Want a solid forecast, Create Demand!

Last week I wrote a blog for CompTIA titled “Eliminate the Fly By Business Plan”.  In that blog I describe the syndrome that most organizations face without a proper plan for success.  This week we look at another syndrome of demand generation!

Each week sales teams attend a status meeting where management exercises each member for a status on accounts.  The reps do everything they can to justify their existence.  The meetings are typically not productive since they rehash what has already been provided in the past.  These meetings typically set a negative tone for the week and reps avoid management or their cell phone rings with caller ID that says “RUN”!  Management teams need to get focused on why sales are down and what is keeping the organization from moving forward.

Well let’s start with something simple – demand and lead generation processes.  Owners expect that when they hire a rep, that rep brings a book of business and that will suffice – It won’t!  Reps will exhaust their book and will need help keeping their pipeline full of new prospects.  This is where the organization needs to internally generate demand facilitating new opportunity.

So how is that done?  First, a Sales and Marketing S.W.O.T. to understand where your organization has market specificity and success.  After you determine your strengths evaluate the weakness, most likely what will be revealed is that there is no plan targeting the market that you have had the greatest success?

Developing a plan can be easy if you have the resources to help you engage with vendors, distributors and most importantly your own team.  Your team is full of great Ideas on how to gain interest, build brand, and deliver on client satisfaction as well as demand generation activities.  As a business owner, you must decide on a course and lead the team to the goals.  Provide each member of the team a role in the plan allowing them to have vesture in the success.

So find a way to turn your existence meeting into a truly strategic event each week.  Find balance between putting your rep on trial and helping them with demand generation.  Watch how your team perks up as you gain ground with a plan to help them keep their pipeline full!  After all they are sales people and if they are generating revenue, they are generating commissions.  Do you know a sales person that doesn’t like commissions?

Are you getting my message….MAKE A PLAN!

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