Sales Tip #1: Don't Believe in a Miracle Cure

The sales industry often revolves around meeting metrics, making quotas, boosting the bottom line, and finding the latest top sales tip. It's a "production mindset" that has been ingrained within many salespeople for years and years. So it only makes sense that when an organization's sales process isn't working properly, management's instinctive reaction is, more often than not, to look for a quick fix — e.g., the proverbial "miracle cure."

If only it were that simple.

The Myth of the Miracle Cure

The reality is, very rarely can all of a company's growth-related problems be traced back to a single cause. Businesses have many moving parts. They are made up of many individual actors. Because of that complexity, the notion that "all of our problems can be fixed if we address this one issue" is typically exposed as faulty reasoning (sooner or later).

Let's talk about a common scenario. Many organizations blame their sales problems on a lack of quality leads. That seems reasonable, right? If there aren't enough good leads coming in, then how can you expect to grow a business? As a result, these companies may try out new CRM systems, add extra incentives for reps that make their quotas, or look for that magic sales tip from an outside consultant.

All of those actions are good. They will likely provide some benefits. But... what if the problem isn't really the number of leads?

Why It Doesn't Work

Imagine that Company X does what it takes to bring in more leads for their sales reps. To them, that's the "miracle cure" that will solve of all their problems. However, after several months their revenues haven't really increased. Why isn't the quick fix working?

It could be any number of reasons. For instance:

• The company's leadership may not have a clear understanding of what their unique selling proposition (USP) should be. They may be selling on price, when they should be selling on quality. 
• Then again, the sales reps may not understand how to effectively nurture a lead, and convert him or her into a paying customer. The sales reps may view their role as "glorified order takers," instead of professionals that must first understand the needs of their customers, and then present a tailored solution to meet those needs.
• As one final example, perhaps Company X has an alignment problem between sales and marketing. Their marketing team doesn't know when to hand off leads to sales. And their sales team isn't giving marketing the information they need to make that determination.

​What's the point of all this? Simply put, don't look for a quick fix. It's better to take a step back and probe for deep-seated issues that need to be addressed in order to move forward.

Oversimplification = Underperformance

It can be tempting to boil down all of a business' sales issues to one cause. After all, popular culture teaches us that if people can just fix that one, fatal flaw (Achilles' heel, Darth Vader's anger, Hamlet's indecision), then everything will be smooth sailing. The truth, of course, is usually far more complicated.

The myth of the miracle cure has its roots in oversimplification. But let's not kid ourselves: It takes a lot more time and effort to address underlying performance issues than throwing money at a "quick fix" solution and hoping that things work out. 

Here's the key takeaway. Don't oversimplify your sales problems.

Be willing to put in the work of analysis and research. Take time to figure out all the factors that could be contributing to your team's underperformance. Don't be quick to point the finger at any one thing, person, or department. Seek an outside perspective, if you need it.
​
If you avoid the trap of the "miracle cure," then you'll be in a much better position to identify and address performance issues — and your business will benefit as a result.

Get Actionable Sales Tips

If you'd like more insights and sales tips on how to improve sales performance for your SMB, be sure to sign up for our newsletter, contact us directly, or explore our website for valuable resources and webinars.

---