I must be starting to show my age. Thirty years ago, if I saw a headline on an article that read like this one does, I wouldn't have looked any farther. That is because I already understood the answer when considering a sales organization. Today, things seemed to have changed to the point where, within many companies, it isn't all that clear any more.
Many business owners and managers, (thankfully, not most) will assign the top spot for importance to a variety of things that they consider their best or most valuable asset. Some of the comments that I've heard over the years have included things like:
1- Location or ease of access
2- Their pricing structure, brought about by their buying power
3- Their longevity in business
4- Their customer base
5- Their branding or affiliation
6- Their management team
7- Their current financial position
8- The economy of the area, region, or perhaps export markets
9- The effective use of technology
10- ?????? I hope you have picked up on what's missing from this list. 30 years ago it was always considered number one.
I am referring to the organization's sales team. In many companies today, the sales team is no longer properly appreciated or supported in spite of the fact that they provide virtually all the cashflow to pay the owners and managers as well as all the support staff.
You need to buy a program to keep track of the change of sales staff within many businesses. Maybe it's a sign of the times, where greed has become the driving force in many companies.
Salespeople who find themselves working in that environment recognize it quite quickly. The only way for a salesperson to be secure in the situation is to become among the very best. They get there through regular and ongoing professional development. They never adopting the position that they know everything there is to know or that wherever they are along their career path is good enough. The best of the best never need to rely on organizations that don't appreciate or support them.
