The 8X Hack: Optimizing Sales for Maximum Growth

In the summer of 1998, I landed my first big sales job as a “Sales Generalist.” Consider my job description:

• Maintain and grow relationship with three major accounts.
• Generate $1.5 million in new business.
• Write own proposals.
• Work more than a dozen trade shows and networking events per year.
• Run a regular direct mail campaign.

I was that quintessential “one-armed paper hanger in a wind storm.” I was a veritable jack of all trades, master of none. Sure, I was great at cold calling, but I lagged in other areas. When I was tracking a big deal that required weeks of dedicated effort, guess who wasn’t cold calling for new business.

Bottom line: I was operating at low proficiency and low efficiency. Fortunately since then, many organizations have followed the trend of “Sales Specialization.” However, I still see major companies hang onto the old generalist model. The good news for them is that they may be poised to unleash HUGE sales potential…that is, with a few tweaks.

The Key: Do one thing…Do it well.

Henry Ford’s assembly line used conveyor belts and strategically placed tools at each workstation. Low-cost workers were quickly trained to become extremely good at executing a single task over and over again. Workers were proficient and efficient at every level.

The result was an astounding 800% increase in production. Man hours were cut by nearly 90%, while black Model T’s were suddenly coming off the line every three minutes, and the industrial world never turned back. (Why only black? It was the only color that dried fast enough to keep up with production.)

The sales process of today is complex and getting more so every year. Therefore, just like building a car, in order to accelerate the sales process it must be broken down into smaller tasks. Each task can be equipped with specialized tools that maximize a sales agent’s focus and efficiency in their respective area.

Breaking Up the Process:

I know that some sales managers reading is thinking, “We’ve already done this. We have Hunters and Farmers.” Sorry, Mr. Manager! That’s not going to cut it in today’s competitive environment. Depending on the type of sale and length of sales cycle, one can break down the sales “hunter” position into five separate work functions.

Here’s an example of one top-performing software sales organization that specialized by creating these various full-time positions: List Manager, Business Developer, Sales Executive (Closer), Implementation Specialist, and Client Success Manager.

At every step of the sales process you find an intense focus on a single task being completed with proficiency and efficiency. The Result: They created a constant river of sales that catapulted them to become the nation’s fifth fastest growing software company.

Take a look at your sales team. Do you have highly paid sales executives wasting their talent cold calling for new business, or chasing down old leads? Are they writing their own proposals, managing existing accounts, or spending hours trying to set their own appointments for upcoming trade show events? STOP! It’s time to “Henry-Ford” your sales environment.

Start at the front-end with lead generation. Consider getting rid of one low performing sales generalist, and replacing them with a highly trained business development rep that focuses solely on uncovering new business. Make sure to provide that BDR with the very latest in prospecting technology to maximize his/her efficiency. Need help? Use a professional service like OutsourceSales.com that can be your powerful business development partner is driving a steady flow of opportunities to your inside sales team.

As new business opportunities start rolling in, your Closers will start to get more “at bats.” In turn they will naturally become more proficient, resulting in higher conversion rates.

A Word of Caution:

Specializing sales can have its pitfalls. It was noted that at one point in time, if Henry Ford wanted to hire 100 men to work the line, he had to hire 963 to counteract extreme attrition. Such can be the case in a sales job that seems restrictive, monotonous, and low paying.

To counteract this, ensure that you provide a career path for every sales agent with advancements tied to performance. Despite what many sales managers think, upward mobility for a sales pro is often more important than money.

There is no question that high-performing sales organizations have implemented specialization into their process. For a friendly conversation about how to specialize your sales team, or which technologies work at the various phases of the sales cycle, connect with me on LinkedIn or email me directly.

Originally published at www.linkedin.com on July 21, 2015.