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Aaron Ross’ new book focuses how companies can get the most of sales teams, from organizational structure to design to compensation.
Here are some tips from Predictable Revenue (Want more? Buy the Predictable Revenue on Amazon.) for inspiring sales teams:
Three Ways To Inspire And Improve The Sales Organization
1. Include Salespeople In The Planning Of New Programs
Start by asking the sales organization about how they want to have their voices included in the business. What would they change? What would they do if they managed it?
Just as getting customer insight is important early in the product design process, you can save yourself a lot of frustration and get a much better “sales product” by including salespeople early in the design process.
2. Beta Test New Sales Programs
Draft your program or rule, and then submit it to groups for feedback. Beta test it. Catch bugs or design issues early, before it’s released to everyone.
Yes, this means you’ll need to plan next year’s territories and comp plans BEFORE the end of this year (shocking, I know!)
3. Survey Satisfaction
How satisfied are your salespeople with the support they get and their environment? What tools or parts of the environment are frustrating?
You can do this by walking the halls, posing the question in sales meetings, or using a simple service like www.surveymonkey.com
It takes some work and creative thinking, but involving the sales force in the design of its own products will raise morale and engagement and improve their sales tools, both of which lead to more results.
Try this out with your sales organization, and then move to practicing it across the company.
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Aaron Ross is an author, speaker, and managing Director of Predictable Revenue, Inc., which helps companies multiply sales. He is also CEO of PebbleStorm, Inc. Find his newest book Predictable Revenue on Amazon.
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About this series: We are proud to present sections of Predictable Revenue. For more about the series, check out our Q&A with Aaron.
