You cannot be one without the other. Regardless of the type of firm you run, it’s all about sales. All businesses, no matter what, sell something–from widgets to opinions– and everything in between. No sales, no profits; simple as that.
Selling is your most critical daily function. Support you sales people. They are often the sneered at by the rest of the firm as a bunch of good time party people who are out playing golf. In any sales cycle, someone somewhere meets face to face with a client, shakes hands and makes a deal. You must lead that effort. By doing so you make the firm understand without orders coming in and product moving out, there is no firm.
Be confidant in the power of your title as a door opener. You will be happy to see any CEO that calls on you with a new product. He’s a kindred spirit and you may learn something.
Lead by example. Control sales expense. When you fly somewhere for a sales call, make sure you have as many other calls arranged as time permits.
Always remind your sales team you want to call on the tough prospects, not the easy ones. Even if you’re not successful, they’ll be impressed.
Don’t go solo. Always take a salesperson with you on a sales call. you’ll teach them, impress them, get to know them, and have someone drive the rental car. If nothing else, they will return to the office and brag about being with the boss, especially if you fly in coach with them. ( never, ever, fly in the front with them in the back)
You want to increase your compensation? Encourage any and all your sales people to make more than you make. (Don’t laugh, they all know how much you make.) The resulting revenue growth floats all boats. If you have capped their sales compensation, be prepared for slow revenue growth or be prepared to hire a lot more salespeople.
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