Reversing Poor Event Sales

One of my favorite speakers in the industry is Dan Cole. On several occasions, I have had the pleasure of speaking with Dan, who is the Senior Vice President of Trade Shows and Exhibits Sales for Hargrove Inc. Perhaps one topic we’ve discussed that sticks with me the most concerns his views as to how to transform any sales force so that it can reach its greatest potential. Dan has had considerable experience transforming sales departments during a career that includes, in addition to Hargrove, the Consumer Electronics Show and events for Advanstar Communications.  We’ve chatted on and off throughout the years about his philosophy of selling.

 

Dan and I agree that when a sales force is not performing to its fullest potential, the problem is attributable to some or all of following reasons:

  • The leadership is weak;
  • Management is not rewarding the right behaviors, nor punishing the wrong ones;
  • Staff are not working on the right things and/or not accountable;
  • The environment of the company is not revenue-driven.

 

So how do you turn this around? Simply put, reverse the above with the following tactics:

  • Develop and enforce a definitive direction with an approach that is assertive, but reasonable. Focus on the fundamentals and incentivize the behaviors you want;
  • Assess your current staff, confirming that they are coachable, flexible, and entrepreneurial.
  • Determine whether your company has the appropriate revenue-centric environment;
  • Hire the perfect rep by identifying the above behaviors before you make the hire;
  • Enshrine TRACER as a way to keep a positive sales culture locked in.

 

What is TRACER? It’s Dan’s way to ensure the sales team hits its long and short term goals. The components are:

  • Training skills, industry knowledge that focuses on the fundamentals, and knowledge of the customers’ market sector(s);
  • Revenue focus that is organization-wide, from the CEO on down;
  • Activity and accountability that is measured by phone and face-to-face appointments, not on ‘smiling and dialing’;
  • Customer focus that involves getting in front of both customers and prospects regularly, not just prospects;
  • Environment that gets rid of ‘bad apples’ and encourages teamwork and healthy cooperation;
  • Recruiting the right people, with a focus on attitude first, then sales competence next.

 

In the end, what does a profitable team look like? They:

  • Are paid well, because they earn when revenue goals are met;
  • Are empowered to make decisions that serve the company and the customer;
  • Have a camaraderie that reflects a healthy competition between the sales reps;
  • Are members of a revenue-focused organization.

 

If you can pull all of this off, you are indeed ‘cutting edge’ in my book. I certainly can see why Hargrove goes from strength to strength….

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