Before deciding whether you want to work as an independent Sales Improvement Professional, you probably want to get a better idea of the content of your tasks. Of course, all of that will come up when you get in touch with us and we embark on a process to see if there's a match. To give you an idea in advance, Michel van Hesse will guide you through the content based on a concrete case: Coolmark.
"Naturally, it all starts with acquisition. Yes, some of the clients approach us, for example, because they heard about us through word of mouth. But like everywhere else, the majority of your revenue will come from clients you have approached yourself. This is also the case with Coolmark. Almost every success story begins with an initial conversation, where the challenge is to immediately 'identify the pain points'. In other words, to find out where growth opportunities are currently untapped.
You do this by asking the right substantive questions. 'What is the potential of your company? Why do you set your revenue goal at fifty million? When you look at the market potential, why not a hundred million?' If in such a conversation it becomes clear not only to you but also to the client that there is room for improvement, we recommend that the company participate in the 4D Challenge, where a company is fully assessed in a four-day timeframe.
This was also the starting point at Coolmark. In eight sessions, you analyze five sales domains: Strategy, Processes, Culture & Leadership, Skills, and Tools. This is always a collaboration between Sales Improvers and Sales Trainers. Sales Trainers are generally the extroverted, emotionally driven people-persons. Sales Improvers are the analysts with an eye for detail. During the 4D Challenge, Sales Trainers specifically investigate behavior, so they focus on the Culture & Leadership and Skills domains. Sales Improvers analyze the overall picture.
A 4D Challenge yields five grades for those five sales domains. The subpar grades reveal where the gains can be made. In the case of Coolmark, for example, it became clear that certain product-market combinations that used to work well in the past were outdated. The Sales Improvers and Sales Trainers involved in the 4D Challenge collaborate to outline the results in an action plan that specifies the steps to be taken, their sequence, and frequency.
A Return On Investment calculation (ROI) has always been an integral part of that action plan. We present a worst-case scenario and a realistic scenario to the customer, allowing them to see immediately what their investment in you will yield in the short and long term. Afterward, the execution of the action plan begins. For example, a Sales Improver starts working on concretizing a new sales strategy within the organization, developing and implementing new sales processes, and creating new sales tools. The Sales Trainer begins training groups and also provides one-on-one coaching. A Sales Trainer is often engaged with a company for about six days per group per year, for a minimum of three years. A Sales Improver typically works with a company for approximately nine months to a year, often with multiple companies simultaneously.
A large part of the satisfaction comes from the changes you see in the organizations you work for. Sometimes it's a step-by-step process, and other times it involves significant leaps. For example, a Sales Trainer called me enthusiastically some time ago. The training and coaching on follow-ups for quotes had resulted in a 34% increase in converted quotes that day.
We don't monitor improvements at the customer based on gut feeling. There are evaluation moments several times a year to check the ROI and make necessary adjustments, so you can achieve spectacular results together with your customer."
How can I attract new customers? Where can I find the potential target audience for my product or service? What should be my plan of action in this regard? If you provide your contact details here, we will get in touch with you, allowing you to decide whether you wish to proceed to the next step.
