YourSalesManagementGuru by Ken Thoreson, Acumen Management Group
Blog archive
High-Performance Sales Teams: Control
We have been discussing the three concepts that sales managers must focus on and the ingredients you need to have in your sales leadership pantry. This time, let's talk about control.
Many of you who have attended our workshops or listened to our keynotes or Web casts know that cooking is a hobby of mine. I own in excess of 150 cookbooks and at home I frequently experiment in developing new creations or adaptations to existing favorites -- I'm always looking to refine and improve each recipe. This experience reinforces my client recommendations that successful, high-performance sales leaders build a "prescriptive" approach to growing and managing their teams.
Much like a good recipe that details the specific measurements/ingredients required to create an entree, a sales leader must understand and develop the measurements required for building predicable revenue. These measurements, or "standards," become the basis to ensure your sales team achieves current and long-term success -- your recipe for success.
We recommend that sales and marketing organizations each set four to five key performance indicators. Once these standards are determined, each sales person must be measured against those standards. A professional sales leader knows that based upon the maturity, experience and knowledge, each salesperson could have a slightly different set of actual ingredients. Even so, the actual KPI categories will be the same for all.
By setting standards, measuring actual performance to them, you build a control process to ensure your recipe for success turns out right each and every month. Your job is then to refine your recipe.
Let me know if you want me to expand this subject and discuss the specific standards and KPIs partners are using to improve their teams.
Posted by Ken Thoreson on March 19, 2009