© Franklin Covey Co. All rights reserved.
Perhaps nowhere does purposeful, inspiring
leadership have the ability to bring about more
radical transformation today than in the realm
of the sales organization.
The assumption in the past was that if you
wanted greater sales, all you needed was
great salespeople. But that's no longer true:
customers' demands are too high, and the
selling environment is too complex. Buyers now
know more than ever about their needs and
choices, and your competition. They engage
sellers later in the buying cycle,
after needs, budgets, and options have
been identified.
Leaders who are in tune with the current reality
recognize that building an enduring legacy
of success doesn't come from creating great
salespeople, it comes from creating a superior
sales culture.
Our research shows that somewhere north of
50 percent of customer loyalty is established
before customers experience a service or take
delivery of a product. This means that how you
sell matters more than what you sell. It means
that the buying and selling experience is a big
part of your brand.
What if your salespeople were well-informed,
insightful, trustworthy businesspeople,
who were looking to create value with and
for clients? A sales force like this runs on a
combination of critical communication skills
coupled with disciplined business thinking
and focused execution. This enables your
salespeople to talk honestly and put insightful
thinking on the table, explore important issues,
and collaborate to craft solutions that exactly
meet clients' needs. The goal is to help clients
succeed.
This model of selling engages and motivates
your entire sales culture, empowering them
to do something for clients rather than to them,
Building a winning culture:
a legacy of sales leadership
" Talent wins games,
but teamwork
and intelligence win
championships."
— Michael Jordan
