Are you ready to roll out a formalized “sales process” but terrified of making the wrong move?

If so, your fears are warranted.

84% of “sales transformation” initiatives fail, according to McKinsey.

One of the (many) reasons for this?

Sales Process ≠ Sales Skills

Sales process and sales skills are different things.

• Sales process is “what to do.”
• Sales skills are “how to do it.”

For example:

Let’s say you roll out a common sales process, like MEDDPICC.

Well, here’s what you may in for, bub:

You can grill your reps on uncovering a business metric, accessing the economic buyer, influencing the decision process (all the elements of MEDDPICC) until you are BLUE IN THE FACE.

But if they don’t have the SKILLS they need to do that?

You’re in for some disappointing pipeline reviews, amigo.

So, what do you do about that?

First things first:

If you have a sales effectiveness issue:

• Low close rates
• Struggling to go upmarket
• Low ACV
• Long sales cycles
• Poor quota participation

If you’re dealing with anything like that…?

And you think a new sales process is the answer?

Here’s the first thing to do:

Realize that sales effectiveness comes down to three pillars (assuming you have the right talent in place – another lesson for another day):

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First, your reps need domain expertise:

• Buyer acumen
• Problem fluency
• Industry expertise
• Competitive knowledge

The more complicated your category?

The more this is true.

But you (probably) already know that.

So here’s the real distinction to make:

Do you have a process problem?

Or.

Do you have a skills problem?

Those are different things.

Process is a car. Skills are the fuel.

That car will only move forward if fueled by the right skill capacity.

I talk to 4-5 VPs of Sales, CROs, and Heads of Enablement every week.

90 times out of 100?

It’s actually a skill issue more than it is a process issue.

And if that’s the case?

And you blindly rollout a new sales process?

Be it MEDDPICC, your own stages/exit gates, or some other off-the-shelf process?

Won’t solve your problem.

You’ll spend a lot of money.

You’ll spend a lot of time.

And you’ll wake up a year from now with the same struggles you still have today.

If you find that it’s a skills issue?... 

Here’s the good news:

You’re probably only one year of skills training away from utterly dominating your marketplace.

Read more about that here:

You’re One Year of Skills Training Away From Formidable Sales Excellence.

Biggest takeaway to leave you with?

Diagnose your sales effectiveness problem before you jump to concluding you need a new sales process.

Make the mental distinction between skills and process.

And get clear on which one is the bigger issue.

If you have even a basic sales process (stages, etc) in place and your sales team is still struggling?

I’d bet it’s a skills problem more than a process problem.