Companies that evaluate their sales forces benefit from the insights, predictions, and findings that come from the wealth of relevant information. In addition to the many surprises, including problems they weren't aware of, they learn of many opportunities too. These opportunities appear in the form of "what ifs", where if they make certain changes or modifications to the current people, systems, processes and strategies, they can have a major impact on revenue and profit. Most executives view these opportunities as magic because where before there were only challenges and frustrations, they come to realize that with a different perspective they can achieve their desired growth and profit. This is pretty magical stuff!
But the real magic happens months later when the findings that were discussed on an enterprise, group or team level, have worked their way down through sales management to the individual salespeople. While the salespeople probably had their individual results months earlier, they may not have fully understood and bought into the impact of their skill gaps and weaknesses. Through the power of hindsight, the struggles of failed sales opportunities, the discomfort from living with their assessment results, the discipline of sales management coaching, and the reinforcement of training; salespeople finally take ownership of their personal sales challenges. Rather than resisting, disagreeing, or discounting; instead of excuse making or denial, they come to fully understand why they get the results they get and what they must now do in order to significantly improve their results. It is at this point that they devour sales training and take advantage of all of the available tools, strategies and tactics to master their abilities and grow their revenue and income. That's when magic really happens. They say that lightning never strikes twice but in sales force development, magic does.
For a short, related post on how long it takes to develop salespeople, read this popular article.
If you have evaluated your sales force, what was magic to you?
If you haven't evaluated your sales force, what would make it magical?
(c) Copyright 2009 Dave Kurlan