If your sales team missed the mark at the halfway point of the calendar year, it may be because you’re not asking the right questions, says Christine Comaford, a CEO whisperer, in a post at Forbes.com. Answering these questions could help set your team up for a second-half rebound.
- How many stages are in your sales process? What happens at each stage? In which stage(s) do sales get stuck/slow down?
- What’s your current sales cycle? How long would you like it to be and by when?
- What percentage of your pipeline do you close? What percentage would you like to and by when?
- What percentage of sales do you lose to competitors? What are the most common reasons? What percentage would you be willing to tolerate and by when?
- What are your clients’ and prospective clients’ five greatest pain points?
- What’s your current client retention rate? What would we like it to be and by when?
- What are your current margins? What would you like them to be and by when?
- How many qualified leads are generated each month? Through what channels? How many would you like and when?
- What marketing channels are you currently using (trade shows, direct mail, social, webinars, blogs, infographics, Slide Shares, ads, etc)? Which are most effective?
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