It’s 2016 and just like small business owners all over Northeastern Ohio you’re vowing that this is the year you’re going to focus on increasing sales. This is the year the sales department is finally going to “get it in gear”. Then, just as you did in 2015, 2014, 2013…, you dig out the old goals and ideas.
For the sake of this article we’re going to assume the sales plan you have is a solid one. (It may not be, which is a subject for another time.) So, if it’s a good plan why hasn’t it worked all these years? The problem with even the best sales plan is that it’s only as good as the people who execute it.
Most small businesses have order takers rather than salespeople. This isn’t just a matter of semantics. There’s a real difference in attitude, aptitude and mindset between the two – a difference which will increase or decrease your bottom line.
Order takers
Attitude – He sees his job as giving the customer just what they order. They tell him what they want, he puts the order in and the transaction is complete. His attitude is that his role in the sales process is a passive one. He doesn’t believe that customers would get a greater benefit if he took a more active position.
Aptitude – She’s in the position by default, she didn’t seek it out as a career. It may have been the only job available at the time or one she simply fell into. She doesn’t really want to be a salesman, but “it’s a job that pays the bills”.
Mindset – His mindset is static and he fights innovation, believing “things are fine just the way they are”. He sits in his office waiting for “new” business to come from the company’s existing lead sources (i.e. a RFP, an incoming call or a web request). He plays solitaire on his computer waiting for the customer or prospect to come to him.
Salespeople
Attitude – She believes she and the customer (or prospect) are a team, one which identifies problems and finds answers. Her job is to take an active role in finding and helping people whose lives, jobs and companies would benefit from her product or service.
Aptitude – He likes and wants to sell, seeing it as an opportunity to make a good life for himself and his family. He has an appreciation of the skills needed to be successful in the profession and works on developing them.
Mindset – He enjoys his job and likes the challenges of the sales process. He takes pleasure in “not being stuck in an office” and seeks out chances to interact face to face with future and existing clients. His mindset is that he’s an expert concerning the product or service and others can benefit from his knowledge.
The question to ask yourself is, “Do I have salespeople or do I have order takers?” If you have order takers, chance are you’ll be dusting off that unused sales plan about this time next year too. It doesn’t have to be that way, make 2016 the year you add some salesmen to your work force.
