Dashboard: The Missing Link to a No-Excuse™ Sales Culture

If you don’t know the mileage on your dashboard at the beginning of a trip, you won’t know how far you’ve traveled … or how much further you have to go. And, if you need more time to reach your destination, how will you adjust the rest of your travel plans?

The dashboard has become a metaphor for measurement in the world of sales. Think of it like this: destination=goal; travel time=sales cycle; additional time required=shortfall; and plan=itinerary. As a set of defined metrics that assesses sales performance against plan, the dashboard is the most critical element of a No-Excuse™ Sales Culture.

With accountability as the cornerstone of a No-Excuse™ Sales Culture, how can sales people be held accountable without measurement standards? And if not held accountable, how does a sales force generate predictable revenue to meet goals?

In a perfect world—where all sales people are equally excellent, skillfully coached and self-motivated—maybe. But, in our real world, no way. Learn how to identify and correct accountability issues and create a No-Excuse Sales Culture. Find out how one local company used dashboard measurements to break through its revenue ceiling.

Activity-based metrics also help determine coaching needs. They indicate where on the route the sales person is faltering:

• dial conversion to conversation with decision-maker
• conversation conversion to appointment
• appointment conversion to proposal
• proposal conversion to revenue

If any of these areas pale against goal, then the stumbling blocks that need help become apparent.

The easiest way to keep tabs on metrics is with an automated tracking system, widely known as CRM. Don’t gasp. While a good number of CRM implementations have not met expectations, they can be revitalized or successfully implemented by customizing them to fit the organization’s culture/sales environment. CRM solutions need to be embedded into business processes to foster adoption and consistent use. For examples of successful implementations, visit http://home.reside.biz/success/gop.html and http://www.ds6.net/article.php.

If you’re thinking for investing in a new CRM system, visit www.onebundlecrm.com.

And, if you’re frustrated because you aren’t getting the value out of your CRM system or you’d like to learn about how to use it to help you create a No Excuse Sales Culture in 2007, call me.

 

Discipline. Creativity. Results.

Danita