S S Ten Slides in Ten Minutes: Sales Prevention [Capturing the Hearts and Minds of Prospects & Clients]

Presented by:

Bill Graham APM.APMP

April, 2014

bill.graham@sales-synthesis.co.za

2

Opening Statement

In many sales organisations there are People, Processes and Systems that inhibit effective and efficient sales activities. The contents of this slide deck are taken from ‘real life experiences’. The names have been changed to protect the guilty.

3

People

1. Non Team-Players: Unhelpful, Unapproachable, Negative, Apathetic, Uncaring, Caustic

2. Political Animals: Self-Absorbed, Personal Ambitions Conflict with Organisational Needs

3. Unskilled Resources: Poor Recruitment Practices, Nepotism, Cronyism, Poor Decision-making, lack of business agility

4. Dated Resources: Mis-Aligned to Marketplace, Irrelevant, Ineffectual

5. No Positive Organisational Culture: Poor Recruitment Practices, Deadwood,

6. Guerrillas in the Midst: Competitor’s Ally, Disruptive, Disgruntled

7. Corporate Tourists: Retired at work, Focused on Personal Interests, Time-Wasters

Do not let HR become more powerful that the actual Business Units…

4

Processes

1. Dated: Irrelevant, Administrative Overhead, Mis-Aligned to Best Practices

2. Bureaucratic: Cumbersome, Time-Wasting, Soul-Destroying

3. Silo’d: Disconnects across Business Units, Mismatched Data, Revenue Leakage,

4. Business Unit Relevance Only: Non-Functional for other Business Units, Meaningless to Organisation, Manual Interventions

5. Informal: Confusion, Optional, Irrational,

6. Over-Governance: Debilitating, Regulatory Strangulation, Stagnation

Ensure that Processes are Reviewed on, at least, a 6-monthly basis…

5

Systems

1. Outdated: Irrelevant, Administrative Overhead, Burdensome

2. Non-Integrated: Manual Interventions, Revenue Leakage, Time-Wasting

3. Monolithic: Feeding the Monster, Indivisible, Slow to Change, Glacial Inactivity

4. Inability to eBond: Islands of Data, No Linkage to Clients’ Systems, Insular Elements

5. Proprietary: Inability to Support International Standards, GRC (Governance, Risk, Compliance) challenged, Restrictive Growth and Evolution

Systems are there for Support. Do not let them become Your Masters…

6

Fear Management

The Simple Reality of Bad Business…

Silo’d Business

Units Bureaucracy

People Processes

Systems

…allowing bad people to succeed… where others fear to tread…

Underpinning every problem in a modern business

7

A Culture of Fear Builds Barriers within an Organisation

Source: Sales Synthesis

Cascading eMails

Cover your @#$%

Isolation

Silos

Polarisation

Barriers Need Filters

Yes People

Insipid Organisation with no Backbone

8

A Culture of Fear Builds Barriers with Customers

Symbiotic

relationship

with clients

Source: Sales Synthesis

Market

Management Relationship

Building Opportunity

Scouting

Industry

Knowledge

Trend

Challenges

Response

Impact Players

Personal

Challenges

Upliftment

Business

Solution/s

Benefits

Derived value

Business Acquisition

Kept to self

Internal focus

Non-innovative

Acquiesce

Insular

Self-preservation

Groupthink

Shallow

Acceptance

Fragility-based

9

The Cliché Corporation Eventually Collapses…

'Every man is a creature of the age in which he lives; very few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time.'

- Voltaire

People, Processes & Systems

Progress

Collapse

Status Quo

Fear Management

Positive Climate & Culture

Consider Other Aspects that Could Impact Sales… To a ‘lesser extent’ other factors need to be considered

10

• Unclear business strategy • Business Ethics • Cultural Diversity • Role and responsibility confusion • Commuting Problems • Remuneration Parity • Buy-in to the Business Strategy • Company Politics • Respect for Executive Management • Weak Leadership • Poor – or missing - Support Systems & Tools • Unfocused Strategic Market Development • Lack of support for wellness initiatives • Restructuring Periodicity • Brand Acceptance • Litigation • Relevant Offerings Portfolio • Etc…

Solution Sales: Value