Margolis Advisory Group, Inc. . Investment Management . Consulting . Sales

Why Can’t I Sell More (2) ?

August 13th, 2009

Last month, I posted some thoughts on this subject. Since then, I have continued to get numerous questions on this topic so I decided to expand on my thoughts. Many managers seem to be seeking training for their sales people. When I’m asked about that, I try to get underneath what they are really asking. Often it turns out that they are looking for solutions for a perceived lack of sales results. Training sales people seems logical, but it may not make sense if the problem with sales lies elsewhere. Further, standardized training is just that, standardized. It doesn’t seek to find the underlying problem. There are many possible issues ranging from firm and product positioning through general marketing to various elements of the sales process. When asked to help specifically in sales training, I seek to understand the entire sales process that the firm uses and find the weak points. These weaknesses may include sales presentation skills often addressed in standardized training, but frequently the problems are more complex and require more thoughtful solutions.

Filed under: General

Tags: coaching, sales