The 4 ways biz owners get in the way of their firm's sales growth.

Without knowledge of their actual sales acumen, business owners unwittingly impede their firm’s growth. Here is what we have found in working with B2B small business owners all over the country. Which one describes your firm the best?

Biz Owner Sales Profile #1: Principal(s) never held a sales role.

Impact: If none of the principals have held a sales role, the company is operating at a distinct disadvantage. They initially grow through previously established relationships but can’t grow beyond those. Without an experienced sales leader, the firm fails in three ways: 1) Inability to develop a credible sales plan; 2) Inability to execute an effective business development effort; 3) Inability to successfully follow through on sales opportunities to closure.

Biz Owner Sales Profile #2: Principal(s) has held a sales role.

Impact: While this seems to be ideal, when a key executive has a sales background and is then charged with biz dev for the firm, they mistakenly think they have the time to consistently sell along with their other duties. Even with the best intentions, this just doesn’t happen. They find this inconsistent sales activity leads to inconsistent sales results.

Biz Owner Sales Profile #3: No knowledge of ineffective salesperson.

Impact: We’ve worked with a number of firms to support one or several salespeople with outsourced lead generation programs. Qualified leads are provided but are not taken effectively through the sales process. Working with an outside firm sometimes provides the first indication of skills gaps in the sales team.

Biz Owner Sales Profile #4: Principal(s) don’t know what they don’t know.

Impact: Frequently biz owners think they have a pretty good handle on sales and how they need to go to market. They find out this isn’t the case when they get an outside expert to take a look at their sales systems and processes. Until then, lack of sales results would be the primary indicator that this is an area of weakness.

There are many cost-effective solutions to each of these Biz Owner Sales Profile challenges and they don’t require hiring a full-time salesperson. For more ideas, visit http://www.sales-onsite.com/.