What leads to Sales Uncertainty?

Aug. 5, 2014 - PRLog -- Top management or CXO level executives might be surprised to learn that there are considerable similarities between the sales management problems, regardless of industry or company size.

Everyone will agree that the most persisting problems within their sales verticals are a) lengthy sales cycle and b) ‘unknown fog’ elements within sales pipeline

Lengthy sales cycles:

Every sales director is familiar with the dragging frustration of the too-lengthy sales cycle. Conversations are taking place, and prospects look promising, but the amount of time and resources required to close the deal is too draining for the business. Almost half of all sales directors reported that the length of the sales cycle is their greatest challenge. A full 49% felt that, although deals are closing, it takes a very long time to do so. The length of the sales cycle impacts on everything from team morale to revenue flow. Managing timescales is an important, if tricky, responsibility for any conscientious sales director. And achieving an acceptable level of resource investment in the pre-closure sales cycle is clearly a challenge for many sales directors.

Unknown fog elements within Sales pipeline:

The disappointment of an unfulfilled prospect is a common experience for sales directors. Although any director needs to have thick skin, it can be highly concerning if hot leads are constantly dropping off. This was the second most often cited challenge facing our sample, with 22% (this was specified in the responses by individuals who chose ‘Other’) reporting lost pipeline as their biggest challenge. There can be many reasons why seemingly hopeful deals don’t close – a number of which will be discussed later in this white paper – but clearly the level of lost leads is problematic for a number of sales directors. The uniformity of responses is reassuring in so far as it suggests commonalities between different organisations. It may be that there are habitual inefficiencies taking place across industries and companies, causing endemic issues with pipeline and sales cycles. This white paper will look to the responses of sales directors to uncover the potential causes of and solutions to these challenges

The lack of coaching culture impacts on management capability. Sales management is a highly complex and demanding position. And the skills one needs to be a good manager are far from the skills one needs to be a good salesperson. Where adept salespeople are often competitive and individualistic, a manager’s primary role is to support and facilitate the performance of the team. The famous phrase “great players don’t make great coaches” is particularly pertinent here. Managers who are promoted from within the sales force will need comprehensive training in order to become effective coaches. It is only with this training that they will be able to drive the performance of their direct reports, and create a high-performing sales team. The fact that such a high percentage of sales managers seem to be undertrained suggests that even sourcing new sales managers from other companies, individuals with experience in the role, may not be enough to ensure they have the adequate skills.

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