Valid research indicates that more than half of all salespeople hired fail. Most new salespeople do not hit their sales targets and many others are fired in just a few months. One of the most famous sales bloggers claims that up to 77% of all new sales hires fail.
Here are a few reasons why.
1) The salesperson lacks the required Sales DNA*. In other words, this person does not have the innate competencies necessary to be successful. You shouldn't hire these people. Sales DNA can be measured.
2) The sales person has the sales DNA but lacks the necessary skills to be successful. This is typically due to inadequate onboarding, training, and/or sales coaching
3) The company has an inadequate sales process. 80% of all companies to do not follow a sales process? A sales process maps out all the steps involved in selling from pre-contact to post sale contact. If a properly trained person with adequate sales DNA and the desire and commitment to sell follows a sales process, that person will be successful. If your company has a sales process, your business will be much more successful.
What should you do to hire better?
1. Hire people with sales DNA and the ambition to be successful. This can be measured using a sales candidate assessment.
2. Have an onboarding program for new hires and sales training for all sales personnel. Some experts suggest a 90 day new hire onboarding period. From personal experience as a sales VP and sales manager, I believe that a company should determine a candidate's potential suitability in 90 days. But, I have personally found a longer period of extra attention to produce a higher ROI. I recommend at least 120 days.
3. Create a sales process that provides a clear map for the sales team to follow. This sales process should be more detailed than many experts suggest, because there are many steps involved that do not get enough attention. OMG has a nice 10 minute video, about a detailed sales process, which summarizes the steps in a book called "Baseline Selling" It's titled, "I'm Sorry, but Your Sales Process Sucks. Spend 10 minutes listening if you are interested in gaining some excellent insight on sales and sales management.
Your salespeople shouldn't fail if you
1. Hire Better - Hire only people with the proper sales DNA and the motivation to be successful. Here's how.
2. Onboard and train salespeople better
Here's a favorite quote by Jack Welch, "Change Before You Have to".
Thanks for reading. Please contact me with any challenge, question, or other reason.