Sally Steiner, VP of Sales, is exhausted. Her sales team is driving her nuts, prospects don’t respond, and her boss is anxious for new sales. What can Sally change to overcome her exhaustion?
How do I Know if I have Follow Up Fatigue?
Follow Up Fatigue (FUF) sneaks up on us. It is caused by:
- Pursuing the wrong leads.
- Lack of communication between sales reps and sales managers.
- Trying to reach out to everyone you meet with the same effort level.
Sally Steiner knew there was a problem when:
- She no longer wanted to attend networking functions.
- Sales meetings were inefficient.
- Follow-up was intense but not focused.
Sally was concerned that her frustrations were impacting her personal life. She went to her boss, and they attacked the problem.
Sales Analysis
Fran Boss, the company owner, was pleased that Sally came forward. They reviewed recent sales and saw:
- 80% of sales came from 3 submarkets.
- Sales reps spent too much time in areas that produced limited results.
- Sales meetings were unproductive as too much time was spent on updates.
- Follow-up was completely manual and equal time was spent on all prospects.
Sally and Fran created a new sales plan in response.
Engaging the Sales Team
Sally and Fran agreed that success depended on getting the team on board. The team decided to:
- Shift from covering 8 submarkets to 4 submarkets.
- Create a sales funnel where each Rep tracks its prospects.
- Rank each prospect from A to D and follow up personally with the “A and B prospects.”
- Create monthly marketing campaigns to stay in touch with all prospects.
Sally and Fran were excited.
Words are Great but Actions are Better
Sally knew that implementation was on her. She spoke with several marketing consultants who said the same thing – “Get a CRM that helps you rank, track, and reach out automatically to prospects.”
Use your CRM’s Power from “Womb to Tomb,” said the consultants. The team created a set of standards to follow:
- Reps focus 90% of their time on 4 submarkets.
- Each rep enters a prospect and gives an initial ranking which can change.
- Reps are responsible for updating the sales funnel at least weekly.
Sales meetings changed completely. Now, reps talk about how to close their “A and B prospects” with insights from the team. Meetings are half as long and Sally is current on all prospects.
CRM Power
The company’s CRM allows the team to rank, track, and reach out to prospects easily. Immediately, they saw their CRM’s benefits:
- Sales increased in each of their 4 submarkets.
- Reps engage with their “A and B” prospects more frequently.
- Sally and Fran touch the clients more frequently.
- Sales meetings generate ideas for the future rather than reporting on the past.
Sally knew that she had done the right thing as everyone felt less uptight.
Not sure if you need a CRM or which one to get?
Set up a Meeting so we can share ideas.
