Sales and marketing teams that are missing their numbers are a huge challenge for senior executives.
Declining sales, poor forecast accuracy, feast-or-famine cycles, and unpredictable results can damage cash flow. Your sales and marketing leaders might be working hard and trying to do the right thing, but can you believe what they tell you?
Ever wonder why this happens? If sales and marketing is a business process, why is measuring cause and effect so hard?
Art vs Science
Sellers and marketers rightfully believe what they do is special. Art, not science. And the fact is, it does take something special to understand social nuances and influence human interactions effectively.
The people who know how to motivate and sell need be respected for their skills and talents. They need to be leveraged in the best possible way for the company and the customer.
Most executives still assume this arena is not subject to rational, data-oriented process improvement. As a result, they fall victim to a roulette wheel of possible fixes: branding campaigns, trade shows, sales training, CRM software, and more.
Yet without hard ROI data – real evidence of causes and effects – what’s the difference between a miracle and the “solution of the day?” (A re-org? Replacing the Sales VP? A new comp plan? New products? The list goes on.)
All these increase the risks of dissapointing investors. Most executives take such frustrations for granted, relying on their gut and experience. Their job requires them to act like they know what they are doing (even when they secretly know that they don't).
You Don't Have to Take the "Art vs Science" Excuse Seriously Any More
My name is Michael Webb, and I’m the leading proponent of an evidence-based approach to managing sales and marketing. My team and I are experts at implementing effective street-level and executive-level selling, while enabling you to measure your team’s activities and results like a production system, so you can identify the corrective actions that will enable them to make the numbers.
Since 2002, I’ve published more than 100 articles and six books on this subject, including the acclaimed “Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way” (Kaplan Publishing, 2006). My materials are used as texts in more than a dozen universities around the world. Sales training, marketing, and software companies (including Google) purchase my books to hand out to their clients.
On this website you'll find some of the classic articles that have been turning executive’s heads:
Join the Ranks of Truly Successful Sales and Marketing Organizations
Need to know how to figure out which half of your marketing budget is wasted? Or, why Johnny can’t sell? Why salespeople give only lipservice to your company's "sales process?"
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Thanks again for your time and attention. I look forward to hearing about your adventures in sales process improvement.
Michael J. Webb, President
Sales Performance Consultants, Inc.
5354 Fox Hill Drive
Norcross, GA 30092
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