Company Sales Policy Insight

How many times have you watched an animated movie, perhaps a Disney, Dreamworks or Pixar production? How many of them gave children the moral that everyone is a unique snowflake and that there is no one else like them in the whole wide world? You wouldn't be alone in answering "A LOT". They are however, right, we are all unique. But like a lot of other ideas, this idea has been taken to an extreme. Particularly in the business world.

The business world is chock full of variety, companies such as Zappos which came up having a value system saying things like "create fun and a little weirdness" are recognized as pioneers to be emulated. And they should be, their achievements are by no means to be dismissed. However, an increasingly common trend is seen of going way too far to an extreme and not realizing it. Zappos did what worked great in the context of Zappos, if other companies adapt what Zappos does "as is", it may not work out so great. Particularly when it is applied in areas where it is not even relevant.

Sometimes we see certain great ideas are used in places where they are not relevant, more as a rationalization for not taking a decision because it may require more effort to execute or would create more friction. Connectivity and social interaction leading to creative insights is used in such a context. So we have this funny situation in a lot of companies that are mindlessly going to having open offices since it "promotes bouncing ideas off people creating new insights." This is also happening in companies where uninterrupted periods of focused wok is necessary. Even in companies that are in the business of things like analyses and research which would be much better suited to deep concentration rather than "bouncing off ideas" in an open office.

The real reason such open offices are really built are to save money, and have supervision over exactly what the employees are doing due to lack of trust. This can be easily hidden below the guise of "bouncing off ideas" and promoting "chance encounters that lead to creative insights." Promoting uniqueness of approach and allowing people to do things their own way in sales has gone in this direction.

Often times such elaborate rationalizations like "authenticity" are used to support not imparting sales training, or sticking to "drills and hotseats" as they are more "real world". In times like this, one needs to look at the age old business practice of "standardization". It's age old because it works, consistently.

We are by no means advocating scripted automatons for sales but there has to be the establishment of "minimum standards" of training from where the sales executives can customize their approach to the way they do things. When hearing something like that almost everyone says, oh, we do that. Here are a few questions that will give you a reality check of if your organization has adequate "minimum standards" of sales:

• When you talk to a sales executive of your organization for the first time (be it on the phone, in a store, or in a showroom) do they greet you in more or less the same manner? Does it leave you with a warm, welcome impression all the time?
• On a scale of 1 to 10 (with one being the lowest and 10 the highest) how much is the difference between your best and worst sales executive?
• Can you expect the same level of excellence from every sales executive that you would expect of yourself?
• Do your sales executives ask the same questions to qualify a client and find out her needs?
• Do you get the same level of follow up in client interactions from each of your sales executives?
• Are each of your sales executives aware of the organization's goals and aligned with them?

If your answer to any of these questions wasn't a vehement 100% yes, and if the difference between your best and worst sales executive is more than a 2 (on a 10 point scale). Your company's "minimum standards" may require work. It is time to cast aside any possible rationalization that may reflexively come up to "explain away" how your situation is unique or how it can't be reasonably expected. The basic pre-requisite for success, in business or life is to raise your standards. If saying vehemently yes to these standards seems difficult, good. Imagine what it would be like to have an organization that is full of people who fulfil all these criteria.

That's what standardization can do for your organization. This standardization however must be done with very good knowledge and the best of sales strategies. After all, if you train your sales executives to always live up to a poor minimum standard, they'll all be mediocre. Integration into sales of findings from psychology, neurology and behavioural sciences is at the cutting edge of this sales. You can read more about it here (opens in a new tab).

While everyone is pulling in the opposite direction of promoting "uniqueness", the clever contrarian would go against the crowd. History has time and again proved that there is great wisdom and rewards in going in the opposite direction of the majority when you are backed by good reason. And standardization of practices in a company for replicable quality is a tried and tested strategy. It is what created Ford and modern assembly lines. Adding a strong layer of best in class minimum standards in sales can shoot up the sales of your organization while your competition wonders what new technology you have implemented. They won't find it as the tactic you are applying is as old as the playbook itself, and yet more relevant than ever.

When applying an age old strategy implementation, integration of the newest advances is key. The results your organization gets will only be as good as the execution. Illuster Consultants offers best in class sales training tailor-made for different industries and the Indian Market conditions. To work with us:
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