Sales Hacks – the only reason they will work
We’ve all seen “the only Sales Hack you’ll ever need”, which are meant to revolutionise our sales results – if you execute their “hack”.
The Sales Plan or Preparation!
Why am I even entertaining this subject?
Some of these “hacks” are actually great ideas (when implemented well) – and really do generate amazing results.
However, this is the time that I start talking about planning, structures, strategy and process.
Putting great ideas into action always requires an alignment with the broader plan and strategy of the business, or in some cases changing the whole direction. Good preparation enables the nitrous principle to work… a car analogy… The only way Nitrous is effective for making a car go really fast, is if the engine is prepared from a structural and tuning point of view first; and only when implemented in short bursts.
Otherwise there is a big BANG, your car engine is dead and possible you also. Preparation of the systems behind any marketing effort is crucial for achieving the best results.
Sales Process & Strategy
Use all the available tools – Maximise success!
A solid sales process and strategy are just as important as the plan but need to be oriented in the correct order.
The process, with which a company undertakes the strategy rollout is critical to success with any sales plan. All good sales leaders want clarity and measurables to be able to understand where they are on the journey of achieving their goals. The process allows them to quickly and easily identify where each sales is at in the sales pipeline and therefore also coach, train and overcome issues before they affect the bottom line too much. I will not go too deep in this article, but simply to point out that success comes from being able to assess and modify to extract maximum value from any effort one puts in – in business. Also, every good sales process and strategy within successful companies have a well rounded and multi-faceted arsenal of tools to achieve the desired result. There is so much information out there about different tools like social selling platforms, lead generation tools, marketing, process management and customer experience software etc. All have their value separately, however a good suite of these are needed in a well rounded process and strategic plan of action.
This brings me to my final point. We live in the age of “Customer Pull” which is vastly different from the age of yester year – the age of “Vendor push”. Customers are becoming increasingly aware of how to get knowledge, check facts, compare the competition and have many more avenues of cross checking; even of the customer experience ratings after the purchase. The reason, simply because we live in a very connected and participative society and age where information is abundant and easily accessible. If you make a mistake and don’t do your utmost to rectify the situation, everyone who cares enough to do a little digging is going to find out about the skeletons in your closet!
No “sales hack” will work effectively over the long term unless a holistic view of the business’s customer facing appearance is taken in to account and an effort put in to position the business in the right light – aligned with the “sales hacks” direction or claim.
Finally
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About the Author
Matthew Benn is the founding partner of Alongside Business Consulting. He has been a senior BD and sales leader for over 12 years, as well as being a small business owner for more than 8 years.
He really enjoys the challenges and successes that come with developing people and growing businesses, hence has taken these passions and put Alongside Business Consulting on the map. Our aim is to help business owners take control of their destinies and build their businesses successfully… Business Growth Simplified.
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