There comes a time for growing sales organizations when talented sales leaders will encounter problems that they can’t “talent” their way out of. Eventually, that sales leader who has shown the innate ability to motivate teams, engage customers, and close deals will need to be paired with a disciplined sales operations leader to overcome the major obstacles that talent alone can’t fix.

In this article, we sat down with Rob Vaughn from the Center for Sales Strategy to explore why the best pairings often involve a talented sales leader and a disciplined sales process coach or sales operations professional, and how this synergy can smash through ceilings and lead to new levels of success. While every person and company are of course different, traditional sales leaders typically have exceptional interpersonal skills, charisma, and the ability to build strong relationships. They often excel in inspiring and motivating their teams, and they have a deep understanding of the customer's needs and desires. On the other hand, disciplined sales operations leaders bring a meticulous analytical approach to the sales processes. They focus on optimizing workflows, implementing efficient systems, and driving operational excellence. SalesFirst Recruiting believes that by harnessing the strengths of both individuals, organizations can create a powerful synergy that combines the art of sales leadership with the science of operational efficiency.

Companies have many options to fill this gap, including hiring a Sales Operations Professional or contracting with Sales Process Coaches or Sales Leadership Consultants. For the remainder of this article; however, we’ll be referring to this Sales Operations Expert as a Sales Process Coach.

When it’s time to get operational help:

According to Vaughn, growing sales organizations will eventually run into major problems if they aren’t paying close attention to all of their systems. “In today's sales environment, the top companies are working with a pretty sophisticated tech stack, just eating and breathing the data, and so if your company isn’t paying close attention to your KPIs, the sales structure you have, and the people & processes in place, then you can quickly find yourself on the outside looking in,” said Vaughn. “Relying on talent, personality, and energy certainly can be successful. I would just make the argument that eventually you’ll run into a problem you can’t outwork. So many great sales leaders solve problems by throwing hours of work at it, but eventually you’re going to hit a wall when you are trying to outwork a problem, but you're not really sure what the problem is. And it's hard to be honest with yourself when you're sitting in that seat.”

Here are some signs that it may be time to team up with a Sales Process Coach.

When you notice your decisions are being made too quickly:

Sales leaders often operate in a fast-paced environment where quick decisions are crucial. This isn’t a bad thing; however, without the support of a disciplined Sales Process Coach, these decisions may be based solely on intuition or incomplete data. By accepting help, talented sales leaders can gain access to accurate and timely data, comprehensive sales analytics, and actionable insights. This enables them to make informed strategic decisions, refine sales strategies, and identify growth opportunities with greater precision.

"There's nothing bad about moving fast, but a pretty common spot where leaders get into trouble in the absence of process is a bad hire. Whiffing on a sales hire is super costly, so that's where a more structured process that includes an Ideal Candidate Profile, Assessments, pre-boarding steps, regimented onboarding, and solid training & development are huge," said Vaughn.

When your company is falling behind competitors:

If your businesses has both good sales reps and a good product but you are experiencing lulls in sales, losing ground to competitors, or facing challenges with major clients, it might to be time to hire a Sales Leadership Consultant or a Sales Process Coach. The very best will run a comprehensive analysis of your sales strategies, your market positioning, and your competitive landscape. And after truly analyzing -and respecting- the data, a sales process expert can recommend areas for improvement and develop the strategies for you to regain the competitive edge.

"When clients reach out for help, it's pretty common to hear a mixed bag of possible roadblocks, including competitive issues. But it’s hard to put your finger on the issues unless you're willing and able to slow down and analyze key areas of the business. That can come in the form of what we refer to as a sales diagnostic, where we're digging into people, plan and process. I think the analogy with a doctor is pretty appropriate. No doctor is going to prescribe meds until they examine you, hopefully."

When you spot misalignment from the sales team:

If your sales team is struggling to meet targets, it’s possible that a Sales Process Coach can uncover mismatches between the behavior your system encourages vs the behavior that your company actually needs. Sales leaders are often focused on achieving the sales targets given to them, while Sales Process Coaches ensure the sales strategies & processes align with the organization's goals, financial targets, and long-term vision. They can help your team make adjustments and ensure that your systems are fundamentally sound for what you want to achieve.

