Questions to ask when your sales team misses their targets

In 2008, 58.5% of sales people across North America achieved their sales quota, leaving 41.5% that didn’t make the grade (source: 2005-2009 CSO Insights Reports). And while every sales person should be personally accountable for the achievement of their quota, it is naive not to consider the organizational factors that contribute to the underperformance and resulting turnover (22.5% according to the 2009 CSO Insights Reports).

Do your sales people know what to sell? Do your sales people know how to sell it? Do your sales people understand their target marketplace and are they experts in the business represented by the vertical markets they serve?

Knowing how to sell a product or service isn’t as simple as understanding the product data sheets, but rather it’s understanding the true value proposition of the product or service. How does the product or service materially affect their client's business? What are the quantifiable examples where your clients have received material benefit from the use of your product and service? Do your sales people have access to and fluency with these examples?

What has your marketing department provided in terms of competitive information? What are your competitors' go-to-market strategies? What are their competing value propositions? What is their differentiated value for winning deals?

Are you coaching the right segment of your sales staff? 20% of your sales staff, your top performers, are typically driving over 60% of your revenue. What tools do they have at their disposal to drive additional revenue? Does it make sense to top grade your sales team and re-invest your resources in sales support (administrative or inside sales capabilities) to assist your top performers?

These are just a few considerations that must be made in pursuit of achieving your revenue targets, lowering your turnover rate and ultimately building a high performance sales team.