Path to commercial excellence

When discussing commercial excellence, we overthink instructions, training, analysis, and metrics. I already mentioned it in a previous blog post…the key to commercial excellence is clarity. What exactly do you want to achieve? The answer can change from one year to another. Therefore, there is no one correct answer. You can look for growth at all costs during three years, and after, you might want to look for profit optimization. 

Once you have clarity, all you need is to coach your team. And please…forget about the command and control. Because every salesperson will follow a different path to get there.

Do you want to develop an indirect channel? Do not just throw some targets and metrics. Take some time with the salespeople to understand what it would take to get there. What are resources they have, and what additional resources might they need? Work with them to help build their own path.

Do you want to sell more high-value products rather than the “bread and butter” products. Please work with the salespeople to help them to optimize their leads and create time.

While working on sales effectiveness with a sales team, we discussed a learning mindset vs. a winning attitude over a lost deal. One salesperson was in the winning mindset and made a customer meeting where he lost the deal. Therefore, he was upset. When I asked what if his primary objective of the meeting was learning rather than closing, he gave me a very logical answer:

“Emre, I am paid because I am closing deals, not because I am learning.”

He was right, and I did not oppose him. Then I asked: “ Do you think you would be worse off if you go to customer meetings with a learning mindset? Would that make you lose more deals than you do?”

He stopped a moment, gave it a thought, and said, “No, it would not…On the contrary, going there with the learning mindset would remove the sales pressure and help me focus more on what matters to the customer.” Bingo!

How do you think he would react, if I gave him a brief instruction and asked him to shift his primary focus from closing to learning? He would probably disagree. Another salesperson found his own way by putting “building relationships” as his primary objective.

In the end, we believe that we can reach commercial excellence only with metrics. First of all, it is not something we reach, it is a path. Sometimes uphill, sometimes downhill. Secondly, if we do not pay attention what is behind the metrics we will have our teams burned out. The objective of commercial excellence is to maximize learning, enjoyment, and performance all together.

And the only way to find out what brings sales teams more enjoyment, learning, and performance is to spend some time with them—helping them to realize their own way. Yes, it takes a lot of time and energy. That is precisely the reason why very few organizations are capable of reaching their full potential.