Why Sales Transformation is Not a One-Day Training Event

It's time for another edition of the?Art & Science of Complex Sales!?If you're new, this is where we talk about all things related to putting HOW you sell at the core of your business -- from sales process execution to best practices in sales coaching to driving winning behaviors to enabling growth in your sales organization.

Every week, I share ONE idea or strategy that sales leaders and teams can use to enable consistent growth for their organization. Whether you're a sales leader, sales consultant, sales manager, sales enablement expert or sales team member ready to accelerate your performance -- you'll find one action item that you can implement each week to get you one step closer to your goals.

My mission is to elevate the sales profession with technology and partnerships so that we can all improve our sales effectiveness and raise the bar in sales.

Now, onto this week's topic! ????

Why Sales Transformation is Not a One-Day Training Event

If you’ve been reading my newsletter for long, you won’t be surprised to hear me say that?sales training?alone won’t fix your sales problems or?transform your sales team. Or that you can’t do it in a single training event–or even several training events.

So if sales transformation is not a training event, what, exactly is it, and how do you achieve it?

What Is Sales Transformation?

As with so many other topics we discuss on this blog, there is no one widely accepted definition of “sales transformation” and it’s kind of a buzzword. Google will provide you with a range of options, none of which says quite the same thing as the others.

Wikipedia, as of this writing,?defines sales transformation?as “a change management discipline that enables company executives to improve sales performance.” It goes on to list multiple areas of a company that must be involved in order to achieve a sales transformation. It further defines the purpose of the transformation to “drive the company toward its revenue goals, to improve customer intimacy, to allow the head of sales to hit their revenue targets, and to empower salespeople to earn more money.”

I appreciate that this definition focuses on the “change management” aspect of sales transformation. Too many companies think of?sales improvement?as something that can be achieved through a two-week training course and possibly some new software. While these changes can sometimes show minor results, they won’t result in a transformation.

To me, a sales transformation is a strategic initiative that results in substantial, consistent, sustainable improvements in revenue, profits, customer success, and salespeople’s ability to hit their targets. While a sales transformation initiative might be triggered by a “problem” identified in the sales system or sales team, it is aimed at more than just solving one or two problems, but rather at carrying the sales organization to an entirely new level of performance.

Sales transformation results in substantial, sustainable improvements in revenue, profits, customer success, and goal achievement.

Substantial, consistent, sustainable improvements require a strategic commitment over a sustained period of time–years, rather than weeks. Sales transformation also requires the engagement of appropriate resources, expertise, and tools.

How to Engage the Right Resources for a Sales Transformation

Sales transformation begins with a strategic commitment to a long-term transformation initiative. In order to achieve this transformation, most companies need to engage expert external resources to assess, plan, and execute the sales transformation. Then utilize the right tools and technologies to make it stick.

The right sales expert + the right sales technology = the formula for success

To choose the right sales expert, ask for references from colleagues or peruse our list of?sales development experts?who have partnered up with Membrain to make a short list of possibilities. Look for experts who understand your type of sales environment, and who commit to bringing long-term, sustainable results.

When you choose one of Membrain’s partners, you know you’re working with someone who understands?complex B2B sales, and who can help you execute your strategy through technology.

How the Best Sales Transformation Experts Work in Tandem with Technology

When you hire an experienced and qualified sales transformation expert, they’ll take a series of steps to move you toward your desired results. While these will vary depending on your consultant and your situation, the sales transformation initiative usually follows some version of this basic structure.

One: Assess

Your sales expert makes an assessment of your current state and problems impacting your sales performance. These might include:

• Right people in wrong seats
• Lack of sales process and/or methodology
• Poor fit with ideal customer
• How you engage with customers
• How you qualify customers
• How you align with your buyer’s way of making decisions
• How sellers are guided through the sales process with enablement content
• How you understand your wins and losses (win/loss analysis)
• Wrong technologies

Two: Strategy and Process

Once your sales expert understands where the weaknesses and opportunities are in your sales system, they’ll make recommendations for improving your strategy. Then they’ll associate your strategy with a sales process that enables your sales team to execute on it.

Three: Execution

Without execution, strategy and process become a dusty book on a shelf. Here’s where a great sales transformation consultant will provide you with a thoughtful execution program that includes training, coaching, and supportive tools and technologies like Membrain. The right training and tools ensure that your strategy and process become operational excellence.

Many companies underestimate the value of a sales technology platform that makes it possible to effectively execute strategy and process. When you work with a?Membrain partner, you get a complete package that enables your team to execute consistently, every day, on the process, habits, and activities that win more business for you. The Membrain platform also enables your consultants, coaches, and trainers to access valuable analytics that enable them to more effectively support constant improvement across your sales team and to measure the success of your efforts.

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This article was first published on the Membrain blog here: https://www.membrain.com/blog/sales-transformation-is-not-a-one-day-training-event