How to develop sales effectiveness

The purpose of this article is to explore, in the broadest terms, the potential areas for development within a sales function by comparing, at each stage of the process, the behaviours of a sales operation that is world-class with one that is typical. By assessing where a sales operation sits between these two positions, an organization may form a view of what and where its development needs may be as the basis for further discussion and diagnosis.

As a starting point we have used our model of how major purchasing decisions are made in complex sales situations. We define a complex sale as having one or more of the following characteristics:

• • High value decision
  • Multiple decision makers involved (possibly including third party advisors)
  • Long selling cycle (multiple contacts over a period of time)
  • Decision is high-profile – the solution selected is highly visible and/or may affect many areas of the buying organisation
  • Significant potential for further business
  • Competitive market.

In these circumstances the decision making process can be described with our Buying Cycle model.

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