You send out a price proposal. Surely, it will be followed up. To my amazement, in the past 2 months, I have seen two companies totally fluff it and see leads go a begging. Net result? Well, very little actually –  the revenue columns remained flat.

It may be difficult to accept, but sometimes the obvious is only evident “after the fact”.

How many obvious bloopers can you recall in sales? I was told of one person who was advised to start an international marketing campaign…. without a website. Did you hear of the firm, whose contact details on the website referred back to the holding company, located in another country? And how about the cunning exec, who appointed a great strategist as head of sales, but the person had no idea how to sign off on any deals?

Many CEOs are reluctant to admit it, but they are not that good at selling. After all, surely they are providing a product or service that people just want to lap up. Maybe, but life does not work that way.

You have to brand, plan, price, convince and close correctly. Few people possess all those skills to a sufficient degree. And just because you are a CEO does not guarantee that you are one of this privileged group.

A sales coach or consultant is essential for most businesses, large or small. If you choose wisely, the ROI should be substantial and quick.

But here comes the second whammy. Once the consultant has delivered their verdict, you then have to monitor the follow up. Running, maintaining and supervising a modern sales force can be extremely demanding. Without a system in place, you could end up wasting months of planning and pipeline work.