Many organizations see the need to make the investment in sales training solutions to create and implement a business development process to fill the pipeline.  The ATG Team has benefited greatly from this type of training in the form of conceptual and strategic selling that focuses on strategy development and customer-focused interaction for complex sales.  Having a solid sales methodology is only part of the equation, and even the best trained business development team knows that the focus needs to encompass more than your sales organization.

Processes can only take your team and organization so far, and organizations need to supplement processes with tools. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to close a sale.  But once the deal is closed, and the customer is in your village, the work really begins for Operations, Quality, Engineering and Leadership to nurture that relationship, so the customer doesn’t move to another competing “village”.

Maybe your organization doesn’t have the budget or bandwidth to invest in sales training to educate and develop your business development team.  Or possibly you have made that investment and you still aren’t seeing the desired results.  Whatever your unique situation, consider these Top Ten Reasons why your sales team isn’t successful.

 

Top Ten Reasons Why A Business Development Manager fails.

10.  New hire is handed a laptop, cell phone and business cards, but there is no on-boarding training to educate them on the Company’s go to market strategy, Unique Value Proposition or where the company adds value.

9.  The Organization assumes Business Development knows the company capabilities, markets and customers that will generate the desired EBITA or ROI.

8.  The Organization has not taken the time to define the company’s Unique Value Proposition (UPV)or how to differentiate themselves from competition.

7.  The Organization has not made the necessary investment in sales collateral that captures customer interest or mind-share.

6.  The Business Development Manager must take time away from customer facing activities to create their own Case Studies, White Papers and Company presentations.

5.  The Company has not addressed systemic issues (Quality, Delivery, Communication, VOC or Customer Satisfaction) and their reputation precedes them when Business Development contacts prospects. Making the assumption that past performance has no bearing on new business opportunities.

4.  Capabilities and Services pitched in slide ware or on the website lack concrete examples or real-world success stories to prove the company can deliver on their promise.

3.  Operations,Engineering and Quality departments are distracted by organizational issues and are not active participants in customer meetings or factory visits.

2.  Taking the Customer relationship for granted and the Organization doesn’t truly embrace or cherish the customer relationships and believes they can be quickly and easily replaced.

And the number one reason why your Business Development Manager fails…

1.  Engineering, Project Management, Operations, Quality and Customer Service don’t accept the fact that Business Development is a TEAM sport, and they contribute to the success or failure of every customer engagement. Sustainable Business Development hinges on a robust organization that is fully engaged in every facet of the business.

We at ATG have been in the trenches, and we have engaged with successful and some not so successful manufacturing organizations.  We understand that selling is a team sport, and we can assist you with making your Business Development Team thrive, make progress and fill the pipeline.  Contact us today about how we can work with you to achieve Accelerated Tangible Growth

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