Top 12 traits of a reactive sales team

15 June 2016

'When the going gets tough...' is a phrase we know, but what about: "When the going gets easy, do as little as you need to get by'? The harsh reality is that this is a very typical trait of the reactive sales team, and one that often causes considerable resentment throughout many organisations.

 

The top 12 traits of a reactive sales team are:

  1. A dominant and overbearing sales manager or director who reports into an MD or CEO who is not naturally a sales person or marketer
  2. The business having an unmanaged client spread, possibly with a dominance of a select few customers. The Test: If you lose your top two clients... where would the business be?
  3. Sales people who say: "So you want me to stop selling and use my time up doing CRM and reports and expenses on time?" and continue to get away with this
  4. A sales manager, director and team who get defensive when questioned about their new business sales activity, new business marketing campaigns initiated, new business calls and prospect visits made etc 
  5. A team with low outbound telephone and visit activity
  6. A sales team who either do not follow their Sales & Marketing Plan, or indeed may not even have one, where accountability for non-performance is limited
  7. Who are paid on-going commissions for what are effectively 'house accounts' at the same level as new business
  8. Who 'empire build' and take on tasks that are not selling
  9. Who have little or no on-going sales training
  10. Have a sales leader who does not lead by example
  11. Who follow a recruitment process that falls for the 'halo' effect over substance
  12. Are a sales force who like to do "cold calling' and "prospecting" from home on Fridays

Sound familiar?

At Cambridge Management Partners Ltd, we are experts in creating outstanding business growth and supporting business owners, executives and entrepreneurs who are likely to be experts in their respective fields, but where selling, sales and sales management are not their core expertise.

As sales experts, after we overcome the first question we get form the sales director or manager (which is "so what do you know about sales"), we then get down to work. Being highly experienced sales-orientated CEOs, MDs and sales directors, we typically:

  • Review your Seven Sources of Customers 
  • Identify your customer needs and your 'on-point' proposition
  • Align your business growth strategy, operations, plan and sales force to this
  • As required, deliver the necessary training (using our training arm: The Business Growth School 
  • Directly support Implementation
  • Provide sales expertise, coaching, progress and accountability support as required until the business has embedded its new skills, sales processes until the change 'project' becomes the norm.

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For a no-obligation review on how Cambridge Management Partners can support you, your sales team and your business growth, contact Alan Crouch CEO of the Business Growth School and Cambridge Management Partners (CMP) on:

[email protected]

Tel: 01223 422166

Mob: 07866 715476

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