by Colleen McCarty, VP Talent & Organization Development

Whether you engage a firm like Initial Call or hire a new employee to do sales prospecting, you need to be able to assess how they are doing. Selecting the right firm or person is a challenge, because a complex sale generally requires a more sophisticated individual who can operate without a lot of direction and handholding. A “smile and dial” approach will not succeed here.

In making your final selection you might have relied on past successes, personality, or experience in your area of expertise. But now you are wondering, “How will I know if they are on track for success?” Since it is unlikely that the individual will generate sales appointments during his/her first day of work, how can you tell if your hiring decision was a solid one? Ask yourself these five questions.

First, are they communicating understanding effectively? Are they asking questions to indicate they understand the message? Can they articulate the nuances of your product’s significance? Can they readily identify the potential pain points in a Prospect’s vague response? To assess this, our Project Managers commonly request a voice mail from their Sales Managers, as if they are the Prospect. 

A recent example within Initial Call involves Cindy, a Sales Manager, and her Initial Call Project Manager. Upon hearing the message from Cindy, her Project Manager knew she had grasped the key concepts but also heard a unique, and effective, twist on the message which was shared with the rest of the team. Even before appointments are scheduled you can know your team is on the right track by verifying their approach.

Second, are they respecting your processes? Are they navigating your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database, using fields correctly, and inputting notes that your sales people can work with? Every company has different documentation requirements and workflow protocols. Are they fitting in with the culture in your organization? There are lots of right ways to do things, but not when you are working with a CRM, multiple salespeople, and a high volume of appointments. We've all heard “garbage in, garbage out,” but the situation is more complicated than that. CRMs require consistency; putting the right data in the wrong place causes reporting problems. 

Initial Call’s Project Managers understand this and seek to eliminate the problem. For example, Tammy, a Project Manager, works closely with each of her Clients to understand how they are using their CRM. She then trains her Sales Managers to ensure that they follow the Client’s protocol. The result is maximum value and minimal frustration for the Client.

Third, are they penetrating the list strategically? Calling approaches vary. Sometimes it is smarter to quickly touch each contact and then circle back to further validate a Prospect’s interest. Some Sales Managers use this approach to identify the low hanging fruit. Other times it makes sense to be more methodical, to nurture contacts. Does your sales person instinctively know what approach is best for your organization right now? Are they asking you for clarification rather than assuming you will tell them what to do each and every time? 

Sales Manager, Carrie, received a vetted list of over 5,000 companies from the Client. Within her first hour of calling, Carrie realized she would not meet the Client's goals if she did not prioritize the list. She called her Project Manager to confirm her assessment and, with approval, postponed calling the smaller organizations to focus on locations that would yield better results.Carrie’s Project Manager spent the next several hours retooling the list to maximize the entire team’s calling efforts.

Fourth, are they getting close to securing a meeting?Can your sales person name specific people at target accounts with whom they are building relationships? If they give you a vague answer such as “I’m making headway on a few” without further details, you should be skeptical. Take notice whether the anticipated appointments begin to appear on the calendar. Be concerned if you are repeatedly pacified with potential appointments that never materialize.

Sandy, a Sales Manager, joined an existing team and grasped the messaging quickly. Because of this, her Project Manager was surprised when Sandy's early hours did not yield appointments.The Project Manager called Sandy to discuss her most likely Prospects. Sandy shared qualification details on several Prospects that assured the Project Manager she was having meaningful conversations. Within days, Sandy closed two of her top three Prospects by setting qualified sales appointments.

Fifth, and finally, are appointments booked and held?Your resource’s appointments should be on track and match the qualifications you outlined. When your staff makes the sales calls that have been arranged by your sales person, your potential Clients must be well informed as to the nature of your call and not surprised by your agenda for the meeting. Over time, these meetings will turn into sales activity in your pipeline.

Our favorite kind of feedback is hearing Clients praise our Sales Managers. Even our Client’s Prospects comment favorably on interactions with our Sales Managers. Recently our Sales Manager, Ron, was complimented for his persistence and knowledge of the Prospect’s pain points.  The Prospect went on to say that he would now consider the Client’s solution because of the conversation he had with Ron.

Your “fail tolerance” on any one of these elements may vary, but these key test points give you concrete ways to measure success before any financial ROI becomes evident.