The Chief Sales Leader Framework™
A methodology used by sales teams to execute with precision – – effectively, efficiently & predictably
The Genesis of The Chief Sales Leader Framework™
After nearly 30-years of searching for a management solution for building sustainable revenue growth year-after-year we found a framework in an unlikely place – – a college textbook that had set on my bookshelf for 30-years – – The Principles of Strategic Management.
The basic concept is that for a company, and its leaders, to achieve success year-after-year they need to proactively manage three strategic processes and twelve operating processes:
- Strategy – forecasting, planning, organization structure, and culture
- Execution – process, people, technology, and information
- Evaluation – tracking, analyzing, reporting, and process improvement
If the Principles of Strategic Management are the foundation for building company success shouldn’t the sales profession – – Chief Sales Executives, Sales Managers, and Salespeople – – use them to achieve revenue growth success year-after-year?
We Use The Chief Sales Leader Framework™
To make it easy for you to understand and manage the three (3) strategic and twelve (12) operating sales processes that enable a sales team to execute with precision – – effectively, efficiently, and predictably
How Can The Principles of Strategic Management Help Chief Sales Executives?
Through the lens of The Principles of Strategic Management the root cause of sales management failure is clear – – when Chief Sales Executives and Sales Managers proactively manage and measure all three strategic and twelve operating sales processes they have a higher probability of succeeding – – when they don’t, they don’t.
Here are a couple of examples. If your sales managers are spending the majority of their time on:
- Managing salespeople and sales procedures it’s a safe bet that the other ten operating processes will operate ineffectively, inefficiently and unpredictably – – the result is sales management failure
- Managing sales forecasting and sales reporting it’s a safe bet that the other ten operating processes will operate ineffectively, inefficiently and unpredictably – – the result is sales management failure
Do You Need The Chief Sales Leader Framework™?
You should take a look if your sales team is:
- Wasting time, money and morale on an uncoordinated blizzard of process improvement initiatives i.e. new compensation plans, sales training, sales pitches, etc.
- Frequently replacing sales managers and salespeople
- Continuously distracting your technical experts i.e. product, service, pricing, sales and other managers
- Struggling to pinpoint and address the root cause of poor execution and revenue growth
- Inconsistently executing and/or ignoring the twelve sales operating processes
- Being disabled, rather than enabled, by technology
When Is The Chief Sales Leader Framework™ Used?
The Chief Sales Leader Framework™ is used across all stages of the business life cycle as Investors, CEOs, Chief Sales Executives, Sales Managers and Sales People work to:
- Build a sales team
- Assess a sales team
- Improve a sales team
- Restructure a sales team
- Merge sales teams
The Chief Sales Leader Framework™ Sales Strategy
Sales Forecasting
- Revenue forecast including recurring/renewals and new customer acquisition
- Sales pipeline activity forecast
- Sales productivity forecast
- Sales staffing forecast
- Selling expense forecast
Sales Planning
- Market/Industry plans
- Product and Service plans
- Pricing plans
- Customer plans
- Competitor plans
- Staffing plan
- Facilitating management plan
- Computer hardware plan
- Fleet management plan
Sales Organization Structure
- Sales channel structure
- Job structure and descriptions
- Sub-department structure
- Sales territory design
- Management span of control
- Decision-making authority
Sales Culture
- Alignment with company values and purpose
- Behaviors, beliefs, and assumptions
- Company history understanding
- Office environment
- Camaraderie
- Celebrations
- Community involvement
- Decision-making consistency
- Communication
- Commitment
The Chief Sales Leader Framework™ – Sales Execution
Sales Procedures
- New Customer Acquisition
- Renewing Customers
- Cross-Selling and Up-Selling
- Winning Back Past Customers
- Customer Service
- Channel Partner Sales
Sales Technology
- CRM system
- Marketing automation
- Customer service system
- Phone and auto-dialer systems
- Sales presentation library
- Knowledge management systems
- Productivity software
- Project management software
- Sales territory mapping
- Sales analysis and reporting software
- Human resource information system (HRIS)
Sales Content & Presentations
- Awareness building content i.e. blogs, white papers, checklists, etc.
- Evaluation content i.e. case studies, data sheets, comparisons, etc.
- Company information i.e. brochures, website
- Product and service demonstrations, FAQs, etc.
- Pricing and proposals
- Promotional materials
- Contracts, terms, and conditions
- Customer service information
Sales Management Procedures
- Hiring the right salespeople and managers
- Onboarding new salespeople and partners
- Coaching salespeople and managers
- Compensating, rewarding, and recognizing
- Evaluating performance
- Selling skill training
- Product, service and pricing training
- Succession planning
The Chief Sales Leader Framework™ – Sales Evaluation
Sales Measurement
- Metrics tracked and definitions
- Performance goals and benchmarks
- Database structure for tracking
- Data recording
- Automation for tracking sales data
Sales Analysis
- Sales data storage and feeds
- Cleaning sales data
- Hypothesis testing
- Gap analysis
- Recommendation development
Sales Reporting
- Data gathering for reports
- Report preparation
- Presentation of report
- Meeting management
Sales Process Improvement
- Problem-solving facilitation
- Improvement prioritization
- Action planning for improvements
- Reporting on improvements
- Improvement meeting management
