A lull in the economy presents an enormous opportunity to upgrade your Sales.  Each year, I speak each year with hundreds of Presidents, Business Owners and CEOs.  Rarely, if ever, do I hear from one that does NOT want to improve their Sales and Profitability.  Most owners agree that in order to do this, their organization must change the Sales Culture.  So, the question is not whether or not a leader WANTS Sales to improve.  The question is simply whether or not the leader DECIDES whether or not he/she will CHOOSE to COMMIT to making it happen.

Changing your Sales Culture includes several components.  It is simple to accomplish, but not easy.  Although it is possible to make incremental improvements in revenue without changing to possess a Sales Culture, business leaders who are serious about effecting lasting, consistent, and sustainable CHANGE must be prepared to undertake a larger and more intensive commitment.   This commitment starts at the top and must be transmitted throughout the ranks to the entire company, especially to the management team.  The commitment is a declaration to:

• Change the Results

• Change the Beliefs and paradigms of  the organization

• Change the Attitudes of the organization

• Change the Behaviors of Sales Managers and Salespeople

• Change the Techniques –  Begin with the Sales Management Process
  • Install a congruent, effective Sales Process
  • Install an effective Sales Recruiting Process

Finally, the leader must demand the adoption of a Consistent Vocabulary that will be supported by the entire organization.

Again, Culture Change is not easy, but it IS simple.   There are only five steps.  They are: 

CHOOSE to COMMIT to CHANGE 

EVALUATE YOUR SALES FORCE 

RAISE YOUR EXPECTATIONS 

RAISE THEIR EXPECTATIONS 

HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE

If you CHOOSE to COMMIT to implementing these steps,

Here’s what you can expect:

Most Employees and Managers will NOT embrace Change.  But as I mentioned earlier, the weak economy is your biggest asset here.  Employees are much more willing to change when things are not so rosy. 

If you are a business leader who does choose to commit to building predictability and sustainability into the fabric of your company by implementing LASTING change to the Results, Beliefs, Attitudes, Behaviors, and Techniques of your organization, be prepared for:

resistance from employees and managers (especially your weaker players)

plenty of hills and valleys

attempts at politics

a project that will take more than a few months

Also, be prepared for only a few leaders to emerge and for some turnover among the folks that insist on status quo. 

Choosing to commit to a program to upgrade your Sales Culture may seem like a daunting undertaking.   However, the benefits will be well worth the effort.

As the process progresses and begins to mature, be prepared for a team that welcomes accountability, behaves consistently and performs far better than your existing group.  

Copyright © Joe Zente 2009.  All Rights Reserved.

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