The “Good Luck, We’re All Counting on You” Team
I continue to read an enormous amount of information from various experts including sales consultants and marketing strategists regarding implementation of technology tools for sales professionals and sales leadership. Most point to the implementation of CRM solutions, forecasting tools, or order entry applications as enabling those in sales position to be more productive.
Speaking from my professional experience in rolling out these types of tools for sales professionals, I can tell you first hand that they make those who analyze the information more productive but not those who are face to face with customers everyday. I call those analyzers the “We’re All Counting On You” team from Leslie Nielsen’s famous line in the movie AIRPLANE. They’re ready to offer advice, provide tools to track leads, process the order, and claim credit for the business that is brought into the company. I am sure those in sales can relate to this. Do these “analyzers” understand the unknown and challenge of flying the company plane (presenting solutions and addressing issues) in front of customers or potential customers? It can be bumpy ride, but provides enormous opportunity for those “moments of truth” to earn the business.
CRM and forecasting are necessary functions to monitor overall buyer behavior and demand, but do they actually help sales professionals sell more solutions or increase sales for a company? Or does it just add to the other “non-selling” activities sales professionals deal with each and every day?
What a wonderful world it would be to actually have a simple and easy sales tool that helped you or your sales team show potential customers all solutions, engage in interactive conversation, and spend valuable meeting time addressing the clients aspirations and issues to closing the deal. Any time and any place. In other words, help sales people to quickly navigate the company plane in sometimes unpredictable situations with potential customers regardless of who’s counting on you to bring in the incremental business.
