Ratcheting Up Revenue
Fixing a Broken Sales Organization
by Chip Brown
Sustaining sales revenue in a recession is just about as hard as it gets.
Businesses are scrambling to keep revenues and margins up, sales cycles
are growing longer, and sales teams are in flux as companies trim employees to
cut costs.
Cerius Interim Executives' top sales management leaders share their experience
in the most successful steps that can be taken to address a broken sales
organization for rapid turnaround. Their five key mandates for navigating
through the current economy include:
Read More 
- Focus on revenue. Get revenue acquisition in the cross-hairs and keep it
there. Evaluate sales strategies and efforts against revenue goals not just
monthly, but weekly and even daily. Ensure all team members and executives
know the results.
- Create a company-wide mind-set that focuses on success and results.
This requires the ability to motivate the team: rather than letting sales
representatives succumb to fear, successful sales leadership helps them recognize
that they will have to play at a higher level to accomplish results.
Consistently review the progress that leads to results:
- How to translate the strengths of the product or service, and the brand
into the right value equation for the customer
- How to reach new prospects
- How to turn them into customers
- Re-evaluate the sales organization's compensation plans. Does it
fit current market conditions yet create incentives? Or is it tied to
a different environment and perhaps a different selling process? Both
team motivation and revenue growth are tied to the comp plan.
- Re-assess the sales discipline and processes in place. Organizations
need proven selling disciplines that work for rapid comebacks -- disciplines
that have had demonstrable success in times of adversity and change.
The ability to identify high impact, low risk, easy-to-implement actions that
drive results, create momentum, and build confidence is critical.
- Drive for results. The ability to work effectively with the senior executive
team to champion results-oriented actions is critical.
Post-recessionary sales rebounds rely on a cohesive team with a clear
vision of their goals, a solid understanding of their products or services,
and the ability to articulate their benefits and differentiators to prospects.
Experienced leadership is necessary to create the discipline to translate
that vision into concrete revenue-generating strategies that retain a sustainable
balance between sales costs and revenues derived.
To ratchet up revenue, look to the experts. Join the many companies
today that are bringing in sales executives with proven successes in balancing
short and long term revenue goals while executing your company's sales strategy
with a productive, motivated sales team. Whether you need full or part time,
short or long term support, an experienced Cerius interim sales executive or part
time sales leader will ensure that your company can successfully address its
revenue goals.
For more information, see Interim Sales Leadership: Increase Revenue Results -Right Now with Cerius "On-Demand" Executives
or read our white paper,"Gaining a Competitive Edge Through Interim Executive Management".
Chip Brown is an Interim Executive
with Cerius Interim Executive
Solutions, the largest provider of
Interim Management services. He is
a C-level executive who
specializes in sales leadership, operational
execution, strategic direction and
new product ideation.
