The recent publication “12 sales trends for 2014 : The year of the thinking sales organisation”  tells us (sales trend #10) that sales strategy will become the hot discipline of business in 2014 and beyond.  The same report also identifies no less than 5 of the other 11 sales trends that, for those of us with a bias to sales team optimisation, are directly related to this discipline.  Given that, by any definition of strategy, it is nothing without successful implementation, it is useful to think of sales team optimisation as the most critical sales team related aspect of sales strategy implementation.  This notion raises the question ……. “where does sales strategy end and sales team optimisation begin?”  Somewhat obviously, any answer is going to be a little bit “blue sky”, as the real world always tends to turn blue skies at least partly cloudy.  Nonetheless, an attempt is worthwhile.

Regardless of your choice regarding sales strategy approach, methodology, doctrine, such an exercise should be able to address and structure answers against this Go-to-market sales strategy model [click here to view model].

A clear set of succinct deliberations 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.  Next week I will expand on today’s finish point.