Telling All the Truth Series 7 | The Myth of Sales as Numero Uno

Nov 13

So many companies and organizations operate on the premise that increasing sales is the most important thing. So many resources are invested in sales training, studying sales cycles, and sales technologies. These are, in and of themselves, not a bad thing, and having a good sales strategy is important. But we forget that the transactional element of a sale—someone buys what you have to offer—is the last thing that happens in the long line of things that happen in a business. Sales are a result of all the other things. You get results (sales, productivity, encounters, memberships, or however you measure your success) when you’ve done everything along the path. The bottom line is at the bottom.

Not too long ago, I got excited to write a new book with the working title of “Why Performance Management is Sexier Than Sales.” No one (maybe one other person) was excited about this topic except for me. Why? Well, first, the term “performance management” is outdated; we coach performance and mentor our team members these days.

Okay. It’s still sexier than sales, right? Nope. Companies will spend more on sales training and a sales speaker than anything else. Even without clear performance expectations (see my article for August 2023 here ), almost everything in an organization can go terribly wrong. Mostly, the message is: please sell more. Now.

Here’s the truth:

Sales are the consequence of clarity, action, alignment, resources, effort, and praise. And all those things are part of your organizational culture and infrastructure.

Let’s take a look:

Clarity: if you want results, you must be clear about the goal and the path. These are, frankly, the only two arguments going on in the organization: where are we going, and how are we getting there? Being clear about what you want, what success looks like, and perhaps most importantly, how to be excellent will create a clearer vision for those results to occur. Specificity. Specificity. Specificity. Say it four times, fast, then get down to the details.

Action: the actions needed aren’t just about people getting things done. They are about people getting the right things done. There’s a fine line here, but mostly, when we aren’t clear (see above), we spend a lot of wasted time processing, talking, and discussing what should be done, and we don’t take clear, purposeful action. Take the next, first step.

Alignment: Everyone in the organization should have a clear line of sight to the mission and vision. Every single person should know exactly how and why their particular job and tasks are contributing to something greater, some inspiring purpose beyond just that task or action. Leaders are in the work of calibrating, reminding, and aligning every day. Not because people forget or don’t get it, but because they aren’t responsible for holding the big vision, you are. They can help each other, which is great because that means you have multiple layers of alignment, which gets you better results more quickly.

Resources: where are you investing your time, energy, and money? Yes, it is important to invest in your people, so don’t cut training and travel (the cliché expense cuts when funds are tight), and pay the best wages and benefits you can, but remember, money is not the number one reason they might stay—it’s the relationship with their immediate supervisor. That is your biggest leverage and should be your biggest investment. Invest in a culture that supports the highest levels of performance. If you’re unsure what that is, seek an expert to help you assess and prioritize the best place to invest in your organization.

Effort: model, reward, and emphasize the actions and behaviors you want to see. How do you want to see people expend their energy to support the kinds of relationships that engender a sales commitment? A transactional sales relationship takes more time and energy to sustain; you want long-term relationships and “customers for life.” (check out Robbie Baxter’s The Forever Transaction) Strong effort well placed is a strategy. When done correctly, you will get results and not have a burned-out, disengaged team.

Praise: It’s a myth that good salespeople are only motivated by money. Lots are motivated by their notion of excellence, healthy competitiveness, winning, and other measurements. Praise and recognition need to be part of the whole organizational culture. It’s important to celebrate non-sales wins as much as the obvious sales wins. What are you measuring and recognizing? Those things get repeated and reinforced.

We want everyone to see how they are a part of the organization’s success, whether they make a ‘sale’ or an ‘encounter.’ I always tell my healthcare organizations that the sweet spot they are all working towards is the highest quality interaction between the patient and provider; the sweet spot for educational institutions is the highest quality learning between the faculty and students. Everyone works for this; everyone contributes to its success. We don’t want the doctors mowing the grass or making sure the signage is correct; we don’t want the CFO in charge of marketing. Each role makes the sale. The bottom line, however you measure it, is at the bottom.

Miss the first six articles in this series? Catch up here…

Telling All the Truth: A Series

Telling All the Truth Series 2 | People Can Change

Telling All the Truth Series 3 | Mending What’s Broken

Telling All the Truth Series 4 | Performance: You’re Doing it Wrong

Telling All the Truth Series 5 | Culture Change: What’s the Buzz?’

Telling All the Truth Series 6 | The Myths of Vision and Mission

Learn more about the topics discussed in the Telling All the Truth Series…

Check out the following recommended Influencing Option Leadership programs: