Sometimes clients come to a session and just seem stuck. Maybe they haven’t hit their sales goals. Maybe they have too much on their plate. It’s not a pretty sight.
Leaders get frustrated. The team gets frustrated. Hell, I get frustrated! Usually that means all of these things are a clear sign that they’ve hit the ceiling.
One of my clients was in this kind of a funk after a tough quarter. After some IDSing, we discovered the problem. They had spent a bunch of money on a fancy marketing message, but it wasn’t working. Their message, while beautiful from the standpoint of English lit, was so complicated that it was hard to digest.
Hard to Digest = Hard to Say “Yes”
Complicated made sense to them as experts, but not to their clients.
We walked through hitting the ceiling and The Five Leadership Abilities™ and simplified their messaging right on the spot.
Within a week, a customer confided in them: “Now that we understand what you’re saying, we love it!”
“Message transmitted” became “message received,” and shortly after, “message devoured” — all from simplifying. We locked in a new message in their marketing strategy, and sales rolled in from there.
As you can see, the beauty of EOS® is that lessons from one EOS Tool apply to others.
Clear, Relevant Processes
Another sales problem with a different client was solved using a different leadership ability.
They had recently reconfigured their sales model to move away from defined sales territories. In a digital age, they reasoned, leads come from everywhere and it was silly to treat them otherwise. The plan was great.
Plans, however, only work when they’re executed. My client’s team members still acted like they had territories. Every single person went back to the easiest path … the path they knew the best.
They used their own style and their own message. But the sales messages that worked in Manhattan weren’t working in Milwaukee. To make matters worse, the sales leader was trying to help each person based on their individual path.
Lots of effort, not a lot of sales to show for it.
Eventually, the leader simplified the processes down to one process that better aligned with their new model. They built a system so that every salesperson entered data in the same place and in the same way. The basic message was consolidated, so salespeople didn’t have to improvise as much. The rock-solid marketing strategy they built became the focal point of conversation instead of recent agricultural harvest numbers, the subway system’s constant failure, or other deal-killing distractions.
Armed not just with a clear message but also with a clear process that systemized how they could engage, interest, and close prospects, the sales team became true global citizens. With busy markets now supported by salespeople from less-developed territories, the team saw its sales rise and smiles increase.
Ask yourself: “Is your team reading from the same page or are they going off script?”
Get the Crap Off Your Plate
We had simplified and we had systemized, but we weren’t done.
Once the process became clear and standardized, we took a closer look at what people had on their plates. We got all the “nice to have but not vital” tasks off each team member’s plate. They were happier and more productive, with less busywork.
More free time and less busywork gave the team the capacity to actually work through obstacles and root-cause issues instead of just swatting them away.
Clear message, clear process, and strong capacity? You guessed it. It turned into more and more sales.
Five Leadership Abilities to Increase Sales
- Simplify: remove all nonessential items from your team’s plate
- Structure: implement the foundational processes necessary for your team to be successful
- Systemize: document and report on your processes to ensure everyone follows the same steps
- Predict: clear processes and reporting allow your sales team to better predict their sales goals and needs
- Delegate: identify and implement a primary and secondary sales model to allow your team to perform their best
Is the music you’re playing landing with your target audience? Are your sales team members playing together? Do they have the capacity to be their best?
If the answer isn’t 100% yes to all of the above, talk to a Professional EOS Implementer® today!
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