The Numbers Don't Lie
Throughout years
of sales training, one of the
things I’ve learned from highly successful business people is
the value of having up-to-date and accurate numbers on a
daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis.
What kind of numbers am I speaking of? Let’s start with some of
the basics in
business.
Pricing: Is your
equipment, material and/or product pricing up to date?
In order to provide an accurate estimate and
contract, you have to have accurate pricing to start.
Hours: Is every sales
person properly trained on accurate use of hours and time? Does every sales person
understand and know
what the company’s gross margins and net profitability numbers need to
be?
Sales Board Numbers:
Sales volume, number of sales leads, type of lead
(referrals, repeat
customers, etc.), number of sales visits/calls, number of jobs quoted –
when
your sales team’s numbers are current, accurate and displayed on a
sales goal
board, you can successfully manage their progress toward their goal.
When
you are
aware of these basic numbers on a regular basis, you can successfully
manage
your sales team toward achieving their sales goals.
Suppose
you notice that the sales volume numbers from one particular sales rep.
are low
when compared to the rest of the team.
Are the leads run numbers low?
Have
enough jobs been quoted that week?
Are
too many sales calls being reset for a second visit?
What type of leads are being run more often
(advertised,
referrals, repeat customers, etc.)?
Keeping
these numbers current, reviewing them with your sales team, department
heads
and/or field staff on a regular basis is crucial.
Unless you’re a sole proprietorship, you need
to keep your team as focused on the numbers as you are.
Reviewing
the numbers from prior and current years will help you make good
decisions when
creating an action
plan for your weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual goals.
The
numbers
that help you set these goals become your barometer on a daily basis
and help
you make critical decisions during the course of your day. Use those numbers to set
your business goals
and also manage your goals for success.
The
numbers don’t lie!
