With the passing of Labor Day, I found myself giving a sad “see ya next summer” to my friend, Jack McAvoy, the head lifeguard at our beach.  Older, serious, dedicated and always razor sharp, good weather and bad, Jack, on any weekend, is not only out there as the protector of the beach, but he’s often the diplomat and mediator between feuding siblings and sometimes forgetful adults.

Back in the real world, Jack is the Vice President of Marketing at an emerging startup.  With deep experience both as an entrepreneur and as a corporate marketer back in the day, Jack is the consummate process guy relying heavily on data and metrics to hone his marketing decisions. 

Last Sunday, he was telling me the story of a successful rescue that he and one of the other lifeguards had made the week before.  What impressed me most was the analytical manner in which all of the lifeguards came together and reviewed the entire process.  What worked?  Where could they have improved?   What processes need updating?  What new tools do they need?

I asked Jack why they did this especially given that the result was thankfully positive, and the response was “because we can always improve”.  He went on to explain that he has always used the same procedures and principles in his day job of marketing and sales, so why not on the beach where the outcome is much more critical.

Jack McAvoy knows that in today’s rapidly changing world of complex sales, stiff competition, extended decision processes by almost every prospect coupled with a tough economy, process always wins.   During the first half of this year, our data once again clearly states that adherence to formal sales and marketing processes can increase sales effectiveness by 15% to 30% in the short period of one year.

So, here it is at the end of the summer, and the beach is now already a distant memory as I attend a sales meeting this morning here in Rochester, but process is always on my mind.  In preparation for kicking off your 2012 sales strategy and budgeting discussions, think about analytically taking your current sales process apart piece by piece and asking those same lifeguard questions of your own team…“Where could we improve?” “What do we need to change and tighten up?”  “Where should we add new resources and improve our tools?”  “Where do we need to add formal training?” And then, reassemble the pieces into a more focused, more formal, and more highly trained “This-is-the-way-we-sell-at-our-company” process.

We’re sales and marketing process guys, so if you would like a few additional ideas as to how he we think, you can click HERE and sort through our library. Or, just send me an email at jack@derbymanagement.com

Thanks for the summer, Jack.

Good selling, today!

Jack
Head Coach