why top sales reps will be unemployed in two years
Post on 21-Oct-2014
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Are you at the top of your selling game? Do you want to stay there? If so, you better start evolving now. Your customer and your market are changing. Learn how to keep up.TRANSCRIPT
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Why Top Sales Reps Will be Unemployed in Two Years
Image courtesy of gobankingrates.com
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The buying environment has DRAMATICALLY changed.
Unfortunately, most sales forces have
failed to adapt – especially at the rep level
It may be 2 years, it may be 5 years, but they WILL be
unemployed.
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The reason is obsolescence
- a failure to evolve with the market.
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The buyer environment has changed to be:
• More social
• More informed (they already know your solutions)
• Needing different solutions because their consumers have changed
• Coming from a new market segment that has not been a usual target
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Many Sales Reps have continued to rely on:
• Traditional relationships
• Providing information (inward-out)
• Not recognizing changes in their customers’ consumers’ patterns
• Staying within their traditional comfort zone of target markets
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Ask the question…
“Will today’s Reps be the right Reps for tomorrow?”
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Either upgrade them or
MOVE THEM OUT!
Assess your reps to identify those that aren’t evolving.
Either upgrade them
orMOVE THEM
OUT
Imag
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writ
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om
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This is easiest explained through a
story…..
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Rick is a veteran salesman.
Rick, a perennial sales star, will be in the top 5 this
year.
Imag
e co
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sy o
f tim
esha
rebr
oker
sale
scom
Rick is unaware of his need to save
himself from obsolescence.
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Domina has been in sales for 12 years.
She was a top 5 performer for the last 4 of 5 years.
She will NOT be a top performer this year. Im
age courtesy of whatsforw
ork.files
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If you just look at performance, you miss the future consequences
Rick will continue to bring in revenue using traditional methods,
but this will soon fade.
His customer base has been changing and he
is not prepared.
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Domina will have a decreased amount of sales for the next year
or so.
Once retooled, she will rocket to consistent start performance.
However, she is retooling herself to match the changing market and customer.
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Now, let’s look at some of the indicators of obsolescence with
these two reps.
The full list of symptoms is available here
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This is a sample list of the
Symptoms of Sales Rep
Obsolence.
It includes the actions of the obsolete rep
versus that of the evolving rep.
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Why?
This initiative works best if HR takes the responsibility.
Most Sales Leaders are too busy to manage the long view.
They are focused on monthly / quarterly quotas, pending deals, and
helping handle objections.
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HR should take the lead to work with Sales Leaders through these steps:• Communicate unceasingly on the need to evolve
to changing markets/customers.• Download this tool of sample obsolescence
symptoms• Assess Reps to see who is evolving and who is not• Determine what competencies are needed for the
future• Devise development plans for the Reps that CAN
evolve• Reassign or release Reps that cannot or will not
evolve
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Sales Reps - You’ve got two years to change your fate.
It’s better to go through change before you have to.
Download this tool now and start working on your evolution IMMEDIATELY!
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Learn More
If you don’t have a content management process or need help optimizing your current one, Contact us to hear the rest of the story...
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