Why are Sales People so Stupid (or are they)?

I recently read a blog posting from last year by Scott Santucci where he talks to marketers about their perception of sales people in general. It starts like this:

"Come on, admit it.

"It’s what you think, isn’t it?

"If I had a dollar for every time I heard “our sales people lack the skills
or ability to (insert any of the following: cross-sell, sell higher, sell to
value, get ahead of the RFP)” I would be a very rich person. But is this really
the problem?"

Then, he goes on to point out how sales people don't live in the simple world that many marketers might assume. Just trying to manage sales messaging and collateral can be much more complex than might be assumed at first:

"Assuming your company has 10 products that all can be sold by your sales force, lets try to determine how much information a sales person must process and manage on any given account they are pursing.

•10 products
•5 key value propositions for each product (50 different value propositions)
•Messages must be delivered to 5 different client stakeholders (250 different messages)
•Each value propositions has a set of 5 questions to uncover and they are different from stakeholder to stakeholder (the degree of difference is not important) – 1250 different messages
•Each value proposition has one competitive knockoff per competitor and you have 4 key competitors (50 different value propositions x 4 competitors = 200 +1250 = 1,450 different messages)
•Each product has a minimum of 5 different collateral pieces that exist about various aspects of the product (5 collateral pieces X 10 products = 50 different collateral pieces to locate, which equals 1,500 different information elements to manage)
•Each stakeholder has a set of 5 personal goals and 5 business goals that must be matched with their corresponding value propositions (5 personal goals + 5 business goals X 5 stakeholders = 50 unique goals + 1,500 information elements = 1,550 information elements.

"So, in this scenario, a salesperson is asked to manage over 1,500 different forms of information for each account they deal with."

So, what is the takeaway? Mr. Santucci suggests that marketing needs to better understand what the sales team is up against. Marketing should produce tools that will help simplify (rather than complicate) the sales process.

Personally, I think that marketing and sales need tighter integration. Put some marketing people in the sales department for a couple of weeks. Let them attempt to use the tools and messages that sound so good in marketing's ivory towers. When they return, they will probably have a better appreciation for the needed materials. They might also want to return occasionally to sales as a source of inspiration.

And, don't let the sales team off the hook. Let them spend a little time in marketing. Some cross-pollination and discussion will do them good, too.

In the end, both teams have to work hand in hand. It's all about selling. And, if anyone in sales or marketing forgets that, big obstacles are looming on the horizon.

Happy selling, and let me know what you think. (cdalley@primary-intel.com, 801.838.9600 x5050, www.primary-intel.com)

Why Sales Professionals Don’t Use Competitive Intelligence

Every sales professional in the world may provide a different answer to the subject question. But, overall, sales professionals themselves may be mostly to blame for the lack of use of good competitive intelligence.

1-Sales Professionals already know everything – This is probably true. But, it isn’t necessarily good.

2-Intelligence programs are run by marketing – This doesn’t inherently make the data evil, but decontamination procedures are time-consuming and costly.

3-Current intelligence isn’t available in a convenient format – Who has time to hunt down info when we’re too busy selling

4-Sales Reps are creatures of habit, not learning – I’m not implying that sales professionals aren’t smart, but the general methodology of prospect, build relationships, present value, close contracts (lather, rinse, repeat) doesn’t include much in the way of intelligence gathering.

But, as you refine your craft, you have to look for better ways to differentiate yourself. To do so, competitive intelligence (the right info delivered at the right time) can give you the advantage.

Even if you don’t sell competitively, intelligence will show you the highest value propositions to create higher conversion rates. If you Value Sell, S.P.I.N Sell, VITO or Solution Sell (or whatever your methodology), some very simple feedback mechanisms will refine your message and increase your effectiveness.

I have some tips. You might be interested. Contact me.