Meeting corporate demands for higher sales performance can be a daunting task for sales executives, particularly if they don’t possess adequate resources to get the job done.
Thomas Ellis, President of EWC Consultants, knows this all too well. These three case studies describe some of the challenges Thomas has experienced in his career, and how he was able to deliver a return on his client’s investment each time.
1. Meeting Unrealistic Quota Demands in Record Time
The Issue: Confronted with corporate demands to increase 2003 sales by 40% in 90 days, my sales team and I were at a loss as to how to accomplish such an ambitious goal. I was understaffed and lacked adequate time and resources to train a new team of sales reps. Nonetheless, my orders were clear. I needed to produce, and I needed to do it in 90 days as opposed to the typical 180 days it takes to accomplish such goals.
The Strategy: Institute a Mentor/Protégé Program that Reaps Big Benefits
Step 1: Launch an aggressive recruitment campaign to acquire seven new recruits that would be mentored, or whipped into shape, by my highest-producing sales reps.
Step 2: Layout a rigorous training regimen to help recruits build product knowledge, learn the sales process, and maneuver our corporate environment.
Step 3: Craft an enticing incentive plan to motivate both mentors and protégés.
The Process: The recruitment campaign proved successful. I hired seven ambitious sales reps, teamed them up with my more experienced representatives, and armed them with specific goals to obtain in a 90-day period.
Both mentors and protégés were judged on the following:
1. Sales productivity – must be produce at least 35% of the yearly quota.
2. Product knowledge and understanding of organizational processes.
3. Familiarity with and the ability to effectively use internal processes and systems.
The Incentive: Mentors received a $1,000 bonus if their protégé exceeded the above criteria.
The Outcome: All seven new hires reached their quota for the year and my organization was 120% of quota. Corporate leaders were so impressed with my ability to meet the challenge that they adopted the process as a best practice and made it a national program.
2. Enhancing Team Performance for Bottom Line Results
The Issue: A national wireless brand needed to increase the effectiveness of their sales team. Slow sales and low lead generation was having a negative impact on the company’s bottom line.
The Strategy: Build confidence among low-producing team members by enhancing their ability to generate leads, pursue prospects effectively, and close more deals.
The Solution: Thomas Ellis created an in-house training program to address fundamental challenges that team members faced. The training agenda included workshops on telemarketing skills, first appointment tactics, lead generation, cold-calling techniques, and closing strategies.
The Outcome: Confidence and skill levels among low-producing sales reps increased dramatically, having a positive impact on organization’s bottom line. New appointments increased from an average of two appointments per week to more than six appointments per week over a 60-day period.
3. Creating Better Leaders through Coaching
The Issue: Low morale and low sales productivity prompted the need for a leading wireless carrier to enhance leadership skills among its sales managers.
The Strategy: Enhance leadership and management skills through personalized coaching.
The Solution: Thomas Ellis developed a one-on-one coaching tool for managers seeking to improve their working relationships with team members. He used behavioral techniques to uncover personality and motivational drivers and determine the most effective way for managers to interact with each sales rep.
The information was used to teach sales managers the fundamentals of good management, including how to:
- Identify what motivates and drives employees;
- Relate to employees as individuals;
- Interact effectively with employees based on their personality type;
- Recognize and reward high performance; and
- Give constructive criticism.
The Outcome: Over a six-month period, sales managers had developed better working relationships with team members, which had a positive impact on the sales performance of each sales rep. In addition, marginal performers raised their level of sales from unacceptable to acceptable.