WTFun are you talking about? I know… they don’t seem to go together except both create panic, and you can’t see either one.
Some of you may remember the old black-and-white westerns we got to watch with our siblings and maybe our parents in the 70s. Many Westerns were black and white, and many TVs were still black and white in the early 70s. And yes, we had 3 channels and had to get up off the couch to change the channels. OK, I’ve probably lost most of the readers by now. However, if you can relate, you are likely old enough and wise enough and have made enough mistakes to be a strong business leader. Sorry, I digressed. In these old Westerns, many were about the frontier wagon trains crossing a dangerous mountain pass. The weary travelers had to deal with the unknown.
I always remember this one scene where a woman is running to the rear of the wagon train, hollering Cholera! Cholera! Cholera! She was warning the pilgrimage to stop moving forward for fear all would die of Cholera. Of course, back then, this was real. Cholera was a death sentence. Most don’t know about that and many other common bacteria that KILLED them, but these health outbreaks are almost non-existent due to medical advancements. (OK, you got me, as you probably just thought of ‘th VID). We are going to skip that electrifying topic altogether here.
However, one could argue that the hysteria and confusion of both Cholera and ‘the Vid’ are based on misinformation. Cholera is not airborne. But back in the new frontier, it was considered airborne and highly contagious. Of course, 75 years later, we know the root cause was ingested bacteria in the food or water. We’ll leave you to your research and beliefs about ‘th Vid’. (Que – MC Hammer, “Can’t touch this.” …in today’s politically charged climate).
If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, there seem to be a lot of headlines about sinkholes. Some due to broken municipal underground pipes. Others are due to eroding limestone and sandstone structures no longer supported by the underground aquifers. As water is drawn down either by natural or man-made causes, the structure no longer supports the land on top.
Both Cholera and sinkholes are blind spots that cause tragic results. In sales organizations, there are just as many blind spots as bacteria-generated illnesses and unforeseen sinkholes causing tragic results. Let’s test this theory with a few questions and one assumption.
- Assumption:
- You identified sales need to meet your expectations.
- One or more of the below did not move the needle.
- Questions.
- You installed a CRM with pipeline forecasting, but you still discount the forecast the same.
- You modified the comp. plan and motivation didn’t improve.
- You fired the VP and hired a new one, but the problems persisted.
- You invested heavily into a marketing program and got more leads but no significant increase in new logos.
- You spent money on sales training, but the outcome was lip service.
- You spent money on recruiters but got the same people with different faces.
- You rallied your sales managers, but growth did not take place.
- You modified your offerings and created more value, but you did not see an increase in business.
- Your pipeline is still bloated.
- Your team is still making excuses.
If you answered yes to any of the above, tread lightly; you are on top of a sinkhole. Want specific, actionable answers with a foolproof plan and a field general to cause the right change, in the right order, to fix this once and for all? Give me a call. Let’s talk for 15 minutes and see if you want to spend another hour together.
Wanna look under the hood before you commit to 15 minutes? Click here: http://stats.objectivemanagement.com/41