5 Action Steps for Mid-Year Success
You are halfway through the year, and you have two choices:
You can either have your team go on VACATION or have them spring into ACTION.
It is a choice.
Repercussions are only felt at year-end. If you want your salespeople to shine, then you need to take ACTION.
I don’t care if you or your sales team are at 80% or 105% of the budget. Mid-year is a great time to see where you are at and build an ACTION plan on how your team is going to shine in the back half of the year.
Here are 5 ACTIONS Sales Managers Can Take
1. Retarget Account Focus
This is a great time to reprioritize which accounts your salespeople are targeting and where they intend to focus on the second half of the year. Have your salespeople identify the accounts that represent the lowest hanging fruit, biggest opportunity and their largest customers.
The lowest-hanging fruit makes for quick wins and momentum. These are the accounts that your salespeople can more easily close and build momentum.
It is key to keep your eye on the accounts that have the largest potential and ensure that they focus their time on these accounts.
I am a firm believer in the fact that it is easier to get the business where you already have the business. Let’s not overlook our biggest accounts. There may be room for additional sales and opportunities to capture more business.
2. Account Specific Plan of Action
Once you have your salespeople retarget, it is essential that they develop or revise their account plans for these accounts. Do they know what they have to do with each account and how they are going to get there? Have they timed stamped each of their actions?
Without a plan of action, they are rudderless. Get them to build specific account plans which lay out what and how they intend to win that business.
3. KPI Plan of Action
Many companies are using their coaching and feedback systems to track KPIs. Many sales management experts advocate focusing on monitoring KPIs. With KPI data at the fingertips of both the sales manager and the sales rep, I would have your sales reps identify the KPI they feel will have the biggest impact on their performance and develop a plan of action on how they can improve on one specific KPI.
 4. Development Plan Action
As you sit down to do mid-year reviews, ask your salespeople to pick one area (competency or behavior) that they are committed to improving that would have a positive impact on their performance.
Work with them to facilitate a self-directed action plan that covers specific actions they are going to do to improve in that one area.
 5. Get Out in the Field
Sales coaching is about holding your salespeople accountable for doing what they said they are going to do. With account action plans, coaching plans, and KPI plans, you can keep your salespeople on track in executing their plan of action.
You can also meet with key customers and support your salespeople’s sales activities.
If you want to be a STAR and shine, summertime is a great time to take ACTION instead of a vacation.
