Is Sales Last on Line in Your Company?

At some point, in nearly every conversation I have with sales trainers, the subject comes up of how broken the sales function is in many companies.  I was in Chicago last week in two separate meetings with the CEOs and principals of two leading sales training companies.  Discussions with those four executives resulted in the following train of thought during my return flight to Massachusetts.

Can you imagine:

• Half of your company’s products break within one day of initial use by a customer?
• 50% of the financial reports your company produces every quarter have mathematical errors?
• Every day, half of the deliveries your company makes wind up at the wrong location?
• IT so badly manages your company’s systems that your computer is down all day, every other day?
• Every other week, your paycheck is wrong?
• Your company is in danger of going out of business because purchasing regularly orders only half the amount of raw material inventory that is required?
• Your most important customers are looking for other suppliers because your billing is incorrect 50% of the time?
• People calling into your company get routed to the wrong person half the time?
• Your company’s website is down literally every other day?

But somehow in sales, 50% effectiveness is acceptable.

It doesn’t have to be that way.  It shouldn’t be that way.

The root causes of sales ineffectiveness are clear.   There is plenty of sound advice about how to fix the problem.   There is a proven path.  The answers are there for everyone to see, learn from, and emulate.

So, why is sales still last on line in your company?  And what are you going to do about it?

Let me know your thoughts, please.

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