Here’s a common scenario for SMEs. You have a growing business, delivering value to your customers.When do you expand your team and invest in a specialist sales function?
There are common signals that show you are about to burst at the seams and that it’s time share the reins with a sales manager. Stop, think and take action when these three most common symptoms show themselves:
1. You are missing sales opportunities
You have a clear vision for your business and you know that there are untapped channels in the market and potential customers you could serve. You know because the enquiries are coming in and you can’t respond to them fast enough. You even think that some of the opportunities are bigger than your existing business, with better profit margins. You are so busy chasing your tail that you haven’t got the energy to decide what to do. Many businesses reach a ceiling because the owner refuses to take the leap of faith and relinquish the sales controls.
2. Customers are complaining
No matter how many hours you and the team put in, or how great your product or service quality is, your customers are complaining. You don’t answer your phone quickly enough; you don’t answer their emails. The order was late or it didn’t arrive. You didn’t call when you said you would. If these are valued customers, listen to the alarm bells. It’s time to get more resource into your business, because over-stretched customer management = unloved customers.
3. You don’t trust anybody else to do it
One of our clients is a driven and successful entrepreneur with a list of fantastic opportunities that he just can’t get to. He spends 75% of his time selling, and managing customer relationships. He has the opportunity to double his business and the funding to go ahead. He just needs to take the leap of faith and trust that somebody else can do it.
He needs to learn to delegate, not abdicate, which is what we are helping him with.
If your business is suffering from any, or all of these symptoms, it is time to grow your business and bring more people on board, to help you to grow, without losing any of your loyal customers. If you need help finding the right people for your growing business, contact us on 07740 290 506 or by clicking here.
A bit about Amanda at Sales Growth Expert
Sales GROWTH Expert provides sales strategy facilitation, sales leader mentoring, and sales leadership skills training, to businesses that are ready to grow.
Amanda’s aim is to support businesses, both small and large, to drive the value they bring to their customers, and the capability of their people to sustain it.
She has worked in, and with, businesses selling, biscuits, industrial cleaners, desserts, photocopiers, sandwiches, construction equipment, metals, beer, bus tickets and baby food. As a sales director, sales manager, and sales coach and trainer, she has learned, first hand that, unless the customer is totally confident that life will be better with your product or service, they will not buy, whatever the price.
She is married to a drummer, she has two daughters who sing and dance a lot, so there is always music in the house. She is a keen, if not proficient golfer and loves growing things ( as well as sales), especially vegetables. She is also a governor at a local primary school.