Say Hello to Accountability Baby!
One of the benefits of the current generation of revenue related technologies is the potential for them to drive accountability in sales, reps, managers, organizations. Right from marketing automation to fulfillment tools, data is available in greater detail than ever.
Along with the data, you get visibility, and assuming that the data is used for coaching as opposed to strictly reporting, it serves a number of benefits.
For those that can get past the question of “is the data excellent or not”, and focus more on what the data says about the execution of your sales process, and used as an instrument of change, these tools can fantastic for improving execution.
Reps cannot only take an active role in analyzing and understanding their game, but taking an active role in improving their game. Reps need no longer wait for a team wide initiative, or their managers’ prodding, they can use the output from the tools to evolve their sales abilities.
It must also be remembered that accountability is a multiple-lane highway, which requires that the manager be accountable to the reps; makes marketing accountable to sales; sales accountable to ops; sales leadership to front line managers, and so on. Managers can only demand accountability from their reps, if they show themselves to be accountable.
It is all well and excellent to set expectations with you reps, but a sales manager is also accountable to ensuring that the rep has the means and develops the skills needed to deliver what is expected of them. By delivering on this, Managers can greatly encourage accountability on the part of the rep. But, there are still many Managers who lay down the law and then manage from their office behind a desk, rather than chief from the front. As a coach they can demonstrate first hand that they are expecting nothing uncommon from their teams, than they as leaders are willing to take on, one key business being accountability.
As companies become more confident that the recovery is truly underway, they will look for people to lead them back to a clear course, one key element that will help determine their success is the level of accountability ALL players in the revenue drama are willing to embrace and deliver.