If you are in sales, then this article is not for you. And by the way, I'm with you in
that excluded group. Yet, this is about sales. Confusion on my part? Hardly. Let's
just identify ourselves as the 12% team that wished we were the battle-chargers
of the 100% team, more potent and insurmountable to our competitors and
more valuable to our customers.
So here is to the rest of you - the non-sales group. I don't care what profession
you are in - law, medicine, government, etc. - it doesn't matter. Without one
critical element you don't even exist as a business. That's right, sales. Statistically,
12% of companies are classified as the sales department. 100% of 12% is 12%.
Not much strength there in those numbers - at least not what it could be. But
that is how most companies operate. So what's the solution? Hiring more
salespeople to up the percentage? Possibly, but probably also not necessary. But
as the saying goes, sales is a numbers game. The greater the numbers the greater
the sales. Common sense dictates that that applies to the salesperson's outside
efforts in the search for adding more customers. Where is that numbers
mentality as it applies to the inside-the-company efforts? Sorely lacking, that's
where. So how do we get there? We'll answer that in a moment.
Recognized as the "Inventor of Modern Management," Peter Drucker's greatest contribution to business was his mind-set, not methodologies. It always
represented intuitive counter-intuitiveness. And it is mind-set that has gotten
many businesses in the fix that they are now in. Need I mention GM for example?
In his 1954 watershed book The Practice of Management, he stated "There is
only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer." He was also
of the mind-set that in business there are no such things as "profit centers", only
cost centers. Sprinkling this commentary with these business realities of his, I
pose the question: If everything inside the company is a cost center, of which an
expected greater-than return on investment is required then to be profitable,
how can companies best exploit optimizing sales?
That's where the 88% team comes in. Now, I'm not dismissing the need to
strengthen the 12% of your company that represents the silo of sales, through
hiring people with better character along with regular and intensive training to
name a few techniques. But what I AM saying is why not focus on the 88% of the
company who most likely have the mind-set that they are NOT in sales and
therefore disregard it or superficially tolerate it, and work toward converting their mind-set into more of a true sales mentality and focus, thus energy, and get
more of that sought after return-on-investment from them as an existing cost
center to generate more sales? Put another way, let's look at simple math.
Realizing that accounting, marketing, HR, operations, etc. do have specific tasks
to perform, what if we could extract 10% of their energies in the direction of
sales efforts, be they direct or indirect? 10% of 88% is 8.8%, which added to your
existing 12% of salespeople serves to nearly double your sales efforts in the
aggregate to almost 21% of the company. And which group out of this 88% is a
chief area to extract this out of? Clearly it is all executives, apart from the sales
executives. They are the most insulated from the market (despite their claims to
the contrary while they work their numbers to give the illusion of customer-
connectedness).
Drucker would be most complimentary toward Tesco PLC, the UK company who
best exemplifies extracting sales momentum, thus revenue, out of all of the
employees, including the CEO. By the way, Tesco is the world's fourth-largest
retail chain after Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and France's Carrefour Group. In the
early '90's they were a second-rate company annually losing 1-2% market share,
with a lousy reputation regarding customer service. And then, the CEO took a
different approach and engaged the entire company in a total reorientation and
purpose, engaging therefore that 88% that I have been writing about. In their
headquarters’ is a plaque that reads CREATE VALUE FOR CUSTOMERS TO EARN
THEIR LIFETIME LOYALTY. This company-wide mind-set reinforces their mission to
"understand customers better than anyone." Today, with over 30% of the grocery
market, their efforts of company-wide customer-focused incremental changes
speak for themselves. The CEO himself regularly works a cash register at various
stores by the way - for an entire week!
In all of my sales coaching that I have done, none has been more rewarding than
working with that "88% Team" to (1) substantially enhance the customer value
proposition, (2) enliven the organization, and (3) to go back to my opening
statement adding sales effort percentage points to that 12% Team. Let me know
how I can address this 88% Team in your company by writing me at
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Muhney is the co-inventor of ACT! Contact Software, the recognized catalyst for the Customer Relationship Management industry. He is passionate about sharing unique insights with participants and helping others build and enhance their relationships, their networks, and even their careers. Mike is a recognized expert in the field of relationship management, entrepreneurship, and software development. He began his career as an IBM-trained sales professional, and there learned the value of establishing genuine connections with others.
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