Who's Responsible for Sales?

If you are a solo entrepreneur the answer to this question is obvious – you are. However, if you’re a business owner or business leader with numerous employees the answer may not be so straightforward. But it should be.

The short answer is EVERYBODY!!! 

Whether you are a small business of one or a large corporation with 100,000+ employees, everybody is directly or indirectly responsible for driving or supporting sales in some manner, regardless of their job title. Unfortunately, this fact can get lost on many companies and employees alike.

So, how do you ensure that your employees fully recognize how their job performance directly contributes to the realization of sales goals?

Fundamentally, it starts with accountability and the goal setting process. The business plans for every area of the company should have objectives and metrics tied to the key areas that directly or indirectly affect customers and ultimately sales results, such as:

1. Customer acquisition and retention,
2. Sales and revenue growth,
3. Customer service,
4. Quality, and
5. Operational effectiveness.

Next, clarity is essential. It’s not enough to establish goals and metrics at the company or department level. Employees also need to be tuned in to how these goals align with their specific job responsibilities, and how their performance impacts customers and sales. Tying part of employee compensation directly to sales and revenue results places further emphasis on the importance of everyone’s role in supporting customers and sales.

Finally, fostering a culture that reinforces the belief that “everybody is responsible for sales” will keep the focus and combined energy of the company on taking care of the customer, delivering value and improving sales results.

When everybody takes ownership and feels responsible for sales – everyone wins!


COPYRIGHT © 2010 John Carroll