『Hope Is Not A Strategy In Sales』のカバーアート

Hope Is Not A Strategy In Sales

Hope Is Not A Strategy In Sales

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10月19日まで。※適用条件あり
Every sales organisation has targets. The uncomfortable truth is that many of those targets contain a fair amount of hope disguised as strategy. Sales leaders work with imperfect information, incomplete data and assumptions about what customers, competitors and markets will do next. Then something changes. The economy slows, budgets are frozen, decision-making takes longer or an unexpected global event completely rewrites the commercial landscape. We cannot eliminate uncertainty from sales. What we can do is reduce our dependence on hope by increasing the quality, speed and intensity of the actions we control. Why is hope dangerous in a sales strategy? Hope becomes dangerous when sales targets depend on assumptions that the sales team cannot influence or validate. Forecasting is necessary, but a forecast is not the same thing as a strategy. Every sales organisation has incomplete information. We extrapolate from previous results, pipeline data, market conditions and what customers tell us. Unfortunately, circumstances can change very quickly. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how suddenly established assumptions could become irrelevant. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 created another major shock affecting supply chains, energy costs and business confidence. The problem isn't having assumptions. We cannot run a business without them. The danger comes when assumptions quietly become expectations and expectations become targets without enough attention being paid to what could derail them. Do now: Identify which parts of your sales target are supported by evidence and which depend mainly on favourable assumptions. What should sales leaders focus on when external conditions cannot be controlled? Sales leaders should concentrate less on telling people to "focus on what you can control" and more on identifying the specific activities that can still influence revenue. Salespeople need practical direction, not motivational slogans. Revenue targets don't disappear because the economy becomes difficult. Numbers still have to be generated even when buyers become cautious, budgets shrink or approval processes lengthen. This creates a psychological problem. Set targets that salespeople regard as completely unrealistic and they may mentally check out. They probably won't announce, "I have given up". Instead, activity gradually declines. Prospecting falls, follow-up becomes less persistent and fewer new conversations are created. The salesperson starts protecting themselves psychologically from a target they no longer believe is achievable. Sales management therefore has to connect targets with credible actions: number of prospecting conversations, dormant clients contacted, proposals advanced and decision-makers reached. Do now: Translate the revenue target into measurable weekly sales activities that people believe can actually influence the outcome. How should sales teams respond when deals are taking longer to close? When sales cycles slow down, sales teams should search aggressively for sectors, clients and opportunities where purchasing decisions can still happen faster. The objective is to improve deal velocity rather than simply adding more opportunities to the pipeline. Not every industry is affected equally by an economic downturn, geopolitical disruption or changing market conditions. Some sectors continue spending while others freeze budgets. Some companies make decisions quickly; others introduce additional approval layers. This distinction matters because sales teams often run out of time rather than opportunities. A deal sitting in the pipeline for six months may look reassuring in the CRM, but it contributes nothing to this quarter's revenue. Sales managers therefore need to examine the pipeline for velocity as well as value. Where are customers still investing? Which problems have become more urgent? Which opportunities have fewer approval hurdles? Which prospects have budgets that must be used within the current financial year? Do now: Review the pipeline by both probability and speed. Prioritise opportunities where genuine customer urgency can shorten the sales cycle. Should sales managers increase supervision when sales results decline? Yes, but the answer is more coaching and information-sharing rather than simply more pressure. Difficult markets expose experience gaps that can remain hidden when business conditions are strong. When targets are being achieved, experienced salespeople can often be given considerable freedom. When results deteriorate, managers need greater visibility into what is happening in prospecting, customer conversations, proposals and follow-up. Smaller teams, more frequent roundtables and structured coaching sessions can help. Salespeople can compare what customers are saying, identify emerging objections and share approaches that are working. Experience becomes especially valuable during difficult periods. Salespeople who have previously worked through severe...
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