“I worked with an organization that was super focused on minimizing churn. On one hand, they had the basics right. The account management teams were incentivized to retain clients, and outside sales reps were paid to bring in new accounts. I recommend that model quite a bit,” said Vaughn. “But it became apparent that there was friction between the new account team and the account management team. It turned out that the new account team received their full commission the moment an account signed up. So it became a cultural issue because the sales team would head out, close sales left and right with no consideration as to how long they would stick around. The sales team was not malicious in their efforts, but the compensation plan incentivized them to the detriment of the company,” said Vaughn. “So we we completely reconfigured it. We went with a carrot and stick deal, so a rep was compensated at a rate that accelerated over time, and on the flip side if a client bounced in less than 60 days the commission could be reversed. In short order, we saw an improvement in retention.”

When your sales forecasting isn’t as accurate:

Accurate sales forecasting is crucial for making informed business decisions- and similarly, frequent inaccuracies can lead to bad resource allocation, the wrong headcount, inventory issues, and missed growth opportunities. The Sales Process Coach can refine forecasting methodologies, leverage data analytics, and implement predictive models to enhance your forecasting accuracy.

According to Vaughn, proper forecasting can be difficult for even the best reps when they don’t have the proper tools. “Many of my best salespeople forecasted their sales based on their intuition. And that was fine as long as I was there to ask the tough questions and get them into more of an analytical conversation. And for a Sales Process Coach like me, providing sales reps and sales leaders with the right tools to forecast properly can’t be understated. Great leaders trust their people, so I view it as my job to build a system based on data that can take the guesswork out of forecasting.  

When you start to see declining margins:

Sustaining profitability is a priority for any sales organization. If your margins are declining, it’s essential to identify the root causes and take action. A good Sales Process Coach would conduct a comprehensive analysis of cost structures, pricing strategies, and operational inefficiencies. Additionally, they can also help to automate parts of the sales process, implement new technologies to free your reps from busy-work, and improve sales to your target customers.

"I recall working with a company that didn't have a process in place to increase rates on a regular basis. Some clients had been paying the exact same rate for years. It was a bandwidth issue for leadership and it's not like this was the only issue impacting margin, but it adds up! We worked to design a process to roll out an incremental rate increase based on the contract renewal date. It was complex, considering some clients had been paying the same rate for years and the renewal dates were all over the place. If there's a troubling trendline with margin it's important to zoom in on all parts of the business quickly."

When you see turnover rising:

High employee turnover rates typically disrupt workflow, affect team morale, and hurt relationships. If retaining top talent is a becoming a struggle, a Sales Process Coach might be able to help. By assessing organizational culture, employee engagement strategies, sales compensation plans, and your career development programs, they can typically identify the underlying issues and make recommendations.

"Turnover is such a killer on so many levels, but in the whirlwind it's tough sometimes to slow down and figure out the root cause. Is there a culture issue? Are we making bad hires? Are our comp plans to blame? Are we growing our people? Whatever the issue, process improvement often helps. I’m talking about processes to gather and act on feedback, processes to identify top talent, and processes to grow your people. I really enjoy the troubleshooting and the chance to help sales leaders solve the puzzle," said Vaughn.

When you spot inconsistencies between your teams:

If it's unclear why one sales team in your business is outperforming another, a skilled Sales Process Coach can come in handy. Are the teams using different systems, tools, or sales strategies? Do their leaders approach problems differently? If your company wants to go from Good to Great, it’s going to take system excellence to get you there.

"Early in my career I managed a good sales team, but we had no common process or sales methodology. Everyone was selling differently and left to succeed or struggle depending on their own talent or background. I was fortunate to meet a great local sales consultant who introduced me to a sales process and training program. I loved the ability to have a framework and ideology.  It was a big commitment for everyone, and I had to work to get buy-in, but It was a total gamechanger for our team and it led to one of the best years we'd had to date. We suddenly had a shared language and toolkit that everyone could lean into. It dramatically leveled up the team and led to more consistent performance from everyone." 

Conclusion:

In the world of sales, the most exceptional results are often achieved when talented sales leaders join forces with disciplined sales operations leaders. By combining the innate people skills, relationship-building abilities, and strategic vision of sales leaders with the operational discipline, analytical acumen, and process optimization expertise of sales operations leaders, organizations can unlock unparalleled success. This dynamic pairing enables strategic decision-making based on reliable data, drives operational excellence, aligns sales efforts with broader business objectives, and ultimately propels the sales organization to new heights of performance and profitability.

Connect With Rob Vaughn

Rob is intent on helping sales leaders deliver results and develop teams. He has extensive experience managing sales teams, driving revenue growth and building effective sales operations. Over the course of his career, Rob has advised hundreds of sales professionals on effective consultative sales techniques and growth strategies.

A native Oregonian, Rob is an avid traveler and outdoorsman. Longtime residents of Portland, he and his wife are proud parents to three kids and an Australian Shepard.

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