Mark Plant writes:

Subject: Sales Turnaround

As a specialist in delivering 'hands on' sales transformation services in turnaround situations or major change scenarios such as downsizing or post merger; I would agree in the main with Andrew Rowe's comments. There is however an additional factor that is key to the success of most sales organisations. It is, if you will forgive the cliche, the definition and understanding of the value proposition. I have worked with numerous companies particularly those in a technical space where they are selling the technology and not the deliverable. They are so convinced in the quality of the technological offering that they do not consider what it actually delivers to the customer.

Further, and from direct experience, the difficulty in changing this perception should not be underestimated especially with owner manager organisations.

In my experience this is a fundamental issue that needs to be addressed at a very early stage in a transformation process. It can also have a significant impact on other aspects affecting the efficiency of the sales operation particularly the motivation and morale of the sales force.