Improve: Adopt a consistent sales framework & methodology

You've identified that a sales framework and a consistent methdology would help scale growth but what should it consist of?

This article will guide you through some of the key considerations in designing, implementing and embedding a sales framework for your business.

What do you want to achieve?

Define clear objectives as this will shape your priorities and what a sales framework and methodology will look like. Common objectives include:

Scale growth faster
Improve forecasting accuracy
Create a common customer experience company-wide
Achieve more with the resources available

Where are you now?

Where are the significant gaps between where you are and where you want to be? This will determine your crawl-walk-run to maturity.

You may want to survey and consult with your sales team and wider organisation on where they see the challenges. (We can help with surveys and assessments if you need it).

Designing your sales framework

We see a sales framework as comprising a number of elements.

Framework structure

This is the 'what' to do - a way of creating consistency across the team. It should:

Map the customer buying journey
Align your sales stages to this journey
Define and operationalise the exit criteria to move from one stage to the next
Define the activities (e.g. account planning, demos, proposals, reference visits), resources (e.g. pre-sales, bid support) and collateral (e.g. case studies, battlecards, templates) that are available and the recommended times and ways to use them
Define the metrics you will use to measure your progress.

Critical to all this is to make it your own - the framework should work for you, not the other way round.

Sales methodology

This is the 'how'. It should provide the tools and associated skills to follow the framework. It embeds the language, models and definitions you'll use into your playbook.

It includes the knowledge and skills needed to follow the framework. Some are about using the tools and models you're adopting, for instance building and analysing a stakeholder map. Others are wider skills, like how to negotiate a win-win outcome.

All skills should align with your framework and your business ethos. A well-defined methodology will give you a robust, joined-up set of skills.

Supporting systems

This is about operationalising your sales. It can cover multiple areas but you don't need to address everything at once:

Integrate your framework into your CRM and other sales systems.
Align targets, commissions and incentives to reward the type of business you want to grow, particularly if it's harder than the 'bread and butter' business.
Define the reporting tools and measures that support the framework and what you're trying to achieve. Think about how you measure and report on opportunities as they progress through your forecast stages and how you support strategic deals and accounts
Define new handover processes with supporting business functions, such as Customer Success, Provisioning or Support.

Playbook

The playbook completes your framework by collating and underpinning your approach to create your ultimate guide.

Keep it simple

Your framework should be an enabler not an inhibitor to growth. It's not a prescriptive or rigid set of actions. Designed right, you can have a structure and skill set that gives you scale and consistency yet provides the freedom to flex to different customers' buying journeys and plays to the strengths, flair and personality of each individual salesperson.

Actions

Many companies do ask for external help to define the structure and then train and coach their teams. If you're ready for a conversation then please get in touch. We have a fast-track, well-tuned approach to tailoring and implementing frameworks and methodologies that really deliver for our clients.

If you're still working through your plans internally, our Strengthen guide will give you some more pointers to getting it right.