Book Excerpt from The Sales Checklist™


DAVID VARNER


What is in this book will seem almost ridiculous in its simplicity compared to all the other conventional sales training materials available – and, initially, even a little crazy to those who have spent years investing in (or selling) the latest sales training on the market. But, rest assured, there is so- phistication in simplicity. It has taken me three years to simplify this sales checklist, which I now share with you.


Having been in the sales training industry for the bet- ter part of 20 years, I’ve observed countless companies re-implement their sales training or pursue the next shiny thing. This is not simply ongoing sales skills development and optimization; this is the belief that their overall sales process isn’t yielding the desired results. Every few years they feel the need to start over “and do it right this time.” Why do organizations continually do this? This has always troubled me; something was fundamentally flawed. Was the training they invested in flawed? What was the root cause? Seeking the answer to this led to the writing of The Sales Checklist™


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There are many outstanding sales skills programs avail- able. They teach how to ask questions, plan sales calls, handle objectives, pursue complex sales, manage key accounts, make presentations, and so forth. The reality is that most salespeople have an acceptable level of skills. Can they get better? Absolutely. Is it the real performance problem sales organizations are facing? No. From our research, the average closing (conversion)


percentage today, across all industries, is approximately 25 percent. This means three out of four of the sales pursuits that make their way through your sales process will result in a loss, no decision, or an unknown conclusion. Disappointingly, this losing rate is the same as it has been for many years. With access to so many sales skills programs, why is this happening?


What does this mean to your business or commission?


Simply, you’re losing money. Why do we accept this? Any other department within your organization would consider this an abject failure. Would accounting be satisfied if 75 percent of billing was inaccurate? Would ship- ping consider 75 percent of deliveries be-


ing damaged a success? Of course not. Our research has also shown that sales are lost every day not because the salesperson lacked skills such as question- ing, presenting, or call planning. Most salespeople have had basic sales skills training. The reason sales are lost – or pursued when they should not be – is that the salesperson missed something he or she knew they had to do. Why did they miss it? Because, in the real world, it may be some- thing they don’t consistently execute. However, there are steps that must be systematically covered to ensure a posi- tive outcome – either a closed sale or an informed, early disengagement.


WANT PROOF?


The number one challenge to every sales organization: the case study question.


Think of a critical, competitive sales opportunity where


it’s unclear if you’re going to win or lose. Write that sale up as a case study, then hand it out to each member of your sales team, managers, and corporate leadership and ask, “What’s the next best step to move this toward a close?” How many different answers would you get? The answer we invariably get is, “The same as the num- ber of people who review it!”


How does this variation in execution impact you and your organization?


What would be the impact on your sales organization (or your commission) if the answer was just one? Variation leads to a high defect rate and wasted re-


sources. If you have variation in sales execution, you have variation in coaching. From a pure process standpoint, this isn’t acceptable.


Implementing The Sales Checklist™ will quickly and eas-


ily eliminate this variability and allow you to immediately realize positive results.


SELLING POWER MAY/JUNE 2020 | 29 © 2020 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.


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