The twelve symptoms

The twelve symptoms that indicate your sales process may be sick.

As an elite sportsman in the late 1980s I was 10 feet tall and bullet proof until one day I felt a lump.

I was aware enough to go to the doctor, the diagnosis,

Testicular cancer.

Saw a specialist and within 24 hours of me noticing, well, feeling the symptom that presented, I was undergoing surgery.

That was followed up with five sessions of radiotherapy every week for three months before I finally got the “all clear”

A potentially life ending illness cured.

Now over thirty years later I am fitter than ever but maintaining my health and wellbeing takes work.

You cannot take it for granted.

 

What your personal health is to you, your sales health is to your business

And it is the same in business because like you, your business is a living entity, its health can be adversely affected by a myriad of issues.

As a professional sales coach, I see symptoms of ill health being ignored every day,

And I understand why.

Business is not for the faint hearted, it consumes your time, your energy, your focus, and many I interact with are just busy getting through each day.

And a large chunk of time is invariably treating the symptom, not the cause.

A tight cashflow, margin erosion, increased marketing spends, lead conversion rates falling.

All symptoms of a larger problem that if diagnosed can be worked on and cured.

 

Sales is the heartbeat of your business

Every business understands that sales are important.

And if you are in a business reading this then your sales process is working, it is generating income, so you are already successful at selling.

But just how healthy is the heart of your business?

Has it been showing and symptoms of fatigue or ill health?

The top 12 Symptoms that indicate your business could use a sales health check include:

1. A tight cashflow
2. Sales teams not hitting KPIs
3. Margin erosion
4. A softening of sales conversions rates
5. An increase in marketing expenditure
6. Continual buyer objections
7. A blocked sales pipeline
8. Customers Ghosting your outreach
9. Discounting
10. An unclear sales process of logical next steps
11. A sales pitch that is not replicated by everyone in a client facing role
12. A lack of daily / weekly / monthly meeting rhythm’s

 

Sales Cardio Tip –

When going through this list pause on each point and write down why you believe this is not an issue in your business.

Example

A tight cashflow

Response – our cashflow has remained healthy and positive for the past 6 months

Sales team not hitting KPIs

Response – Every sales team member has met or exceeded their KPIs for the last quarter

The temptation will be to mentally flick through this list but if you dedicate just 15 minutes to this task it could very well be the 15 minutes that, just like when I felt a lump all those years ago, will save your business from serious ill health or worse.

 

So, you have identified a symptom or two?

First thing to understand is its not fatal but now it has been drawn to your attention it is time for you to act and drill down to find the underlying cause, not symptom

The underlying cause of tight cashflow could for example be a rise in expenses or market conditions beyond your control.

 

However, I would strongly recommend jumping on a call with one of our team to guide you through the process in a complimentary 30-minute Sales Cardio session.

Just like with your own health, I would not rely on self-diagnostics or Dr Google.

Here is the link to book your free session.

https://TheSalesStrategist.as.me/cardioworkout

 

You may also like to read this recent blog on the steps you may choose to take once you have identified underperforming sales talent https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/underperforming-sales-talent/