When Sales Get Slow...

Let’s face it, even the best sales teams can face a “slow down.” I have found that organizations that tend to run into this phenomenon are past the Start-up Phase and have scaled their teams in upwards of 20 reps. Here are a short list of things that a Sales Leader needs to keep an eye on:

1. Productivity Per Rep – If you notice a decline in the productivity of your reps, it’s time to take a closer look. Seasonal Cycles and Territory changes aside – declining productivity can point to issues with onboarding and training. Evaluating your effectiveness in training and retention all involve metrics around bookings per sales rep. Changes at this level can often be caught before you impact the bottom line.
2. Cross Territory Sales – The amount of time that you allow sales people to retain accounts depends largely on relationships and your average sales cycle. Paying attention to Cross Territory Selling can help you identify Sales People that have attained a mature book of business and might not have the bandwidth to focus on prospecting. Legacy relationships and accounts are not a bad thing – but they can mean that you are not making the necessary end roads into the remaining prospects.
3. Incentive Plans – “You get what you pay for” and compensation is an area where is this especially true. Plans that incentivize new business always outperform those that don’t in generation of new business. Don’t forget about your existing customers, but new clients bring with them new revenue.