key individual, after all, our | | | | represent our forward line, if they are not scoring |
| people are our most important and indeed expensive | | | | regularly we cannot possibly achieve our overall |
| resource, it therefore makes sense for us to want to | | | | commercial objectives - i.e. nothing happens until |
| see a full and proper return on that investment. | | | | somebody sells something and all of that investment in |
| Specifically, we should seek to achieve optimum | | | | costly accounting systems, new office equipment, |
| performance levels via a process and an all | | | | expensive I.T systems etc. will count for nothing. |
| encompassing framework for defining performance | | | | As Sir John Harvey-Jones famously said: "Most |
| standards. This involves assessing, appraising, | | | | companies fail not in their attempts to be innovative or |
| developing, implementing, reviewing and providing | | | | creative. In this country most of them fail because they |
| continual feedback on performance. | | | | undervalue the importance of professional selling" |
| Emphasis is placed on creating an environment in | | | | A rapidly changing environment is the regular |
| which the 'can do - will do' mentality thrives and | | | | background against which organisations must develop. |
| becomes the norm - success and achievement are | | | | Change is continuous and will become more rapid as |
| expected and as a consequence are much more likely | | | | we move forward over time. Senior management |
| to happen. | | | | must be capable of reacting to those changes and be |
| This total approach enables forward thinking | | | | prepared to take advantage of them and yet stay |
| organisations who are committed to looking 'outside | | | | within the overall framework and agreed strategy. |
| the square' and who are not afraid to mentally cross | | | | The role of strategy is fundamental if the people within |
| bridges that that their competitors have not even | | | | the organisation are to be enabled to make the level |
| identified, to enter the land of "me - first" rather than | | | | of contribution of which they are capable. Strategy, |
| the land of "me - too". It also offers the opportunity to | | | | based on a good grasp of the core competencies of |
| develop excellence in the performance of the | | | | a business, is an essential precursor to achieving |
| company's teams and build the capabilities necessary | | | | optimal shareholder value. |
| to consistently over-achieve short, medium and long | | | | In Summary: |
| term objectives. | | | | Dependence on people is key to delivering the latent |
| In my view, we should never lose sight of the following | | | | capability of a business. Our people are the greatest |
| premise. | | | | source of competitive advantage we have and that is |
| Premise 1: Whatever got you where you are to-day | | | | precisely why we should continue to invest in them |
| will not be sufficient to keep you there. | | | | and fully develop them. This is particularly true now that |
| Premise 2: You can only succeed in business to-day if | | | | in most market sectors competitive advantage is |
| you understand what you are doing, how you are | | | | continually being eroded - i.e. International barriers are |
| doing it and why you are doing it. | | | | coming down, selling time is becoming limited, |
| Premise 3: It is difficult to control external events if you | | | | competitors are getting smarter, fewer and fewer |
| do not have control internally. | | | | names are appearing on companies' databases, and |
| Premise 4: Being competitive is an ongoing process | | | | product uniqueness is rare. Conversely, undeveloped |
| not a single event. | | | | personnel can bring down a company through |
| I believe it is essential to bring together a number of | | | | inadequate performance, leaving the competition to |
| key factors when aiming for optimum performance | | | | harvest the marketplace. |
| levels and the simplified formula would be: | | | | Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farrington. |
