February 6, 2014- ISSN# 1545-2646
End Zone vs. Red Zone
This past weekend the world focused on the Super Bowl. The one day sports/media event where lots of dollars are transacted and they play a little football game in the process.
So the question is – does your sales team score touchdowns or just move the ball into the red zone and kick field goals?
A significant difference in the end of year performance numbers. Think of it in these terms – for each time a team gets the chance to progress down the field, they make it into the red zone but give up 3, 4 or even 5 points to their opponents score. Granted a field goal of 3 points is better than no points. When you are so close and leave opportunity on the field like that, over the course of a season it will ultimately leave your team on the sidelines for the big game.
Think of it in terms of your sales efforts. Your sales reps go out and move the prospect through your sales cycle. They get to the point of closing the sale but the client holds back on the entire purchase. They only buy 40% of the proposal you have in front of them. If the deal was initially valued at $80,000 and they only spend $32,000 then your business just left $48,000 on the table.
What could your business do with $48,000? – Rent?, Insurance? another Sales Rep?
Too often the sales rep is happy the sale happened as they are going to get their commission. Even though it will be less, they somehow justify in their own mind the smaller sale (field goal) vs. the big sale (touchdown). The sales rep does not necessarily take into consideration the impact this has on the business. To make up the difference an additional sale of $48,000 needs to happen just to break even.
Football and sales are games of inches. Each step in the sales process moves the sale either closer to the goal line or objections (tackles behind the line of scrimmage) set the process backwards. Your sales team needs to be at the top of their game to use all their skills to achieve their end results.
This week, take a look at your sales team. Are they trained well enough? Do they understand the competition? Are they knowledgeable about what is going on in the industry they sell into? Are they doing what is necessary off the field of play to prepare themselves for the game plan ahead?
Are you as the head coach of the business giving and getting feedback from your offensive coach? Are the metrics in place to measure progress to identify possible areas of improvement?
It is your business – it is your game. It is always better to score touchdowns in the end zone than settle for field goals from the red zone.
Need help getting your sales into the end zone? Give JKL Associates a call at (313) 527-7945 and let us discuss your game strategy.
Questions or comments – email us at partners@jklassociates.com or call our Office at (313) 527-7945
Copyright – JKL Associates 2014
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