Has your company’s leadership team had to face any of these challenges in the last year?

  • A sales organization consistently missing revenue targets
  • Flat or declining company revenues over a prolonged period
  • Unable to increase sales margins
  • High sales force turnover among top performers
  • Poor success winning new clients / new logos
  • Needing to enter a new market, launch new product/service or open a new sales channel

Challenges like these create the need for a dramatic refocusing of a company’s sales effort.  It’s what we call sales change management and we spend a lot of time helping companies manage through these situations.

Sales Change Management Improves Sales Results

If tweaking, tinkering and waiting for the next quarter’s results are no longer an option, then maybe it is time for sales change management. Sales change management includes addressing such important sales model elements such as the following.  It often means putting new sales processes and the right resources in place.

  • Redefining sales strategy and sales plans
  • Changing your sales model
  • Formalizing lead lifecycle management
  • Implementing sales management processes
  • Developing new market entry plans and tactical plans
  • Building or restructuring opportunity management teams
  • Creating or adding new sales channels
  • Replacing your sales leader

In addition to the situations mentioned at the outset, there are also times when companies experience evolutionary changes as they grow from one stage to the next.  These are also times when company leadership needs to consider sales change management.   Here are some examples:

  • Highly successful start-ups that have out grown the founder’s time to function as chief executive and sales leader.
  • Companies that launched on a great product or service but have now saturated their initial market and must expand to grow.
  • Companies where early growth came from the Rolodex of the leadership team but are now out of viable contacts to sell to.
  • Firms under new executive leadership, ownership or board of directors.
  • Businesses undergoing major structural or organizational changes, i.e. realigning, combining or shedding business units.
  • Well funded start-ups with leadership teams strong in industry and product knowledge but lacking sales leadership experience.

These are occasions when companies have the opportunity to take control of their sales destiny by putting in place the sales leadership and processes to reach their goals.   Just remember, it won’t happen on it’s own!