| What is your company's sales culture or | | | | difference between commitment and dedication." We |
| environment? Can that question be answered quickly | | | | are not suggesting that your people are chickens or |
| and articulated consistently across your organization? | | | | pigs, but we would ask you to think about how |
| The foundation for creating a clearly defined sales | | | | committed they are. Are they willing to do whatever |
| environment begins with the leadership - how they | | | | it takes (assuming legal, moral and ethical standards) |
| set sales standards and then demonstrate, | | | | to reach their sales goals? What evidence is there to |
| communicate and inspect accountability to those | | | | defend or support this claim of commitment? |
| standards. What sales standards do you set and | | | | These are very important questions for any sales |
| communicate? Are they extraordinary? If we | | | | leader to be able to answer. Even without people |
| followed you around for 30 days, what would we | | | | who are committed to success in selling, you will still |
| observe about your actions and interactions with | | | | get your product and services sold. What will not |
| your team? What would we discover about the | | | | happen is consistent and predictable sales growth. |
| personal accountability of each individual in your | | | | You won't be able to create or develop a sales group |
| organization and about their standards as a sales | | | | that is top of class. You won't be able to get them |
| team? Do your salespeople make excuses? Do they | | | | to change or grow. Commitment to success in sales |
| blame the economy, the competition, or the | | | | means doing whatever it takes. So, are your people |
| company for their failures? Do they complain about | | | | willing to do whatever it takes to be successful in |
| the lack of support, technology, training, or products | | | | sales? How do you know? The answer is to watch |
| and services? | | | | them. |
| Here's the litmus test. When there is a failure to | | | | Next, are your salespeople committed to your vision |
| reach a stated goal, would the majority of your sales | | | | and mission? Are they executing the activities that |
| team state that the reason for failure is a result of | | | | are consistent with your vision and mission? Do they |
| something they personally failed to do or is it due to | | | | pursue opportunities that are consistent with your |
| the market, the company or something outside their | | | | business strategy? Do they focus on the priorities |
| control? That first answer demonstrates a sales | | | | that are consistent with what you have |
| environment that has established extraordinary | | | | communicated? Or do you find that your sales force |
| standards. We describe this type of sales | | | | is focused on their individual achievement and they |
| environment as 'no excuses, no rationalizations and | | | | disregard the direction and focus of the company? |
| no yeah buts'. There must be personal accountability | | | | This is true if you have to constantly fight battles |
| at every level of the organization if your organization | | | | over compliance to systems and processes. This is |
| hopes to grow in a consistent and predictable fashion. | | | | true if you are constantly in a battle with them in |
| There are several components that contribute to | | | | regards to the types of 'deals' they are bringing to |
| your ability to set and attain extraordinary standards. | | | | the table. How critical is this? Without a team that is |
| The first component is commitment - your personal | | | | committed to your vision and mission, you will not |
| commitment as well as the commitment of your | | | | achieve the growth goals for your sales team or |
| sales team. This involves the ability of each individual | | | | company. |
| to take responsibility for success and failure as well | | | | In summary, your sales culture will be defined by |
| as their commitment to the achievement of their | | | | how you communicate your expectations and how |
| personal goals. | | | | you hold your people accountable to what they say |
| Here are a few things that we know about | | | | they will do and how they perform. This is not micro |
| commitment: It's an inside-out job | | | | managing. It is about demonstrating your own |
| - You can't train it to make it happen | | | | commitment to the end goal and inspecting your |
| - You can't teach it to make it happen | | | | sales team's commitment to the sales activities |
| - You can't demand it to make it happen | | | | necessary to reach the goal. Setting and clearly |
| - You can demonstrate it | | | | communicating these standards will eliminate guess |
| - You can tell people what it means to you | | | | work. Make sure that you listen for excuses and |
| - You can decide to have a committed team I'm sure | | | | make sure that they are no longer allowed by you or |
| you've heard the story of the pig and the chicken | | | | those whom you lead. |
| discussing who is more committed. As they look into | | | | Remember, any reason that is given for a lack of |
| the farm house window, the family is sitting down to | | | | performance other than a statement that begins |
| breakfast to have bacon and eggs. And the pig says | | | | with "I" is an excuse. Recognizing this is the first step |
| to the chicken, "That meal alone defines the | | | | to creating a 'no excuses' sales environment. |