Growth at all costs can seem admirable, aggressive — a tenacious pursuit that sends Rocky to personal victory after punching on sides of beef and running stairs. Yet, even in Hollywood, Rocky does not win the fight in the end. And while your organization might be compelled to push people, departments and deals to the max with sights set to grow, no matter what, your leaders face risking it all against economic obstacles.
Leading sales organizations know to adapt to present realities. And our present reality still includes uncertainty — in lingering inflation pressures, a pending recession and massive big-tech layoffs. Market leaders are embracing a transition from growth at all costs to efficient growth.
Sustainable revenue performance has always been the objective for Mereo as we serve our clients. And the current market environment presents opportunities to adjust both revenue strategies and tactics, across marketing to sales to customer success, for sustainable outcomes.
STRATEGIC STEPS TO SALES EFFICIENCY
Sales efficiency means doing the most with the resources you have available — or, if necessary, fewer. This seems like an obvious dream for most leaders, yet it will not be realized by wishful thinking.
To actually increase sales efficiency you must make calculated strategic adjustments to your current sales approach.
Assess what resources you truly need for sustainable performance. In uncertain economic times, leaders must make tough decisions, including resizing your sales teams in line with the market situation.
Reimagine sales goals. Tracking efficiency against grow-at-all-costs goals and baselines will set your teams up for failure. Update your expectations based on the resources at your team’s disposal, and realistically measure their performance against these.
Start nitpicking. Hone-in on key areas for improvement in your processes and teams, and hold everyone accountable. The Chief Reminding Officer is a good approach to follow to do this successfully.
Differentiate between busyness and purposeful sales orchestration. Do not confuse your sales team’s busyness with productivity. With efficiency, every action and interaction counts. Keep your team focused and purposeful. Keep your teams driven by urgency.
Make the most of technology and tools. A number of automation tools are available to sales organizations that can help your team do more with fewer resources. Understand the limitations of these tools but also work to integrate them into your processes to enhance efficiency.
CUT OUT THE TOP SALES-DERAILING FACTORS
As you enhance the efficiency of your sales team and processes, tackle the five most common sales pitfalls that keep your deals from closing. From buyer profile to the status quo and more, these sales barriers can delay deals — or worse.