Two Paths for Managing Large Sales Forces

I grew up with the movie franchise, Star Wars. I loved the films myself, and later loved sharing them with my children. Much of the drama pivots on the struggle between light and dark – and the impact decisions have on the future.

Back here on Earth, when I look to the future of selling, I believe those who manage a large sales force have to make a decision about how they will respond to market pressures caused by

• Technology led by, but not limited to, the Internet
• Consolidation of both customers and competitors
• Regulation
• Globalization
• Speed to commoditization of all unique offerings

These pressures require changes in how large sales forces are led. The same pressure will lead some to the Dark Side and others to the Light. Which path is your organization following?

The Dark Side of the [Sales] Force

Reactivity
The availability of information will result in senior management becoming increasingly reactive rather than increasingly proactive and making purposeful plans.

Over-Discussion
Reactivity will require more time spent in the office collaborating with peers, talking to bosses, writing up plans, and meetings.

Whipsaw
Reduced time in the field, but a greater need for field information, will whipsaw field staff between systems-generated information and one-off calls to explain data and circumstances to respond to specific issues.

Immediacy
Field sales forces and field management will feel a time compression and changing direction as they are asked to respond to needs directed by annual plans as well as senior management’s reactivity.

Internal Focus
In the cycle of reactivity that leads to responses requiring a whipsaw change in field activity, field sales representatives become less effective as they wait for the next significant directive or change. An internal focus is the path to the Dark Side.

The Light Side of the [Sales] Force

Information
The availability of market data from customers, salespeople, marketing, as well as research allows for a broader and more accurate picture of current circumstances as well as shifting scenarios.

Trust
Planning – based upon analysis of data and the accompanying models supporting plans and forecasts – allows management to move forward without emergency sessions being called frequently to address each change in the market.

Prospecting
Marketing systems shift the “feet on the street” model, which has shown a decreasing yield to new models of lead generation so sales personnel can spend more time with prospects and current customers in selling and solution development.

Hiring
A combination of better data and prospecting methods will increase the focus of sales efforts – decreasing the number of salespeople required to achieve the same or greater results as previous sales coverage models.

Thresholds
CRM systems are redesigned to track movement through sales process steps and away from activity tracking, such as number of phone calls, emails, and visits. This sets performance thresholds, reminding management they need to guide the development of salespeople. The focus is strategy and coaching rather than pressure and discipline.

The future can never be fully predicted. However, if you set an expectation of what you want your sales organization to look like in the future, you have a better chance of achieving it. What do you want your future to look like? The outcomes listed can be used as a checklist to assess where you are now and what type of future you are poised to create. And always remember Yoda’s advice: “Much to learn, you still have.”

Tom Searcy is CEO and founder of Hunt Big Sales – a sales strategy company that helps CEOs double the size of their company – and author of Life After the Death of Selling: How to Thrive in the New Era of Sales. Follow @tomsearcy.