The answer is in most cases YES but it does depend on a range of factors such as:
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The sales person’s capabilities
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Effectiveness of Sales Management / General Management
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Acceptance of change to improve results
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Your product / solution pricing competitiveness
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Product knowledge
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Realistic and achievable targets and KPI’s
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Back end systems and processes to support your sales people
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Remuneration and commissions / bonuses appropriate to the role
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Recognition and a pathway to advancement within your organisation
Let’s define Field Sales Management for a start:
‘A defined process of attending prospect meetings with your sales person in order to identify challenges faced at the coal face, observing and identifying potential areas of improvement, taking action by way of expert coaching and measuring the benefits over a defined period.’
In many businesses this already a key part of a Sales Managers day to day activities, but from experience they are few and far between as we all get busy. Sales Managers or up line Managers all get so busy that it is easy to take your eye off the ball at the sharp end of your business that feeds us all – and that is SALES. The only technology proof profession left it would seem to me.
My simple message in this post is look after your sales people like they are gold. If they need help to achieve targets and KPI’s, help them and guide them. Even if personal issues become evident in your workplace, provide support, guidance and help as a friend rather than ‘The Boss’. It will pay you back 10 times over.
The off boarding and on boarding process is a cost to your bottom line directly as well as indirectly through lost relationships with existing customers and new prospects alike.
Field Sales Management won’t solve all of your challenges in business, but it will help you with some of the points mentioned above.
Rick