If you’re looking to hire some outside help to improve your sales numbers, there are a lot of consultants, companies and methodologies out there to help. So many in fact, it can be a little overwhelming to determine the right solution for your business, your type of sales process, your buyers and your sales teams. You may be asking yourself questions like:
It’s tough to say exactly how much a sales initiative costs because there are several factors that contribute to increasing the investment and several that will lower the cost. It’s all in what you need as an organization. Even if it’s the top-dollar investment, if it’s not what your organization needs, it’s going to be money-wasted.
1. Analyze Your Current State
What are you currently experiencing that is causing the need for additional resources to improve your sales team? Here are a few that typically create the need for an outside partner.
When you identify the problems you’re trying to fix, it will become much easier for you to nail down your solution. Whether you hire an outside consultant or determine to undergo the initiative internally, it will be much easier to lead the initiative if you have a clear understanding of what problems you are trying to solve.
2. Determine the Desired Outcomes
Launching a sales initiative also requires a keen focus on what you want to achieve. Do you need a X% in first calls? Do you need time-to- productivity cut in half? Do you need to reduce churn by 10%?
Make a bulleted list of your desired outcomes and the metrics you are going to use to measure success. Defining these in advance will help you determine the solution that’s right for you.
3. Assess the Internal Alignment Needed for Success
At times, it’s relatively easy to say we need our reps getting higher in prospect organizations, but it’s a bit more difficult to assess the reason why they may not be having those conversations. Are your marketing messages speaking to the C-suite? Are your salespeople bringing in product engineers too early in the conversation?
Organizations that succeed with sales transformation are able to align a company, cross-functionally, with executing the business strategy at the point of sale. A quick way to determine the alignment of your company is to ask key leaders these four essential questions:
If you get consistent responses, you likely have the alignment necessary to truly enable your reps. If the answers are diverse, you likely need a solution that’s going to first align your company with the what, and then take on providing your reps with the how.
Once you determine your key inputs, then you’re likely ready to determine a budget. A sales consulting initiative can be wide ranging. Yes, we know that sounds like a canned answer, but really. It can range from 50K all the way up to 1M+. It’s all about the size of your company, your sales team and how big the problem you’re trying to solve is. The cost question is a bit difficult to answer without knowing your specific inputs to the engagement. However, we came up with an input table to help you determine the critical levers that can influence the cost up or down.
The Inputs
How Many?
The Outcomes
Do You Need?
The Metrics
What are the three most critical measurements you are trying to improve in your organization?
Use these inputs as a way to define the scope for your transformative initiative. Click here to schedule a quick 30-minute call with one of our team members to walk through best ways to execute a more defined scope and engagement plan.
A true sales transformation partner will help you build on your best practices, determine opportunities that will create the greatest impact and help you drive adoption and alignment throughout your organization. When you consider working with an outside company, remember that you’re looking for
Here are some questions to help you assess the partner that’s right for you:
Click here to learn how Force Management can help transform your business.
