The bottom-line is no longer in the black, and the sales team is chided to get back on target...

Sometimes I feel for competent sales teams who bear the brunt of the bottom line no longer being in the black.

The sales team is of course on the front line, and hold the crucial responsibility of meeting sales targets... but if those sales targets are not met, what exactly is the reason for this?

Perhaps the most obvious (which is usually the first port of call for executives) is poor sales force performance, and while this is a valid reason, it is not always the underlying root cause.


The elusive concept of Brand:

When I ask managers and executives what brand means to them there is always an array of descriptions, some of them accurate and others totally off. What this tells us is that the concept of 'brand' is still elusive and sometimes is 'off the radar' when answering important questions such as: why are our sales targets not met, and why is our bottom line in the red?


So what exactly is Brand?

In its simplest form, brand should represent the reputation of your organisation in the 'hearts and minds' of the market (including your customers) I use the words 'hearts and minds' because brand is just as much an emotional as well as rational experience for customers. Brand has a direct influence on the perception, trust and buying habits customers have with your organisation.


Brand and the bottom line:

An effective sales force needs to be supported by an effective branding strategy that builds trust with prospects and customer within the market place.

By the time a prospect or customer has an interaction with a sales team member, there needs to be a certain level of trust already in place, before the interaction even starts.

If your sales force is having to establish this trust from scratch, their ability to close the sale is reduced, leading to a reduction in sales that ultimately impacts your bottom line.

Branding strategy needs to lay the foundation so your sales force can in fact become a potent 'closing force'... highly effective at closing the sale (and keeping the bottom line in the black)