The Sales Barrier Audit is a focused conversation to determine why prospects buy or don’t buy your products or services. We look at all of the factors—from internal issues with your sales process to external market dynamics and competitive context—that inhibit your sales.

We begin with individual interviews of up to 12 of your sales representatives; we create an online dialog to gain the input of the balance of your sales force. Through this dialog, we help you understand how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your sales team. We can perform single-issue studies of any particular topic, or do a broad survey of the selling practices your sales force engages in on a day-to-day basis.

We’ll meet with your head of sales and product or brand marketing director. Next, in a deeper conversation, we’ll explore specific concerns and interests, while outlining the single issue or broad survey topics that inhibit your sales. Typically we review subjects such as product and brand training, internal communication, marcom support of sales, direct sales support/proposal and RFP generation, lead generation, sales process, tracking, marketplace breakdown and responsibilities, sticking points (study of where sales feels they could be doing better with more help), celebration points (where they do well, and the underlying reasons why), and insights (what the sales force sees that the home office doesn’t understand).

Our best results come when we include different groups within your organization. We’ll interview top producers as well as low performers (but who have been with you for more than 18 months) as well as new hires. This approach allows us to deeply explore primary issues, while branching into other ideas based on intuition. At midpoint of the telephone appointments, we begin a full sales force (inside and outside, company and independent reps) dialogue online. For six business days, three days one week and three the next, we hold intense conversations in a one-a-day dialogue online in a bulletin board format. We recommend offering the participants of both types of studies anonymity by withholding names, but sharing verbatim quotes and ideas. Anonymity produces the best results.

We’ll present our findings in a simple deck with ideas and insights, and raw data (in aggregate and anonymous) for your review.