Improved Sales Execution Helps Businesses Rise Above Economic Woes

October 10, 2013

Despite unfavorable economic conditions in recent years, businesses are looking for ways to generate a significant sales acceleration and increase overall revenue.

According to the most recent data compiled by the National Federation of Independent Business, a growing number of owners of small and medium-sized enterprises believe now is the right time to initiate expansion efforts. While the organization’s overall “Small Business Optimism Index” fell by 0.2 points last month, companies are working hard to find a way  to succeed despite the struggling economy.

Increasing sales effectiveness is a reliable way to generate more revenue and ultimately stand out among competitors in the industry. Here are a few tips managers and team members can utilize to plant the seeds for long-term enterprise growth:

Improve internal sales performance with better metrics
In many cases, the best method for accelerating profitable revenue is to focus on internal processes. Implementing a uniform system that allows managers to effectively measure the performance of individual employees is a great starting point for increased sales effectiveness, Business 2 Community said. The best metrics are able to gather data from all points of the lead generation process. With access to robust metrics, small and medium-sized enterprises can have a clearer view of what it takes to make more sales.

Plan ahead
Before achieving business success, employers must be able to take stock of their current situations and map a detailed path for improvement, according to Inc. Magazine. This strategy often requires sales teams to tune out from the daily work cycle and instead set aside proper amounts of time to truly assess and understand current business situations. Fully understanding what works and what doesn’t in current business operations is an important step in keeping employees on target with enterprise vision and alignment.

Be present and trustworthy
Once a company has effectively tweaked its internal strategies, salespeople can then enter the field and take further steps for accelerating profitable revenue. Business 2 Community said firms should make concerted efforts to have an active presence among their target customers through online and offline channels. Engaging with new and existing clients in meaningful ways is an effective way to build trust and establish authoritative expertise in company’s relevant industry. As a result, employees and managers can start seeing substantial increases in sales effectiveness, which can ultimately reinvigorate business performance in a struggling economy.