Two-Minute Read: Leading An Organization For Optimal Revenue Results in 2021

Short on time? No problem. Here is our 120-second overview of three critical areas where we are seeing the most productive sales leaders set their teams up for success in 2021.

Step One: Map Your Customers & Accounts

Re-evaluate your account plan. Which opportunities fall into which of these four KARE categories?

• KEEP – “Don’t lose them!”
• ATTAIN – "Go get them!”
• RECAPTURE – “Get them back!”
• EXPAND – “Do more business with them!”

Every opportunity must land in one of these four buckets. That last one may be worth focusing on particularly closely. We estimate, based on work with our clients, that over 60% of the typical sales team is not yet successful in going deeper and wider into their accounts.

What criteria for entry make sense for your organization in each KARE category? How would you treat each category differently?

Step Two: Get the Members of the Team to Make Four Lists

Once you have figured out the KARE designations for each opportunity, challenge each salesperson in your organization to answer these questions in writing:

• Who are my top five clients?
• Who are the five clients where I currently have the lowest wallet share, but can improve on that in 2021?
• Who are my top five former customers?
• Who are my top five prospects?

Step Three: Formalize the Playbook

Our estimate is that something like 65% of sales professionals are achieving 60% or less of their quota. The key to addressing this challenge is to formalize the sales process and the behaviors that support it.

No more “winging it.” Create and circulate a documented playbook of best practices. Then empower and coach salespeople to customize that playbook until it supports their personal behavioral and revenue targets. Have your team replicate best practices, with sales managers coaching and training to the playbook.

• Your playbook should be a shared collection of systems, talk-tracks, and other best practices that enable your whole team to stay on the same page and operate at the highest level.
• It should be a written document, not an “I’ll know it when I see it” list of priorities for individual activity.
• What operating systems do you have in place now to ensure behavioral consistency in your sales force?

Our 120 seconds are up. Implement what you see above, and you will set your sales team up to succeed in 2021! Access more revenue growth insights today from the Sandler Research Center.