There is a big difference between activity and results.  The Sales Cooke works with a lot of managers frustrated when apparent opportunities do not turn into business.  The truth is, activity is not a measure of anything.  At best, activity only reflects potential.  In normal conditions sales people are often optimisitic about every sales conversation they have.  In a tight economy the pressure put on them by managers and owners only increases this optimistic reporting behavior.

Your business is driven by results.  The only way to improve sales results is to teach your sales organization how to properly qualify, focus on and close good business opportunities.  Every opportunity is not winnable.  Your organization needs to focus on the ones it can win and win the ones it focuses on.

How do you know which ones you can win?
1. Qualify them properly: Click here to transfer to The Sales Cooke blog on this subject.

2. Build a must win strategy: With a correctly qualified opportunity, your business is better equipped to build a selling strategy around this opportunity.  Intead of chasing ‘deals’, you are now going after a business opportunity that matches well with your product offering.  Develop a strategic plan that identifies how you will win the deal.

3. Utilize a team approach in implementing the plan: In a tough economy there may be fewer good opportunities to go after.  Now that you have built a strategic plan around a properly qualified opportunity, deploy the resources in your organization necessary to win the deal.

Would you rather close 5 out of 30 leads or 10 out of 20 qualified opportunties?  The answer is obvious.  In sales, improved selling activity is not the answer.  Focusing on productive qualifying and strategic activities is how good revenue generating business is sold.