Sales Performance Associates LLC

Executives in media technology sales leadership roles - the keystone to scalable, repeatable sales success in any company - are usually poorly prepared for the unique challenges they face.

Media technology firms - like most companies engaged in complex, technical sales - typically promote sales stars to fill senior and regional sales leadership slots.

Sometimes - usually right after closing a large opportunity - the top sales rep is told, "Have a relaxing weekend because on Monday you’re the new VP of Sales."

It's like telling your star quarterback, "Great game.  You're the new coach."

This creates two new problems.  You loose a great player and you get a poor coach.  The same is true in sales.

Typically, most new sales managers receive little formal sales management training. They must survive with on-the-job training to navigate the differences between being a super-salesperson versus super sales manager. The team and the company suffer from the lack of effective processes and methods.

Sales managers are trapped between powerful forces - pulled by sales reps to create opportunities and close complex deals - and - pushed by senior management to forecast more accurately and hit ever-increasing revenue and profit goals.

Few of these super-salespeople will succeed in today's environment without the tools and skills required to manage a sales team.

Problem Areas

Whether you carry the title of Vice President of Sales and Marketing or Regional Sales Manager - do any of these sound familiar?

• You are frequently being called in at the last minute to save out-of-control deals
• Stakeholders are concerned over deals unexpectedly "slipping" into future quarters or losing forecast deals to competitors or to "no decision"
• The top 20-percent of your salespeople produce 80-percent of the deals -and- the bottom 20-percent of your sales team consume 80-percent of your time
• The team loses forecast deals at the last minute due to unexpected competitive or "political" moves
• There is no process to consistently manage opportunities and no common language to describe deal status and threats
• Heavy discounting is required win too many deals
• Technically adept salespeople cannot access senior executives and cannot deliver a compelling non-technical value proposition when they do get access.
• Sales and pre-sales technical resources miss linking technology capabilities with key customer business needs – or - are wasted on too many unqualified deals.
• Team members are rarely "first in the door" and miss opportunities to influence buying and comparison criteria

Sales Management Conditioning is a "Force Multiplier"

Improving sales management's opportunity and performance coaching tools, skills and methods is one of the best investments a company can make. The cost and time far outweigh by the ability to close more competitive opportunities, boost margins and increase bottom line revenues. A well-equipped sales manager is a true force multiplier. Sales managers quit being super-flying-fireman - a role that cannot scale. Instead, they become true managers - adept at analyzing opportunities early and often; comparing each against best practices based sales processes; and coaching sales teams to develop and execute winning plans.

Improved sales forecast accuracy - both in terms of amounts and timing - is perhaps the greatest advantages of sales management conditioning. We deliver a common sales process that yields a common language about sales opportunities. Finger-in-wind forecast percentages and dates give way to objective, binary "can we win this deal or not" measurements that flow from structured opportunity reviews. Using the common language and process helps managers detect early shifts in competitive tactics or market needs.

Finally, better-trained sales managers gain skills to assess objectively the strengths and weaknesses of sales team members. They can move "B players" toward "A player" status, reduce turnover of valuable "A Player" sales talent and make better hiring decisions.

A Programmatic Approach to Sales Management Conditioning

Sales Performance Associates delivers sales and marketing management conditioning - not drive by, rah-rah sales training. We document client needs and recommend a customized plan designed to deliver the highest return in the shortest time. In coaching and training workshops, we work on your "live" deals - making new methods and tactics immediately relevant. To assure adoption, our program includes on-demand opportunity coaching and recurring training to reinforce the new methods. We address the full sales and marketing cycle - from demand creation through to close.

Sales and Marketing Conditioning

Sales Performance Associates helps growing media technology companies achieve sustainable, repeatable and predictable revenue growth by improving sales and marketing processes, methods and execution. Our unique sales conditioning approach helps clients identify more and better sales opportunities; improve the size, qualification and velocity of their pipeline; enhance sales forecast accuracy; win more competitive opportunities; grow business within existing accounts and upgrade overall sales and marketing execution and efficiency.

We address the full range of tactical marketing and sales operations - from demand creation through to close. Sales conditioning starts with a Strategic Assessment workshop with your senior management team to define the who, what, where, why and how of your sales challenges. Then we deliver a comprehensive report of indicated improvements, a best practices sales process map and a customized plan to deliver the highest return in the shortest time. We work with your "live" deals in coaching and training workshops to make new methods and tactics immediately relevant. And to assure adoption, our program includes on-demand opportunity coaching and recurring training to reinforce the new methods.

Action Item: Schedule a Sales Conditioning Check-up

Your sales and marketing team doesn't need training...they need sales conditioning. Click here to schedule a no-obligation 20 to 30 minute telephone conversation to discuss your situation.

Let's see where we can help.