Good sales people and sales managers like to talk about their sales performance, and it’s this time of year that many sales organizations stop to honor those who had the best year as the calendar starts a fresh countdown. I support that idea and have a suggestion to add. What if every salesperson in your organization picked one client who had a good 2011 and asked that client to share two things:
1) What were some of the key action steps you took as an organization that helped you have a good year?
2) What did my company do that was the most helpful in contributing to your fine year?
It would be interesting to share these reports in a sales meeting and then ask your salespeople to talk about action they can take in 2012 to have a great year—things they are inspired to consider as they hear the reports from your clients.
This would be a good way to remind your sales team that their own performance is dependent on creating success for your clients—a nice message to start the year off!
John Henley is Chief Operating Officer at The Center for Sales Strategy.
