SellingBrew

Insights & Tips

Already a subscriber? Login

Become a subscriber and unlock an information arsenal focused on making your sales operation more effective.

Which Costly Revenue Leaks Have You Sprung?

Even under relatively stable conditions, the force of entropy is constantly pulling our selling processes and systems ever more “out of tune” over time. But when there’s increased turmoil and uncertainty in the market, this degradation tends to accelerate and things can get very sloppy, very quickly.

As a result, even the best run sales operations can discover that they’ve sprung some costly revenue leaks while their time and attention has been focused elsewhere.

We discuss this phenomenon in the “Closing Your Mostly Costly Revenue Leaks” webinar. In this recorded session, we highlight how and why things shake loose even with the best of intentions; and we explore a number of the most significant revenue leaks that other teams have discovered, including:

  • Strategic Priorities Getting Fuzzy Or Going Out the Window
    In periods of turmoil and uncertainty, it’s very easy to lose sight of strategic priorities. In most cases, it’s an unintentional slide as people blur the lines and definitions, little by little, over time. It could be, however, that the former priorities are actually no longer relevant or ideal in light of dramatic changes in the marketplace. In any case, strategic decisions and prioritizations should be deliberate and thoughtful, rather than random or reactionary.
  • Consistency in Sales Execution Processes Deteriorating
    It’s challenging enough to get sales reps to stick to the processes and policies under normal market conditions. But when market conditions get a bit more sketchy, it seems that everyone involved…including managers and analysts…will begin to waffle and rationalize all sorts of deviations from the established procedures, policies, and rules. Here again, while some of these deviations might be valid and warranted, they shouldn’t be happening in an ad hoc or random fashion.
  • Deficiencies Developing in Lead Generation and Cultivation
    When lead generation and cultivation is outside the purview of Sales, it’s easy for qualitative and quantitative disconnects to develop. Staffing changes and turnover can lead to weak treatments and inconsistent execution. And on top of that, budgetary pressures can lead to poor investments and improper metrics. The bottom line is that you have to have your own set of lead generation indicators and be vigilant about staying on top of them!
  • Efforts To Identify Organic Growth Opportunities Losing Steam
    While many sales operations have begun to leverage whitespace analysis to identify untapped cross-sell and up-sell potential within existing accounts, the rigor and frequency of this analysis can fall off over time. As a result, the accuracy and timeliness of the findings can degrade, producing more and more false signals. And with more false signals, sales reps and managers can become complacent and less diligent about working the findings.
  • Value Messages Devolving Into Just Price and Availability
    Given the supply chain issues we’ve seen in almost every sector, it’s no surprise that price and availability are major concerns for almost every buyer. The problem is that many Sales and Marketing teams have begun to message as though price and availability are the ONLY concerns. No matter the market condition, differential value messages can positively influence buyers’ perceptions and preferences.

Keep in mind that these revenue leaks are by no means mutually exclusive. You can definitely be suffering from more than one at the same time. In fact, if you find that you have leaks in one area; the odds are pretty high that you’ve sprung some leaks in other areas as well, because the causal dynamics behind the leaks are all very similar.

Now, this article only touches on a sampling of the revenue leaks that may have sprung up in your business while you weren’t looking. It’s not intended to be a comprehensive list, as the particulars aren’t really the point.

The point is that with the way the markets have been, it’s a near certainty that at least some aspects of your sales operation have gotten sloppy…and it’s costing you. And while it’s not hard to fix these leaks, you do have to be deliberate about tracking them down.

Get Immediate Access To Everything In The SellingBrew Playbook

Related Resources

  • How to Tackle Trade Tariffs

    In this insightful conversation, Sean Arnold helps us sort through the issues and understand our options when addressing the latest addition to our list of challenges: trade tariffs.

    View This Interview
  • How to Maximize Cross-Selling and Up-Selling

    Effective cross-selling and up-selling requires operational solutions that only Sales Ops can deliver. In this on-demand webinar, learn how some innovative groups are making happen---efficiently, effectively, and very profitably

    View This Webinar
  • Designing Sales Comp Plans That Actually Work

    For driving salesperson behavior, your sales comp plan is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. But any incentive you offer can have disastrous unintended consequences. In this guide, learn about four pitfalls to avoid and ten things to consider when designing your comp plan.

    View This Guide
  • Four Ways to Get More Out of Sales Analytics

    Contrary to the hype, analytical toolsets don’t provide significant benefits right out-of-the-box. This video guide reveals powerful strategies for producing more meaningful results from your sales analytics efforts and investments.

    View This Guide