Winston Churchill said “It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.” There is a sweet spot you need to find as a leader. You can’t spend too much time dreaming about a future you aren’t sure how to get to, but you also can’t fail to set goals and develop plans that will improve revenue performance. Churchill is encouraging us not to look so far ahead that we set our eyes on a destination for which we have no clear route in which to get there. This is very important advice!
As the calendar moves toward the end of the year and you look ahead to the start of another, it’s time to evaluate how your sales department is doing and determine changes you will make in the coming year. We have a tool we use for this process that is called the Performance Prism. The metaphor is this… “Just as a prism separates light into its component colors, our Performance Prism separates a sales organization into its components.” This approach will force you to break down each important area (like the prism separates light) and search for opportunities for improvement. It will also prevent you from looking too far ahead, but instead will help you focus on the next link in the chain that will move you along the desired path.
The key areas of the Performance Prism are:
- Goals & Values
- Structure & Process
- Metrics & Accountability
- Talent & Skill
If you work for a traditional media company (TV, Radio, Newspaper, etc.) you likely have a wide range of tools to help clients reach consumers. You have all your traditional assets and a growing set of digital capabilities. When put together, you can create powerful tailored solutions—better than you could before digital came along, and better than a company that only has digital capabilities. And if you are an advertiser, looking for a partner to help you reach the consumers you seek, give serious thought to how a local media company can help you achieve your goals.
Let me end the suspense for you right away. It’s both. The best sales managers I have known over the years are equally adept at recruitment and selection.
I think it's a stretch to say that people buy mostly on emotion as opposed to logic. There may be some truth to it, but I think there's a better way to think about the buying process.
