Have you wondered why your sales team is underperforming? The reason could be that your strategy for reaching out to potential customers is broken.

Most problems start at the beginning of the process: cold calling, cold e-mailing, and cold social media outreach. Salespeople are glued to their computers looking for names and numbers to call but have few substantive conversations. They are spinning their wheels because they do not know who wants to buy their products. They have not spent enough time researching who their ‘ideal target customer’ is, so they sell to everyone.

One of the fastest ways to convert a prospect into a client is through referrals. When a salesperson receives a referral introduction, that person/company comes pre-sold. Yet, few companies have a proactive referral system. This is the number one reason why your sales team is underperforming.

Another reason salespeople and sales teams underperform is that they spend very little time proactively selling to prospects who are interested in the product. Underperforming reps seem willing to do anything but take the time needed to target accounts and potential clients. Nor do they follow up on sales leads promptly. Studies have shown that companies, on average, only follow up 50% of their sales leads.

However, the most common broken process for underperforming sales teams is typically the fact that they have no process. Without a structured game plan, management hasn’t established a successful sales force. Workers do what they want, and however, they want to. There is no consistency or standard way of doing business.

Winning Strategies…

Remember, if you want your salespeople to be effective:
1. Have a structured process
2. Create an active referral program
3. Follow up promptly