Do you ever feel like you are solving the same problems you are solving before — and every single time it’s an emergency?
Sometimes working in sales ops can feel a little bit like you are trapped in a zombie movie. Just when you think you have eliminated all the issues that have been threatening your operations, one of them comes back to life and you have to fight the same fight all over again.
We often tell people,
The only way to ensure sales problems don’t reappear is by implementing systemic solutions.
In other words, until you stop firefighting and put systemic measures in place, you will keep fighting those same zombies over and over again.
Of course, implementing systemic solutions easier said than done. When you are in the middle of a situation that feels like an emergency, it’s hard to make time to solve the bigger issue. It’s just so much easier to slap a Band-Aid on the problem and move on to the next one. Even though we know we haven’t really solved the underlying issue, we settle for handling the immediate threat, promising ourselves that we’ll take care of it later “when we have more time.”
But as we all know, the day when we will have more time will never arrive.
If you find that your problems are constantly reappearing, try taking a step back and asking a broader question. Instead of focusing on the specific circumstances, consider how you might address the general conditions that resulted in the problem. For example, instead of asking yourselves what you need to do to close a big deal that is on the rocks, ask what you need to do to improve your sales process so that the deals fewer get dangerously close to falling apart.
The table below highlights some common recurring sales problems and demonstrates how to reframe the question so that you can solve it systemically. It also links to SellingBrew resources that can help solve the problem.
| Instead of asking this | Ask this | Resources to help |
| Another big deal is on the line. What do we need to do to close it? | When can we step back and look at the broader sales process instead of firefighting every deal? | How to Improve Your Close Rates |
| The end of the quarter is almost here and we’re way below quota. What do we need to do? | When can we develop prescriptive account plans so we’re not scrambling every quarter? | Leading Edge Account and Territory Planning |
| Our retention rates have taken another hit. Why did those customers defect? | When can we start being more proactive about retaining customers instead of just reacting when the leave? | How to Retain Your Key Customers |
| Just wasted my time on another load of leads from marketing that didn’t pan out. | When is it time to reevaluate our qualification criteria so we can focus on prospects that will actually convert? | How to Identify & Target Your Best Prospects |
| We finally closed that deal. It took 8 months…like so many have these days. | When can we examine our sales processes and see why our cycle times are so long? Just imagine if we reduced them even a little bit. | Accelerating Sales Cycles |
For a broader look at how to solve any issue that arises, check out the webinar on Diagnosing Sales Problems. It can help you find the root cause of your “zombie” problems and eliminate them once and for all.
Diagnosing Sales Problems
Failing to identify the true root causes of sales performance problems often leads to a frustrating game of Whack-A-Mole. In this on-demand training webinar, learn how to identify and correct the real root causes behind sales performance issues.
How to Improve Your Close Rates
Trial and error with something as important as your close rates is risky. How do you know which strategies and tactics you should use to improve? In this on-demand training webinar, learn effective strategies and tactics for improving your sales team's ability to win---at scale and with less risk.
Leading Edge Account & Territory Planning
Sales planning is often perceived as not much more than tactical busywork. In this on-demand training session, you'll learn how innovative sales operations are taking a radically different approach to identify untapped growth opportunities and develop prescriptive account and territory plans.
How to Retain Your Key Customers
When you lose business from existing accounts, the sales team must acquire even more new business to compensate. In this on-demand training session, learn about seven innovative strategies leading sales operations are using to minimize revenue attrition and customer defection.
How to Identify & Target Your Best Prospects
Every year, B2B sales and marketing teams waste millions of dollars and thousands of hours desperately chasing the wrong business. In this on-demand webinar, learn about two methods for making targeting decisions that can improve every aspect of your performance, all at once!
Accelerating Sales Cycles
Sales cycle times have major implications for cash flows, productivity, and returns on sales. In this session, learn proven "big bang" strategies and tactics for slashing time-to-close across your sales operation.
