Sales is an all-inclusive, company-wide effort. Anyone having direct or indirect contact with the customer influences the customer’s buying experience. Failure to demonstrate value in virtually any area of the company can cause the customer to head in another direction. Departments such as accounts receivable, reception or even transportation (drivers) play a bigger role than many companies realize. Direct contact positions such as project management and estimating can acutely affect the customer experience. In construction, so much of the focus is on the project itself. The scope, schedule and costs are at the forefront. What can be lost in the details is what the customer is feeling throughout the project. Not having the sales skills to handle customer personnel may mean the company’s front-end sales efforts have been in vain, and prolong the endless cycle of having to be low bidder. That’s if the relationship isn’t damaged to the point of elimination from the bid list.
Taking the time to train all company personnel in relation to their role in the sales process accomplishes at least three key objectives:
- Creates a Company Sales Culture – Many companies sell but few have an actual sales culture. A company-wide sales culture is an understanding that sales are the most important aspect of any business. Cultivating and protecting customer relations is a top priority. The desire to meet and exceed customer expectations permeates all departments and personnel. This ensures the customer will feel well served and appreciated. All staff responsibilities are measured against the ultimate impact on the sales experience each and every customer has.
- Breeds a Unified Team – If everyone is pointed in the same sales direction with the same sales focus, a sense of achieving a common goal is realized. Staff members hold each other accountable and encourage one another. Sales and administrative personnel respect each other’s role. Employees become more supportive of each member’s role, knowing the sales success of the company is at stake. Understanding this affects everyone’s financial position.
- Instills Customer Confidence – Customers notice the sales cohesiveness of the company and feel they are being taken care of. Though basic in nature, trust and security are a big part of the sales experience. The more consistent the communication is company-wide, the more secure the customer base will remain. Customers entrust the company with their projects and funding. Consistency is the core of sales trust.
The strength of a company’s overall sales effort can make the difference between strong and weak profitability, growing and flat revenue and large or small market share. These are the drivers of business success. Having an entire company that understands the critical nature of sales and respects the role each person plays is exceptional. I rarely see it in my travels, but I have witnessed it in the construction industry. Contractors who engage in these practices reach high levels of sales success. Many achieve it for generations. An authentic sales culture becomes more than just the company culture; it establishes a firm’s corporate identity. This becomes the company to beat, the contractor no one wants to bid against. When that company is spotted on a bid list, competitors drop off and choose not to bid. These are the elite contractors. Sales excellence permeates project performance, estimating and vendor relations. It is not a stretch to link a strong sales culture to virtually every aspect of the business.
Finally, a strong sales culture can drastically influence your marketing results. Marketing in itself cannot become a sales effort. However, a marketing message embraced by a staff well trained and educated on the importance of sales goes a long way. Employees reinforce that marketing message when speaking with customers and even go out of their way to communicate it and this can magnify the overall marketing campaign, gaining greater reach and penetration for the firm. The thought that your marketing isn’t working because your internal staff doesn’t perceive the sales value is a foreign concept to most contractors. It would be like working for Apple, supporting Apple’s marketing campaign but buying a Samsung for your personal use. That one sale makes a difference, small but real. A staff that understands the importance of each customer – and even more so, each sale – will embrace the marketing message.
Making sure team members are aware of the role each plays in the sales process is an indicator of a company with a mature sales culture. Most will think it’s trivial and do nothing to improve the climate. They’ll continue to irritate the customer base and wonder why they have to fight for every project, often placing the blame on the customer. It’s not that they don’t want results; they simply won’t invest the time or resources for the training. Those companies that do will create an edge very few will be able to compete against.
Tom Woodcock, president, seal the deal, is a speaker and trainer for the construction industry nationwide and is author of “You’re Not Sellin’, They’re Buyin’!” He can be reached through his website, www.tomwoodcocksealthedeal.com or at 314-775-9217.
