As crazy and unexpected life can be, imagine if there was no order. No procedures, no systems, no processes, or no checks and balances. Chaos!? More than likely. People playing by their own rules. Unpredictable at best.
Without systems and processes we would be flying by the seat of our pants. No clue what's going to happen next, or how to figure out where it all went wrong.
Being in the business of professional development I find myself relating team sports to business teams quite often. Both are dynamic groups of people working together to achieve a common goal. The Washington Redskins recently opened up 
training camp in Richmond, VA. RGIII In the house! Pretty cool for our "big” little city & I look forward to checking out a practice or two.
Picture the Redskins taking the practice field (or game field) without a plan of attack: no order, no offensive or defensive playbook. For the most part it would be a waste of time, money and resources. Wasted effort. Amateurish.
They are professionals though. They have specific behaviors and activities timed to the minute, down to the second on that field. They have a walk through practice before practice to make sure their time, effort and resources are used productively. The coaching staff trains their team in a systematic structure, and reinforces it to develop the behaviors they need to be successful in the roles they will execute. A clear path to success is defined and they are held accountable for the responsibilities and behaviors asked of them. Why is it any different for sales and business professionals?
Is your sales team taking the field with a systematic approach? A clear path to navigate & effectively communicate throughout the sales process? A defined methodology to efficiently qualify (or disqualify) prospects? If not, it may be time to pull out the flip charts & dry erase boards to start game planning.
In part 2, we will discuss how a focused, disciplined & defined approach to the sales process can drive revenue increases.
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Patrick Carroll - Sandler Training - Richmond, VA - Focus Business Development, Inc. - 804-217-9507
