Why Hiring a Sales Person is Not Enough

I am a small business owner. I created the product, built the business, tapped all my associates from my prior life, and I have grown my sales to a point where I am making a decent living, and want to grow. My current customers take all my time, and I wear all the hats.

I should hire a sales person, right?

The truth is that while you are a successful small business, hiring a sales person is going to tap you as a resource. Are you an expert in sales? Are you an expert in sales strategy?

Many owners……

• • Are not sure where the company should focus it’s sales and marketing efforts
  • Want some help understanding the prospect’s potential and needs so they can understand how good a fit the new customer would be to their business.
  • Do not like sales
  • Have a hard time figuring out exactly what their expectations of salespeople should be.
  • Don’t have the time to hold the sales people accountable.
  • Are not really sure why some salespeople work out and other’s do not.

Many Salespeople…..

• • Do not like to prospect and make cold calls
  • Are not forthcoming about their activity or in many cases lack of it.
  • Believe they have to close every deal

Before hiring a sales person, you need to do a deep assessment of your company’s ability to compete.

• • Have you established a profile of your ideal customer?
  • Do you have a deep knowledge of what your point of difference is among your competitors?
  • Do you know what your capacity for growth is in granular terms?
  • Do you have time to partner with your sales person to provide your expert knowledge of the product or service you provide?
  • Are you willing to make yourself available for sales calls with prospects? Can you close the deal if with a qualified prospect?
  • Maybe most importantly, do you have a deep understanding of the sales process necessary to grow, and the rigor of the work?

We can help:

1. We hold ourselves accountable to produce activity.
2. We help our clients identify the markets and the companies to go after.
3. We follow a documented process that we share with our clients.
4. The learning that needs to take place sometimes comes through losing business.
5. We partner with our clients and through strategic conversations we both become smarter.
6. Sales is a full contact sport. Do not play if you do not want to get bumped or bruised.
7. We enjoy the process and most of our clients do too.