A sales department can be thought of as the engine of a business; when a sales team is running on all cylinders, the business will exceed goals. Continual upkeep of this engine is crucial for overall business success.
Properly balancing of day-to-day operations of sales while monitoring areas for improvement makes a significant impact. A sales management consultant can implement improvements in your team while you continue to ensure productivity.
What Does Sales Management Consulting Involve?
Sales management consulting is an encompassing process addressing five main areas. A thorough consultation involves macro strategy assessment, individual evaluations, recruiting when necessary, system reviews, and goal setting.
Current Sales Strategy Assessment
The first step the sales management consultant takes is performing a high-level assessment of the current sales strategy. This is less about individuals and more about a game plan. A sales strategy assessment allows a consultant to identify the common themes in your team’s strategy that leave gaps between desired outcomes and actual results. A consultant seeks not only to eliminate ineffective tactics but also to nurture the best practices already being deployed.
The goal of the assessment is to design the most effective sales strategy for your organization. A clear and robust strategy in place for your sales team allows them to achieve repeatable results.
Strength & Weakness Evaluation
Whether from a prospect, a manager, or a co-worker, salespersons often receive feedback from someone with something at stake. One flaw with internal feedback is that it can be reductive. If the final result of a sales pitch is positive, managers focus on giving recognition to salespersons.
Recognition produces a healthy sales culture, but the reality is that there are always areas for improvement, even when salespersons close. So how can managers ensure objective evaluation of performance? Sales management consulting provides a third-party analysis of your team’s strengths and weaknesses, enabling constant growth.
Even when your team is producing, a sales management consultant identifies how to maximize performance encouraging team members to build on momentum. When team members aren’t producing results, a consultant pinpoints faulty habits enabling managers to develop strategies to overcome them.
Development Of A Strong Sales Recruiting Process
Recruiting can be a complicated and time-consuming process for managers. Sales managers monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), join the sales process when necessary, and serve as a liaison to executives. Sales consultants are useful for busy sales managers to bring in top talent and dedicate more time to the recruiting process. A sales consultant lifts the burden of recruiting from managers while ensuring he/she brings aboard the most promising candidates.
A sales management consultant adds value to recruiting in two major ways. First, his/her experience provides an understanding of the characteristics of a successful salesperson. Second, he/she knows your team, having assessed your strategy, and evaluated your strengths. This makes a sales management consultant uniquely qualified to help fill open roles in your sales team specifically.
Internal System Review
Building a robust sales strategy and finding and cultivating talent will go a long way in establishing a successful sales culture. Your team can be limited if it does not have the infrastructure in place to succeed. A sales management consultant evaluates the tools and systems your team has in place through an internal system review and recommends areas of improvement.
Sales consultants can evaluate your CRM needs and make sure that the tools you are using are efficient and sufficient for your needs. Consultants are also able to boost communication skills and tools, as well as advise on which KPIs are the most important and how to monitor them. Our consultants draw on years of industry experience to construct effective systems for your sales team.
Goal Setting & Roadmap To Achieve Goals
Goal setting identifies a purpose, maintains motivation, and sets a standard for evaluation. It’s not enough to simply identify a target, managers also need to empower their employees to meet their goals by laying out a roadmap for how to do so.
Goals are not limited to motivational benefits; they provide clarity and transparency. By establishing realistic and concrete goals, your team is clear on what you expect of them. Using the SMART goal formula, an expert consultant helps managers develop goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
Speak To A Sales Management Consultant
Managing a sales team is a demanding position as the success of the business depends on your effectiveness. A consultant provides expert resources to make internal improvements that are both meaningful and lasting. If your team would benefit from sales management consulting, reach out to an RCG Workgroup representative today by calling 703.939.9773 or contact us online.
