We are all concentrating on closing 2014 well and hitting our end of year targets, some of us (me included) are shifting a bit of our focus towards a well-earned festive break.
In this blog I’ll be looking at some things that many people won’t do this time of year which could have a major impact on your sales performance and growing sales in 2015.
A sales plan (or strategy) will help you focus on your goals and define what you need to do to reach and exceed sales targets. Have an honest look at your sales pipeline and figure out how you could actually achieve sales with the products and prospects you have. You may have to revisit your resources in people and marketing lead generation spend to ensure you will be successful. Make sure you have also done an analysis of the content (marketing support materials) your sales people need to help them through the sales process. Your sales plan should be detailed enough to give you clear view of how you will achieve targets.
Analysing what you do well and putting into practice throughout the sales team will ensure you get the best results from everyone. Get your team together and discuss the current sales process and how you can improve what you do to be even more effective by using best practice at every stage.
Have you done your target market & customer profiling for next year? Know who your ideal customer is and prioritise and focus sales efforts towards the target clients that will bring the most revenue and profitability. Read my blog "
If you are using a CRM and filing it out well, then you will have a wealth of information ready at your fingertips. Why not use it to measure and analyse how you are doing? What are you conversion rates? Where are your main blockages in the sales process? What business type of customer are you converting the most? Where are your converted clients coming from? These are just a few things that if you know, will help you focus better next year on winning business.
Do an assessment of your sales team on the top 10 sales competencies that are relevant to your industry to find their strengths and weaknesses. This is usually completed by the individual and through 360/manager feedback. Any gaps to the required levels can be addressed by sales coaching and training that focuses on each individuals gaps/needs. This will ensure your team has the best skills and confidence in their abilities to succeed.
The other day I was working with a client on lead generation and we ended up having a really interesting strategic conversation. We were reviewing activity, opportunities, and where future business was likely to come from. Looking at things on the surface, the obvious conclusion felt fairly straightforward: “We probably need more leads.” Now sometimes
Read More
Why your sales process isn’t converting is something I hear more often than you might think…Usually, it sounds like this. “We’re busy… we’ve got leads… but nothing’s really moving.”And it’s frustrating, because on the surface everything looks fine. Activity is there. Conversations are happening. Effort is being made.But results… don’t quite follow.What Does It Actually
Read More
Why Sales Skills Matter More Than You Think in B2B SalesSales skills in B2B sales matter more than most people think… If your sales aren’t converting, it’s often not the product, the market, or even the price… it’s the sales skills being used in the conversation. I see this all the time with technical teams. They
Read More
Work Smarter, Sell Faster: The Ultimate Guide to AI in Sales 2025The Ultimate Guide to AI in Sales 2025 for Success. AI in sales isn’t about robots stealing your job. It’s about giving you back hours of your week, cutting down on admin faff, and helping you focus on the bits that actually matter…building relationships
Read More
If your B2B sales process feels more like organised chaos than a well-oiled machine… you’re not alone. Understanding the B2B sales process is crucial for success. I see it all the time, especially in B2B and technical sales. Teams are busy chasing leads, quoting projects, and handling objections, but without a defined B2B sales process, they’re
Read More
Let’s clear something up straight away. You don’t need to be a “natural” at sales to be successful. You don’t need the gift of the gab, a shiny suit or some magical extrovert gene. What you do need is sales confidence. The kind that helps you show up with clarity, speak with conviction and guide your buyer
Read More