It
is difficult to consistently meet sales targets without a clear and
meaningful direction that everyone is committed to make happen.
Yet,
Many Sales Strategies Fall Short
While
the majority of sales leaders (83%) agree with the need for a clear and
compelling sales strategy, our research shows that too many sales teams (72%)
move too quickly to meet quarterly revenue targets without having a clear,
believable or implementable plan. Some sales leaders say they do not have the
time. Others think sales quota combined with increased pressure and hard work
should be enough.
Strategic
Sales Ambiguity
When
you ask sales teams about their strategy, ambiguity reigns. Sales teams consistently
rank the sales strategy as being 50% less clear than sales leadership.
Unfortunately the lack of strategic sales clarity not only hampers short-term
sales performance but also long-term sales team health. An unclear sales
strategy blurs priorities and trade-offs for sales teams.
Unfortunately, most sales teams have just enough of a game
plan to stay in the game...but not to win it.
Strategic
Sales Clarity Matters
Our
organizational alignment research found that strategic
sales clarity accounts for 31% of the difference between high and low
performing organizations in terms of revenue growth, margin attainment,
customer retention and sales team engagement.
Organizations
with higher levels of strategic sales clarity:
The Components of an Effective Sales Strategy
Effective sales strategies provide crystal clear alignment
with the overall corporate strategy and create high levels of commitment to
at least four fundamental questions:
1.
Target
Clients - What are our ideal
target clients and markets where we should win 75% of the time?
2.
Unique
Value Proposition - What
is our unique differentiation that sets us apart from the competition in the
eyes of our target buyers?
3.
Success
Metrics - How will sales
success and failure be monitored, measured and rewarded?
4.
Sales
Plan - What are the
critical few sales goals, roles, processes and actions that should lead to
meeting or exceeding our targets?
To succeed, sales teams and their key stakeholders must be
crystal clear on sales goals (where the team is headed) and sales strategies
(how it is going to get there).
It could be the right time for you to stress test your sales
strategy.
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Voice
of the Customer
"We
hired LSA to help ensure our sales strategy fully aligns with our business
strategy to sustain our hardware business while driving high growth in software
and services. LSA's ability to measure our level of strategic alignment,
pinpoint areas of leverage and get the entire executive sales team to agree
upon what matters most exceed our expectations. I would recommend them to any
sales leader who wants to be set up for success."
Dan Dica | SVP Worldwide Sales | VASCO Data Security International
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Founded in 1995, LSA Global is a leading performance consulting and training firm that helps high growth technology, services, and life-science companies create a competitive advantage by powerfully aligning their culture and talent with their strategy. Learn more about getting aligned
