Why salespeople fail and what to do about it

And yet, many salespeople work without a plan — reactively and opportunistically going through the month or quarter without a strategy. No discipline Sales is incredibly difficult. No training This is more than just product training, which is critical. And this training needs to happen far more often than the annual sales kick-off meeting too. For world-class sales organizations, training and reinforcement is a regular, ongoing habit.

No support To be successful, sales professionals need tools to help them work smarter. They need sales support and operations resources to provide the infrastructure, tools, processes and other execution best practices so they can spend more of their time in front of customers. And they need a proactively supportive management team, including managers who know that coaching requires more than just reinforcing process, but also proactively helping reps solve unique sales problems.

Unmet sales forecasts Painfully long selling cycles. Discounting to make sales, resulting in eroding profit margins. Hiring salespeople that don't work out. Over-promising by the sales team that creates customer dissatisfaction.

The Sandler Selling Methodology has inspired a new level of honest dealing and mutual respect between sales professionals and their customers and clients. Whose System are You Following? The characteristics of salespeople in the decline stage:. The Sales Career Cycle is more a mirror of what can happen rather than a description of what will happen. Ken is a veteran editor, writer, and author, who has been writing about sales for nearly 20 years.

He has produced countless motivational films and has written dozens of books on management. When you claim your free MyResourcefulSelling membership, you'll immediate access to practical advice curated from industry experts, thought leaders and sales professionals, and solutions specific to your role — delivered straight to your inbox.