The job of a sales consultant can encompass many things, and the decision to hire a sales consultant is often wrestled with. As a business owner, you may know that your sales department needs help, but you aren’t sure what a sales consultant can do. Not only that but there are plenty of horror stories out there from businesses hiring a sales consultant who did little but cost money and time.
Should You Hire A Sales Consultant?
A qualified sales consultant can make a significant difference if your team is struggling. While some companies hire full-time sales consultants who remain with the company and perhaps act in a management role, others temporarily hire sales consultants or sales coaches for specific purposes.
Some examples of these purposes may be to help new sales team members learn the ropes or to help with new software, such as Salesforce.
Still, others may be called upon to coach a struggling team through a dry spell. If your sales team is not progressing, if sales have stalled and morale is low, a sales coach or consultant can help get things moving again.
What Does A Consultant Do?
In this case, an outside consultant or coach will come in and evaluate your team to identify problems in the sales process. Maybe your team isn’t getting leads or closing sales. Underperforming sales reps may be evaluated and coached to improve technique or increase confidence.
Sometimes, a consultant will come in temporarily and set up a new system. You must choose a consultant or coach who doesn’t just breeze through and make a bunch of difficult changes to implement or follow through with. One complaint many sales managers have with sales consultants is that they don’t have a lasting impact. A consultant needs to be around long enough to ensure that their methods are fully understood and that the sales team can integrate them into their daily routine.
A combination of group and one-on-one coaching is a good idea. It is essential to ensure that each salesperson can maintain their responsibilities and pull their weight. This includes being able to generate leads via cold-calling and pounding the pavement, being able to follow through on leads, and being able to close deals and maintain customer satisfaction.
Every salesperson is different and has different strengths and weaknesses. Some are better at cold-calling, some at building rapport, and some at damage control. It is important that each member of the team build on those strengths and improve weak areas. Hiring an outside sales coach can make this happen.
I am excited to discuss your goals and challenges to fast-track your success. Book time on my calendar today. You can call me at (916) 765-2596 or email jpyron@johnpyron.com.
