It's a conversation that can be uncomfortable. When we are talking to sales leaders and executives, we are most often dealing with very smart people. They know how to lead, how to sell, what's needed to be successful and perhaps more importantly, what's not.
So, when we present our process to them, it can be deceptively simple. They likely have very talented people on their team who are very capable of launching a project and seeing it to fruition. So, why do they even need Command of the Message®? Why do they need Force Management?
The phrase we hear a lot is - "This looks great, but we can do that ourselves". Our answer to that comment is always, "Yes, you could. But, why would you?"
Can You Take Your Foot off the Gas?
If you're a Head of Sales, you are busy. You have a day job. At the same time, changing behavior and implementing new processes is hard work. It's a full-time job. If you want to keep your job, your sales initiative can't replace all the activities that need to be done regularly to drive revenue. We believe what we do matters because company leaders can't take their foot of the gas to devote time to develop content, processes and tools that change mindsets and behaviors. We provide the fuel that lets you drive the car.
There's also a benefit to having an outside perspective on your organization. As a sales leader, you may be too close to the problem to see what really needs to improve. Outside experts have the benefit of impartiality and can help to uncover problems without an agenda. This discovery can be a key component to building the alignment necessary to create solutions. Outside experts also have the benefit of experience, specifically around sales transformation (if you hire the right ones). They’ve worked with some of the best companies in the world and have seen patterns of success. Outside experts need to show results. Their business reputation depends on your success. They should be maniacal in how they measure success. When launching a sales initiative, launching it in a way that sticks and drives ROI from your efforts is critical to your company's (and your) success. An experienced partner can help you to align your metrics for success and desired outcomes to the entire engagement and work with you to manically track your outcomes and ROI. Keegan Riley, CRO at Sysdig, shares how they manically tracked the results of implementing a buyer-focused sales message and process. See how Sysdig’s sales team doubled conversion rates and improved time-to-productivity.
So when you're considering launching a sales initiative, look at your own company. It's likely your people already have a lot to manage as you continue to meet your quarterly goals. Can they also take on changing the behavior of your sales team and aligning your company? If the answer is no, find a partner to help.
