In terms of professional development, there is a group more proactive than others. This can be seen in the amount invested by companies and individuals in marketing qualifications, something evident at Professional Academy with its CIM marketing qualifications supporting the largest student body. The same is true of sales: a highly trained and creative sales team supporting an ineffective sales team is very much like having a capable car with no fuel to run it.
Many companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, will underestimate their sales and marketing roles into one complete role, but anyone who has ever juggled these two roles will understand that no one can truly master either while tackling both. The two disciplines are very different, which is closely summed up by the value each brings when properly resourced.
Recognising the Value of a Dedicated Sales Team
Though in principle having the same person doing the leading of the horse and the drink suggestion sounds logical, it can be a difficult task and one that will only continue to grow as a business does. The logical step for any business is to have a dedicated sales team working alongside a marketing or sales team.
Once a company recognises the need for a sales role, or a complete sales team, the next step is to establish exactly what it needs. This begins with defining what the sales team is for.
Defining What the Sales Team Is For
First, it is important to define what the sales team is for within a business. This can be a simple exercise for nearly all businesses: the sales team is the first point of actual verbal or physical contact for a customer. Marketers spend a great deal of time and money trying to communicate with the ideal audience, but once the sales team is the first line a customer talks to within a company, they should be well supported. A more human and personable sales team obtains a better result. The better the sales team, the better that interaction will be, and this increases the chance of a sale, whether up-selling to an existing customer or selling to a new business prospect.
What Makes a Strong Salesperson
Confidence, a positive attitude, strong product knowledge and a belief in the company's values are all key skills for a salesperson. Marketing research has consistently found that skilled salespeople, developed over time and sometimes trained before setting foot in a sales office but building a strong sales team, can sometimes prove to be a more difficult task. So what makes a strong salesperson comes down to a combination of trained skill and natural aptitude.
A common observation is that when someone joins a strong-performing team, that culture of high performance tends to lift the whole team, and as a result the team as a whole becomes more successful. Building that kind of team is one of the most valuable investments a business can make.
How to Develop Strong Sales People
How does a business develop strong salespeople, and how does it build a company that grows and retains them? There are two main options. The first is to recruit talent from elsewhere. The second is to create the best environment for salespeople to thrive through training and development, so they can become the best sales professionals possible.
The more cost-effective of these two methods is, in most cases, developing talent from within. If a business goes out and recruits the best salespeople available, it will pay a premium. Sometimes this may be the right route, and there may also be several hurdles: a business needs to decide what best suits the company and those it already has.
Recruiting strong salespeople can bring fresh, established skills and a unique personality, and can also hire people based on other key qualities away from sales experience. Developing salespeople from within has its own advantages. It is possible to train a salesperson in the specific way a company works, giving them a firm foundation, and combining these two options allows a business to keep what it already has while supporting each other, using each other's strengths to build a strong sales unit. This combination is often the strongest approach for the company that will find itself with a sales team at the heart of its industry.
Investing in Sales Training
Many companies under-invest in their sales effort, treating sales as an afterthought to be handled after the managers solve all the manufacturing, distribution and financing issues. The strongest sales forces are professional and well-compensated, supported with a strong marketing effort, and empowered to act. When sales interests are served in line with marketing support, and salespeople build strong personal relationships with key customers, they have a stronger foundation to build from.
Investing in training is a key component of any business. The element generating physical sales — putting the proverbial fuel in the tank — is the sales team itself. With the in-company training options available, there is no reason to leave a sales team without this key knowledge. There are also accredited pathways from the ISP sales qualifications to develop a team's own potential, and for companies looking not only to develop a strong sales team but also to indicate team members with the accolade of a qualification from a nationally recognised awarding body specifically focused on sales.
If sales and revenues are too critical to leave to chance, guesswork or wishful thinking, sales efforts are also far too important to leave to part-time staff or a single executive. For service-provider businesses to succeed, they need an effective and dedicated sales team. Executive leadership needs to make sales a priority, build a strong team, and put them in a position to succeed.
How Professional Academy Supports Your Journey
Professional Academy has over 27 years of experience helping businesses build and develop effective sales teams. If a business is looking to train its sales team, a professional qualification is worth considering to give it structure and recognition. The ISP Level 3 and ISP Level 5 sales qualifications develop these skills in a structured, practical way, and in-company training can be tailored to a team's specific needs. To find out more about the ISP sales qualifications or in-house sales training, explore the sales qualifications or speak to the qualification advice team.
