AGI Insights

At a series of executive roundtables conducted by AGI in 2009, sales leaders shared seven imperatives for navigating a tough economy and maintaining enough "muscle" to emerge stronger than ever in 2010. In this second installment of a two part article, we share the last four imperatives.

IMPERATIVE 4

Package and promote products and services that help customers better manage their productivity. Help your customers do more with less by offering solutions that impact their business processes. Take share at accounts that are open to such "profit impact selling." Transition to solution selling as quickly as possible in the segments/accounts that value it.

	Sell high to executives who care about profit and ROI.
	Invest in resources that can expedite access to and influence with these executives.
	Leverage your own company's executives to build relationships among top executives at key accounts.
	Focus on industries/customers where solutions have "game changing" potential.

IMPERATIVE 5

Team with marketing and finance to build momentum and create strong internal partners.

	Marketing; collaborate to increase investment in field programs that produce more and better leads for sellers.
	Finance; work with them to better understand their ROI criteria...and prove that sales is one of the best opportunities for investment in a down market.

IMPERATIVE 6

Keep top talent. Avoid short term "savings" with wholesale cuts in development programs that impact knowledge, skill and loyalty of the sales team...especially among your most successful sellers. Get mileage from low cost programs that cast a big shadow.

	Training; shift training investment into high impact programs associated with strategic products and markets.
	Coaching; believe it or not most first line managers invest less than 5% of their time in coaching. Set a goal to quadruple this to 20% or one day per week and watch your sales talent flourish.
	Recognition; small rewards and sincere public recognition are very inexpensive and go a long way towards motivating and modeling desired behaviors.
	Compensation; if you have to change anything, cut back on pay for sellers at the low end of the performance curve and reallocate this to top performers. Make sure top performers are well compensated; if you don't your competition will.

IMPERATIVE 7

Ensure leadership sets an upbeat tone. Communicate that despite difficult times, "there is business to be had."
 

	Minimize distractions; don't let rumors or negativity grab the spotlight. Keep the emphasis on winning and what you are doing to achieve this. Pay particular attention to first line managers who control the cadence and the day-to-day mood of the sales organization.
	Keep the leadership message simple; tell the organization what is expected. Remind them of the resources available to make this happen. Show them steady progress toward goal attainment.
	Over communicate with the troops. Tell them how the company is doing. Offer frequent encouragement, celebrate wins.