Q&A: Low Performing Sales Team

A sales manager asks: My sales team has not been performing well. Since I took over this position, I've come to realize that part of the problem relates to a value proposition that isn't clearly stated. We also have a wide product and service range. The biggest challenge has been getting commitments once we introduce ourselves. What do you suggest we do? How can I better motivate my salespeople?

Jill's answer: If you'e having trouble getting commitments for follow up meetings, it's because what your salespeople say doesn't interest your prospects. You're right about focusing on your value proposition.

As a group you need to figure out why someone would change what they're currently doing to work with your company. Remember, you're competing against the status quo.

Get your salespeople talking to customers they've acquired in the past six months. Have them find out the value these customers have found in working with your firm versus their previous supplier. If you have new people on your team, have them make calls to customers as well.

From a motivational perspective, I suggest you engage your sales team in trying to find out what works. Make it a challenge. Have people try different things. Continually discuss what works or doesn't work. Also, practice on each other.

You are all trying to learn. Involve your salespeople in figuring out this puzzle. If you've hired creative people, they will rise to the challenge. Pose questions to them:

- What could we say that would make a customer interested in talking with us more?
- What keeps them engaged in discussion?
- What else might be interesting to them?

Explore, discover and learn together. It's the best way to be motivational and pull your team together at the same time.

Comments

[Troy Bingham]

I would suggest to slowly replace under performing reps with superstar reps. If you have a good product, the right sales rep can sell it. then either you will start to lose reps that are not willing to do what that superstar is doing or they will start to do what that superstar is doing. Either way, sales reps are sales reps because they are motivated by money. if you don't have reps motivated by money, they are not sales reps. keep in mind, it is also your responsibility to see that they have all of the resources necessary to perform at the expected level.

[Jessica Reinstein]

I had notice that choosing right person for sales position isnt a matter of "good luck", it should be an objective process. I faced this as every day situation, and I found very helpful cases shown on http://www.buildsalesteams.com/cases.php, check it and let me know if it was usefull for you.

[Jonathan Narducci]

A value propositional statement is valuable but the statement is a set of promises about the value, in the form of benefits, that a company makes to its customers. That statement has to be broken into the "sub" benefits it promises and the actvities the company must perform to make the promises real.

For example, when a company says they have “timely service” (a value proposition), the statement breaks down into a service contract with deliverables tailored to each customer, skillful problem solvers on board, an “automatic notification of a problem” process, and service personnel organized around a set of customers with similar characteristics or geographically grouped.

Even these pieces have sub-components. If a benefit or action is missing, today's knowledgeable customer will notice it.

As far as motivation is concerned, a lot of managers spend a lot of time looking for ways to motivate their people but little time looking for and eliminating the de-motivators. I suggest asking questions about what de-motivates your people first. They were already motivated to do a good job when they took the position. What's changed to stop that motivation from working for them now?