Implementing Consulting to Build and Improve an Inside Sales Team

A recent research study titled “The Top Problems of the Inside Sales Industry” highlighted the issues facing sales managers and their teams.  The biggest problems shared by sales managers revolve around finding the right leads and hiring, training, and retaining the right people.  The front line sales reps reported that their largest issues dealt with making contact with busy decision makers.

When companies contact my team for help, we are often asked the same questions:

1. How do we get more good leads?
2. How do we get good people?
3. Will you do it for us?

These three questions are the basis for the inside sales training and consulting services we provide.  We do this because so many face these issues.  We do this because, so often, all a company needs is a little time to learn how—or remember how—to focus on and work efficiently around these issues.

Why is consulting so important?

To answer that, I will share a story from our group here at XANT.  Our President, Ken Krogue, was called on to consult for PeopleWise, a division of Lexis Nexis.  They had experienced a couple of years of stagnant growth and were looking for a way to break the cycle.  They had four lead gen reps, four inside sales reps, and 12 field sales reps.

Ken started with a benchmark of their current process and results.  He noticed that the lead gen reps were making 20 calls per day and only averaging 1/2 an appointment per rep per day.  He decided his focus would be the lead gen folks and helping them perform.  This would impact the sales reps in a huge way.

Ken worked with the management to find and test the best lead sources and incorporate the technology to drive efficiency.  Using XANT technology they improved their calls per day to 170 per rep ( an 8.5x increase).  However, the appointments per day only went up 5x to 2.5 per day.  With the effort improved, the results needed to be addressed.  Ken taught them the CLOSER Model, the First Call Sequence, and how to build credibility via the Trust Ladder.  His training and consulting lifted them to 170 calls and 6.5 appointments per day (a 13x total increase).

The client realized three record sales months in a row because of an increase in contact and close rates.  Consulting had ended their 2 year stagnancy.

Consulting has a huge impact on companies in 3 categories (and every company is in one of these categories):

1. Set up – a company who is building their sales department;
2. Accelerate – a company looking to accelerate and improve sales performance; and
3. Turn Around – a company who has experienced declines and is looking to turn it around, rebuild, and grow.

Whatever your situation as a team or company, the question to ask isn’t,  “Should I bring in a consultant?”  The question to ask is, “What effect will the additional success a consultant brings have on me and on my company?”