Sales Directors: the 7 essential tools and methods to use (2/2)

So here is the second part of our article “Sales Directors: the 7 essential tools and methods to use !”

In the first part, we presented the following tools and methods:

 

Now discover three other complementary methods that are very useful for sales directors.

N° 5 – Sales Growth Hacking

Growth Hacking is the use of ingenious methods to obtain maximum results with minimum effort, while analysing data in order to move forward.

For example, one growth hacking application consists of analysing performance, so as to distinguish, as of their hiring, whether a sales person will reach the level of sales required compared to the past history of former hires.

This method can reduce performance gaps, by having a data reference, which is particularly useful for managing a telesales team.

But growth hacking also means “distorting” the system, for example, by holding job interviews with your competitors’ sales people.

This technique is certainly “borderline” yet it is effective… Indeed, after twenty minutes or so of conversation, the candidate will tell you a few secrets that will help you!

It also means using modern sales tools… and continuing to test them!

For example, you could use the following tools:

 

Your action plan:

N°6 – Learn to master data

If there’s a huge change to come in the profession of sales director, it’s knowing how to play with figures, indicators, etc.

Just like in marketing and production… mathematics and rationalisation are in the process of invading the day-to-day.

What we’re seeing in eCommerce (conversion rates, success probability, etc.) is going to become vital to sales directors and their teams.

This doesn’t mean you need to turn into an accountant, just that you’ll need to be capable of producing and juggling figures derived (or not) from the CRM system…

And this goes further than calculating turnover or bonuses, it means being capable of anticipating trends, predicting a change in turnover, etc.

The profession of sales director is no longer just going to involve presenting figures from the month or the day… but from the weeks and the months to come.

Here’s an example with Qlik Sense forecast reports in Efficy CRM:

 

Your action plan:

 

7 – Define what can be automated and what really shouldn’t be

 

A sales person knows that they have to “sort” through their deals portfolio and focus on the deals that are the most likely to be achieved, rather than trying to bite off more than they can chew.

However, the sales directors who make this reflection in terms of their team are few and far between… whereas it is nonetheless a reflection that is becoming vital.

It is crucial to know when it is necessary to automate processes, and when the intervention of the sales person makes a difference.

For example, a good question to ask is should field/key accounts sales people spend time qualifying leads?

In the majority of cases, it’s not necessary… the early stages of the relationship can be managed via the telesales team…

And it is possible to take this reflection further and put a chat function in place on the website, or even a virtual assistant so as to simultaneously and interactively manage several requests.

In 2016, the sales director must rethink the sales cycle, by analysing the contact points (1^st call, follow-up, demonstration, etc.) and by knowing where to find the moments of truth, when the talent of the sales person can make the difference, which communication channels to use, etc.

For example, Marketing Automation may include a series of messages, but all the people who click on a link or who open a specific e-mail must be contacted by telephone.

 

Your action plan:

In conclusion…

 

B2B sales has considerably changed over the past few years and, even if certain people, such as Forrester, predict the loss of a million sales positions in B2B , the profession of the B2B sales person remains indispensable.

In fact, interpersonal relationships, empathy, selling solutions… all this remains crucial in B2B, because it’s not just companies that buy. It’s also people.

Nonetheless, it is vital to take the latest changes in sales into account to avoid being overtaken by a better equipped and better trained competitor.

To do so, the Sales Director must keep an eye on their competitors and also on other sectors of activity so as to adapt the best practices to their sales team.

And don’t forget. It’s not the largest companies that crush the smallest ones, it’s the most agile that overtake the slowest!

Discover an excerpt from the white paper: “How sales intelligence is transforming B2B sales”