Why Sales is So Hesitant to Change">
It seems like it should be easy to convince B2B salespeople to try something new especially new proven evidence based methodologies and processes that deliver higher sales with more predictability and sustainability. Right ?
After all, these people are in the business of getting others to purchase new products and services. It just stands to reason that they would be open to change themselves. Wouldn't they ?
But much like the proverbial cobbler’s children who have no shoes, salespeople are often extremely resistant and hesitant to trying new things.
A recent study on the personality traits of successful salespeople sheds a little light onto why that might be the case. First, sales team members—In addition, organisations are naturally resistant to change- particularly top performers—are very achievement oriented.
They focus incessantly on their goals, and most have developed their own methods and processes for maximizing their sales.
If you want them to change those methods and processes, you better have a very good argument for doing so. After all, their income depend on on how well they do their jobs.
Second, the study also found that while salespeople describe themselves as optimists, most are actually pessimists, especially if they are good at their jobs.
They have perfected the art of appearing upbeat while secretly nurturing a lot of cynicism inside their own heads. So even if the sales team smiles and seems to agree with you when you propose a change, you can be sure that many—including top earners who probably have the most sway in the organisation—are harboring some internal doubts.
In addition, organisations are naturally resistant and hesitant to change for fear of upsetting the status quo, even if that status quo delivers unacceptable results.
Businesses set up systems and processes that are designed to be efficient and productive and to “run themselves” with minimal external input. But these highly desirable characteristics also make it very difficult to modify these systems and processes, even when it’s necessary.
As a member of the management team who needs to convince the sales team to do things differently, the deck is really stacked against you. Not only is it extremely difficult to make changes within an organisation, you’re talking to people who have change-resistant personalities.
But don’t give up hope.
It’s not only possible to convince a sales team to try something new, it’s possible to get them excited about it. And while the process will take some time, you can probably get everyone on board in less time and with less pain than you currently imagine.
The key is following the most effective process for facilitating change. If you do it right, you’ll have the sales team agreeing to make changes and maybe even asking why it took you so long to suggest them!
If you need to convince the sales team—or any other group—to do things a little differently, you may be able to save yourself some grief by determining where and why change is needed then develop a strategy which is supported by tactics that are proven to deliver the results needed.
Is Change Managing You ( being forced ) OR are you Managing Change.
Given the dynamics in B2B, it can be challenging to know where and how to focus your attentions, energy, and resources to have the greatest impacts on overall sales performance but there are proven methods, processes and systems that support positive outcomes - Just Ask.
The GOAL of every high performance sales team should be to…… Proactively create the conditions where more deals, that are more profitable, with better customers, are the natural result. This is achieved by engineering the overall sales process such that it reliably generates the desired outcomes as a matter of course.
If you would like to know a little more "About Mark", please follow the link for a brief profile view.
https://www.predictablesuccess.com.au/lp/mark-lenthall
Predictable Success can examine your sales processes and deliver an accurate road-map after determining where you’re on track and where you need a course correction. Predictable Success can provide a cost/benefit analysis and expert recommendations to improve your sales performance on every level.
