Failure is a two way street in that both management (the company) and the employee did not accomplish the objectives. Employee failures are always well documented but few leadership teams take the time to understand where and how they failed too. The typical sales leadership failures we see on a continuing basis are:

1. Setting growth goals to challenge hunters but hiring farmers to deliver the numbers. This never works so the company starts viewing the sales staff as independent contractors and retools the commission plan to performance levels no one in the history of the company has ever achieved. The underlying attitude is – if we don’t get what we want, we won’t pay them anything!

2. Not using objective screening tools to understand if applicants have the skills, aptitudes and motivations to do the job. Typical final selections are best described as beauty contests based on references, resumes and recruiting relationships build during the interview process.

3. No definition or accountability regarding a consistent go to market sales process thus allowing everyone to do their own thing. The chaos that results is only amplified in terms of gross forecast inaccuracies.

These leadership failures are all fixable – CRO’s have to own their role and do it.

Now, fast forward a couple decades and consider the opportunity to assess candidate aptitudes, motivations, communication style and selling skills as part of identifying the better qualified applicants before you make an interview investment. This is the equivalent of replacing the black and white television process with high definition color in terms of seeing the real applicant.

What amazes me today is the number of companies continuing to use the old black and white television process for making critical hires. Once you see high definition color data, life as a CRO is a much more enjoyable role. If you want to try high definition color – just contact us – the first applicant assessment will be complimentary if you mention this blog post.

80% of the challenges in meeting revenue objectives originate in two areas:

1. Not knowing or being able to explain your Differentiating Value (DV) in the prospect’s world. DV is the cornerstone of your entire go-to-market process so trying to sell without it is equivalent to trying to build a house without first constructing the foundation.

2. Hiring the wrong sales people. Understanding the hunter and farmer roles in any revenue system is critical for staffing your go-to-market platform. Both roles are equally important for success and need to be clearly defined in the revenue plan before staffing selections are made. We continually see organizations hire candidates they like rather than the talent they need.

Both issues are fixable – give us a call if you would like some guidance on how to proceed. This is the 80/20 profile of our business so there isn’t much we haven’t already seen.

My best wishes to all of you for a safe and Happy Holiday Season.

Effective CRO’s typically invest 10-20% of their time with new hire talent – more at the front end dealing with performance metrics like new contacts per week, new qualified opportunities per the 4 Aces, etc. It is not a situation where new hunters can’t figure out management’s expectations – they will just launch faster with focused CRO leadership.

1. Cannot describe a successful sales campaign against a larger competitor in a major new account.

2. Wants to know if the base compensation is upgraded annually.

3. Wants to know more about the benefits program and PTO (paid time off).

4. Asks if travel is required and if overnight stays qualify for comp time off.

5. Expect marketing to provide all the leads.

6. Wants to be measured on proposal quality and number of quoted issued.

7. Wants to know how often s/he has to make quota.

8. Specifically confirms the workday is 8-5.

9. Believes top sales performers are just lucky.

10. Wants to know if quotas can negotiated.

And a bonus 2 for you:

1. Believes quotes are the best way to qualify a new opportunity.

2. Believes quality, service and support are the only ways to grow revenue.

“If you think it is expensive to hire a professional to do the job wait until you hire an amateur.”

That about sums up what goes on in many companies today when it comes to staffing decisions. It doesn’t mean you have to pay the most but it does mean you have to know the template of skills, talents, motivations and behaviors that are critical for success in each position so you can separate amateurs from professionals before you make a hiring decision. If your team doesn’t have the time to do the template and the separation process, give us a call. Without the right people, success if just a virtual concept.

The process of selling (prospecting, qualifying and closing) and the responsibilities of sales management (coaching, accountability, incenting and staffing) have not changed – the tools are advancing but the end game is still the same – make the numbers. These new tools are interesting, some totally entertaining, and the global computer and communications technology industries are enjoying substantial revenue uplifts trying to convince you these are ‘must have’ resources but tools alone won’t make the business successful. Time to get your head out of the ‘cloud’ (yes, another technology must have) and back to the blocking and tackling basics for making the numbers.