Learn more about our consulting method and discover the philosophy we apply to our principles and actions – based on our longstanding experience.
It is no coincidence that Germany’s small to medium-sized enterprises are so successful: It would be inconceivable without dedicated and passionate engineers, working hard to continuously improve their products. Advocates of structured processes, they have made “Made in Germany” into a global brand and a byword for quality.
Why sales needs to adopt more of this engineering mindset
Structured processes tend to be unimportant outside of product development. The sales department in many companies is often particularly guilty here. While quality management methods such asSix Sigma, BSI and ISO standards have been firmly introduced to the production process, they are rarely encountered in sales. But it seems only logical to apply the same meticulous approach to document, automate and continuously improve sales processes.
Build structures to boost your sales success – with aquilliance
We believe that sales should apply the same quality management standards in place within product development and production. The Japanese Kaizen work/life philosophy inspires us. The desire for constant improvement is a central element here.
Using this as a foundation, we have developed the four-tiered SOMA approach to consulting.
Fig. 1: The aquilliance SOMA approach to consulting
We conclude that sales success is a direct product of hard work and structured processes.
Our approach to consulting involves dedicated mapping of sales performance and precise assessments of how beneficial individual measures truly are. This quickly reveals where there is room for improvement, which measures are meaningful and how success can be measured – comprehensively or for individual employees.
Quick Check: How effective is your sales department?
Sales managers and others responsible for business should be able to answer a raft of questions about the effectiveness of your sales department, including:
- How well do we understand and document the sales phases that are relevant to our business?
- How consistent are our sales processes and how do we ensure that all customers receive the same high quality of service regardless of which member of the sales team they deal with?
- What do we offer in the various sales phases, and what potential revenue can each offer generate?
- Which employees are particularly successful, and in which phases of sales?
- Which campaigns enjoy the highest return on investment?
- Do we provide all our staff with an ideal framework for successful sales, and not just those with natural talent?
- Which performance indicators allow us to measure sales success?