Use our facilitated enquiry sales process improvement method to bring about rapid transformation.

Sales Process Functional Perspectives

Sales Process Improvement Facilitated Enquiry is a structured method for evaluating organisational effectiveness against established or commonly understood best practice.

The enquiry examines sales process steps, sales stages, governance, measurement, and maintenance from the set of eight functional perspectives illustrated.

Comparing current practice with commonly established ‘best practice’ reveals improvement opportunities.

It leads to the preparation of detailed change management plans for sales process improvement, governance clarification, measurement automation, and method maintenance for selected enquiry perspectives.

Cut the cost of selling, improve business predictability, and increase sales performance through a process of managed change.

The Improvement Method

In the workshops, improvement project champions step forward to lead adopted initiatives.

The consultant facilitates the process, substantiates best practice, and supports the ongoing transformation.

The method is completed in seven steps. The first six can be conducted consecutively or spread over a few of weeks. Workshops can take place online or face to face.

The Benefits

Implementation leads to increased profit margins, more accurate sales forecasts, and increased sales performance. Depending on the starting position, percentage improvements can be in double digits.

Sales Process Improvement Facilitated Enquiry aids leadership teams in:

• Identifying actionable improvement opportunities
• Prioritising the most important
• Appointing project champions
• Preparing change management plans
• Implementing the plans

Those Who Should Participate

For any transformation to take place, all the people who will have to make changes or who will be affected by changes, must be represented in the change management process, including:

• All those who normally participate in sales policy decisions
• Those responsible for management or supervision of salespeople
• One or more influential members of the affected sales teams
• Managers of groups who support sales, processing orders, or deliver solutions
• Anyone else who is likely to be concerned about changes in the way salespeople work

Stages in the Facilitated Enquiry Process

1. Initial briefing – participants join a conference call to learn about the process and ask any questions.
2. Assessment – participants complete the Sales Process Improvement Facilitated Enquiry assessment to identify the level of current practices compared with commonly held best practice. This normally takes each person 10 to 20 minutes.
3. Positioning Review – participants meet to review the assessment results and reach consensus on their company’s effectiveness position for each of the eight functional perspectives. This usually prompts a lot of discussion and examination of current governance and behaviours.
4. Priority Review – participants meet to decide which improvements should be initiated and who should lead each improvement initiative.
5. Plan Creation – participants meet to support development of a practical improvement action plans. This begins with syndicate groups who work with improvement project leaders to develop an initial plan for each project. Each plan is then subjected to a plan review by the whole group. Improvements are incorporated in the plans.
6. Project Launch – Each improvement project leader presents the committed plan for their project.
7. Project Reviews – These are follow-up meetings of the whole group to review the progress of each project and discuss how to deal with any unforeseen obstacles.

Facilitated Enquiry Duration

The initial briefing usually takes no more than 30 minutes.

It is normal to allow a week for everyone to complete the assessment.

Depending on the number of people involved and the number of projects initiated, two to three days of meeting time should be set aside to complete stages 3 through 6. 

Project reviews should continue monthly until each improvement project is completed.

Results Measurement

Selection of key performance indicators, collection of benchmark data, and identification of monitoring and reporting methods is detailed in each project plan. Results are normally discussed in project reviews, as soon as comparison with benchmark data becomes appropriate.

If you need to increase sales performance, use this change management approach to initiate sales process improvement projects that work. Telephone +44 (0)1392 851500. Alternatively use the contact form here or send an email to custserv@salessense.co.uk for more information.