Last week I proposed that a clear set of succinct deliberations in regards to a robust  Go-to-market model (click here to view again) will serve two purposes ……… the heart and soul of your sales (go-to-market) strategy, with a special focus on your sales team function and utilisation …… and the perfect starting point (set of inputs) to your sales team optimisation.

Being able to document SUCCINCTLY ( ie in bullet points) what you sell, via whom, to whom, with whom, for whom, versus whom, at its most fundamental level – especially as far as the sales team is concerned – effectively defines your customers. This might sound strange….even puerile…..but it covers the broadest definition of the customer, as it includes buyers and non-buyers of value added product or service coming down the value chain, as well those players who directly or indirectly purchase tour company’s product/service.  And becomes a great platform for debating which players, segment, “customers” the sales team are directed to and which ones not.

Let’s not get too theoretical…….back to sales team optimisation and the sales team.  The sales team wants to know (needs to be told!)  which players in the value chain they need to regularly visit and account manage or prospect for. So the first key set of decisions that need to be made, representing where sales strategy ends (the set of succinct deliberations alluded to in the first sentence above) and sales team optimisation begins is the alignment between the “customer” segments in the value chain and the relative deployment of the sales team.

Next week we will pick up from here and explore this point about sales team alignment and deployment further…………another key consideration in regards to where sales strategy ends and sales team optimisation begins.