Sales is often seen as an individual sport, so to speak. Sales people often work remotely and when not in the office, they are in the field making sales calls. It requires a high degree of independence, judgment and initiative. But the most successful sales people are not an island unto themselves, they are team players who leverage their resources wisely and effectively.
Contrary to popular opinion sometimes the most effective person in a sales call is not the sales rep. They are engineers, IT specialists, operations personnel, customer service representatives, etc. who directly support selling and retention activities. Great sales people augment their selling by matching subject matter experts to client expertise and needs.
In complex sales initiatives, vendor capabilities are scrutinized as much as the general product or service offerings. Clients look at how well an organization will respond to their implementation and execution needs; customization, customer support, organizational responsiveness, IT integration, legal issues, etc. They expect complex answers to complex questions and tend to relate better to the subject matter expert, not the sales rep.
An ineffective implementation can risk a sale. When developing client solutions, I encourage my employees to bring the appropriate staff to client meetings—increasing collaboration with their respective counterparts. Obstacles that once seemed impossible become viable opportunities with the right people in the room. I always say that the hard part of the sale is at its conclusion, the work that occurs after the sale. By engaging the right resources, you will improve the success of the implementation and execution.
With the right internal sales support, you create greater value at higher profits, building custom solutions that your competitors didn’t anticipate and can’t easily duplicate.
