How to create sales excellence and implement strategy - Mercuri International

Copyright © Mercuri International
The Global Sales
Excellence Survey
Powerful and practical
insight from the world’s
best performing companies
Taking Sales to a Higher Level
Established in 1960, 15,000 client cases, 250,000 participants per year, 60 + sectors
Matthew Everitt
Mercuri International
+44 7572 343 341, matthew-everitt@mercuri.co.uk

The Global Sales Excellence Survey
What are the differences between higher, middle and lower
performing companies?
What are the sales excellence factors that the better
performing companies concentrate on?

926 responses
500 global small, medium
and large enterprises
53 statements
concerning sales practices
High, medium and low
performers / comparison
Banking, Finance & Insurance
Chemical
Construction
Consumer Goods, Retail
Logistics & Automotive
Manufacturing, Industry
Pharma & Medical Devices
Software, IT
Telecommunications
Utilities

926
responses

Sales Excellence and Strategy
Implementation ‘Health Check’*
*You have this self- assessment
to complete yourself
with this insight document

The Top 10 Drivers for Sales Excellence
1. The image of ‘sales’ inside the
company is Excellent
2. The corporate structure fully supports sales
through cross functional approaches from
different departments (e.g. matrix structures)

Non-aligned KPIs
Fault lines between
departments Sales HRProductionIT Logistics Finance
What Makes Sales Excellence Harder?
Culture Clash!
Mergers,
Acquisitions
Different Offices
SALES IT PRODUCTION QUALITY LOGISTICS FINANCE
SALES IT PRODUCTION QUALITY LOGISTICS FINANCE

3. The overall sales strategy is
clearly defined
4. The sales strategy is fully
documented in writing
5. Specific sales topics within
the corporate strategy
are defined explicitly

PROBLEM!
Only 20% of
companies’ strategies
are understood on a
day to day basis
by the front line (and
customer facing) staff
Mercuri Research;
Comprehension & Retention

60% under perform
40% over perform
PROBLEM!
12% of
sales people
make 50% of
total results
% of Sales Team
Research:
Performance against objectives+
-
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Poor Strategy Implementation;
Performance Variance

PROBLEM!
Line Managers can
‘dampen the pendulum’
Mercuri Research;
‘Strategy Leakage’

Market Situation?
Current
Results
Current
Customer
Portfolio
Current Sales
& Service
Activities
Current Sales
& Service
Competencies
Future
Customer
Portfolio
Future Sales
& Service
Activities
Future Sales
& Service
Competencies
Market Strategy?
Problem Solved!
How to improve Strategy Implementation
Future
Results

6. A blended
approach is used
when developing
the competence
of sales staff
i.e. e-learning or virtual learning
combined with coaching and face to
face training

Mercuri research
Only 17%
PROBLEM!
Only 17% of a sales organisation’s time
is spent on direct customer work

Problem Solved!
The only three sales factors
we can influence
1. Quantity,
2. Direction
3. and Quality
of Sales Activity

7. A detailed description of the steps of the sales
process is documented in written form
8. Each step of the sales process has defined
training modules, checklists and supporting
instruments and tools

Problem Solved!
Sales Process Excellence; DAPA
D
A
P
A
efinition of the customer’s requirements
cceptance of the requirements by the customer
roof that we can fulfil the customer’s requirements
cceptance of the proof by the customer

Working Platform
Activity working
on ‘live’ opportunities
not yet converted
Market Platform
Activity to identify and
activate potential
opportunities
Buying Platform
Activity on converted opportunities
designed to maintain and grow
Problem Solved!
Sales Process Excellence:
The Sales Platform Model
New
Customer
Selection?
Approach?Sales process?
Account
Growth?
Conversion
of sales?
Brick-Walling?

9. Each member of the sales team has a
systematic account management planning
process for each of their customers

88
499
57
644
16
222
44
282
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
No
Yes
You need an exclusive sales force
for Key Customers
Do you have a
dedicated sales
force for Key
Customers?
Top Sales
Companies
Middle AllBottom

10. CRM tools are an integral part of the company,
populated with relevant information and
regularly updated by sales teams

You need to actively enable tech tools
Instant Market Data and Customer News
(Providing ‘compelling events’ to create potential
sales opportunities)
Instant Sales Leads issued
immediately in ‘real-time’

53
318 44 415
40
245
23
308
11
158
34
203
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
never
each 2-4 years
annually
How often do you
invest in Customer
Satisfaction Survey?
Middle AllBottom
You need to regularly seek feedback via
Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Top Sales
Companies

You need to continuously improve
every ‘Moment of Truth’

A short story by way of example
• SAS - Scandinavian Airline System
(National airline of Denmark, Norway & Sweden)
• 1981 Appointed New CEO – Jan Carlzon.
• 1980 Losing $17m per year
• Reputation for being ‘always late’
• Ranked no.14 out of 17 airlines in Europe
• Very centralised company to the detriment of customers,
shareholders and staff.

‘Moments of Truth’
“A ‘moment of truth’
is an episode in which a customer comes into contact
with any aspect of the company, however remote,
and thereby, has an opportunity
to form an impression’’.
Jan Carlzon – President, Scandinavian Airline Systems

What Jan did next……
• He spent 6 months working through each and
every role in the organisation
• Jan appointed a Board Director to each department
and demanded the great ideas were turned into
action and implemented as new SAS processes
• He actively requested ideas from each person
• Ideas that were customer focused and did not
rely on $millions of investment
• The teams had many great ideas, improving
the customer experience, breaking down silos,
boosting teamship and morale

The Result?
And now?
A $54m
profit
last year
• Survival!
• Happier customers
• Happier staff
• Profitability
• Growth
• Longevity

Customer service doesn’t work without internal service.
Service America
Improving Our ‘Moments of Truth’External is connected to Internal

In a nutshell!
Sales Excellence
should include
everyone, in every
way, everyday….
In a planned way.

ACTION PLANNING
Ready?
Complete your
self-assessment

Thank You
How can we help you
to achieve more?
We take your sales, service and leadership to a higher level
Matthew Everitt
Mercuri International
+44 7572 343 341, matthew-everitt@mercuri.co.uk

How to create sales excellence and implement strategy - Mercuri International

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