Mistakes To Avoid When Building Your Sales Team

By Alex Rogers, CEO, CharTec

How long have you kept your salesperson without closing any deals? 6 months? 9 months? A year?

At every CharTec Academy, I ask technology business owners this same question and get the same answer. Allowing salespeople to drag on with excuses and promises is the norm for technology companies. Owners get caught up in the money. They’ve put a lot of time and resources into this person and struggle with starting over from scratch. What if they turn everything around next month and start to deliver? What if you miss out on a good thing? Unfortunately, ‘what if’ will never turn your sales dud into a sales stud, especially if you make one of these fatal mistakes.

Putting An Incompatible Employee In The Wrong Seat
One of the biggest mistakes owners make is assuming that just because someone is a good technician, account manager, dispatcher, or some other role at the company, they can sell, too. However, the reasons they excel at their current job are precisely the reasons they won’t be good at sales.

Technicians are motivated by solving problems, not bringing money to the bottom line. Account managers and dispatchers are responsible for cultivating strong relationships with current customers, so transitioning an account manager or dispatcher to sales will result in golf outings, martinis, and no signed deals.

Before you play a round of musical chairs with your current employees, have your staff take the DISC or a similar assessment. This can help you determine where an employee will shine.

Demanding A Technology Background
We routinely review job ads from frustrated MSPs that have spent months looking for a salesperson without any luck. Often, they require some technology background. On the surface, this makes sense. Someone who has already sold technology should be capable of selling managed services.

For years, though, technology has been sold solutions-first. Salespeople blather on about tech specs and what the technology can do for its user. This is not the way to sell technology services. Instead, you must focus on the problem. Ask questions to seek an understanding and then engineer a ‘customized’ solution.

It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, so it’s time to loosen up on that technology background requirement.

Not Being Prepared
The worst thing you can do for a new salesperson is say, “Great! Here’s your desk and a phonebook! Start selling!” while fully expecting them to understand (or develop for themselves) your sales process, pricing structure, and solution set.

It is your responsibility as a business owner to be fully prepared for your new hires so you can effectively train them. Every salesperson we bring on board at our MSP, ARRC Technology, or for our CharTec Members goes through a rigorous training program ranging from 30 to 90 days. During this time, they have no access to prospects or existing clients. Their goal is to learn as much as they can about the company and fully immerse themselves in the process through roleplay. We are on the lookout for red flags that may indicate shortcomings, as well as strong potential for success. This allows them to fail fast and quickly so we can move on, or to efficiently develop into a sales superstar.

Put Your Resources To Work
Bringing on a salesperson is an expensive endeavor. Don’t make it worse by keeping a non-producer just because you feel bad about letting them go or because you don’t really know what a successful salesperson looks like. Avoid these fatal mistakes to help ensure your next salesperson brings you the results you’ve always wanted.

CharTec
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info@chartec.net
www.chartec.net