The Most Important "C" Word in Sales

So what were your thoughts when you read this headline? Did you immediately think cost because cost or price is so important? Possibly the word customer came to mind or maybe you are more technology focused and believed CRM to be the most important "C" word? Then again did you think “close” as in ‘close the deal” was at the top of the “C” word list? For many crazy busy salespeople, the word computer might have surfaced.  I am sure there are many more words that begin with “C” that could be added to this list.

If you answered with any of these “C” words, that was not the answer I was seeking. For cost, customer, CRM, close or computer are not the most important word in sales. No, the word that is far more critical to sustainable sales success is “culture” specifically the culture of your business be it a one person shop to a business that employs 10 to 20 to over 500 individuals.

The Craziness of Ignorance

What is so sad is each day crazy business professionals spend thousands of dollars in seeking how to increase sales. They attend seminars; go to sales training; attend business to business networking events and possibly even hire a sales coach. However many of their efforts are in vain because when they return to the office the workplace culture is still there, impenetrable not changing, not moving.

Culture is the usually the unseen barrier to sales and can be beyond frustrating to sales people, both external and internal customers not to mention executive leadership and management. What happens is those in executive position focus on the “C’ symptoms of cost, customer (external), CRM, close and computer instead of the real problem that being culture.

The Ever Present Reality

For example, research continues to confirm that sales training has very little return on investment. Research by NuVue released in December of 2013 revealed that half of the content of a sales training event is lost in 5.1 weeks and on average 84% of sales training content is lost after 90 days.

Years ago other research by ASTD now STD along with other Fortune 500 firms suggested sales training or most corporate training had a short life span. Some of this lack of retention has to do with how people learn. Yet, when we peel away the issue we can discover culture is hiding in the shadows just waiting to confuse and obstruct all that new knowledge gained from the most recent sales training event.

How many times after a sales training event, this statement is heard “We don’t do things that way here?” A great example would be the reluctance to use social media including sites such as LinkedIn. The financial industry with its layers of compliance along with a culture of slowness typifies this reluctance.

Then there is the sales manager who has been promoted for his or her sales skills and not people skills (The Superworker, Supervisor Syndrome). This individual continues to prospect and present the way that was successful for him or her not recognizing the sales business world has dramatically changed.

Beyond sales management, what about the other operations within the mid-size to small business? How do they impact sales?

Personal Experience

When I was in corporate sales, my goal was to make buying from our company easy. I would expedite opening new accounts to ensuring customers received the correct material. If there was a problem, I would solve it ASAP as if a sale depended upon it because it did.

As the company grew, we hired an in house CPA to handle the opening of accounts, managing payments and invoices, etc. This individual came from a culture of silos where each department worked independently. As a number cruncher, she never saw how her work interacted with sales, marketing or shipping.

Even though our culture in the office was one of collaboration and realizing the customer came first, she was clueless. Getting her to open an account quickly was like pulling hen’s teeth. I finally had to call a meeting with the owner, our outside sales team and our inside sales team to discuss this significant problem because we were losing sales. Our sales team could work harder and harder, but this individual was still living in the culture she came from. As it is said, old habits (culture) die hard.

Executive Leadership Enables Culture

When executive leadership fails to enforce the culture through the existing values and articulated goals, sales will decline if not dramatically plummet. This happens frequently when examining shipping departments. Items are not shipped out on time or the warehouse does not want to be bothered by a last minute order to be shipped out before the close of business.

Firms like UPS decided to strengthen their role in shipping by providing tracking for the end customer. With the Internet, now customers can find where their shipments are and when to expect delivery.

The Human Factor

If you think culture is not the most important "C" word in sales, just call most any business today and you may receive one of those automated, robotic messages. What does this say about the culture of that business? Do you really want to buy from them? In some instances, you may be forced to unless you have the private number of the person you wish to reach.

Now think about how you feel when you hear a real, human voice? If that voice is warm and friendly, are you more inclined to want to buy from that business?

Being old school, I was trained to answer the phone no later than the second ring. If a phone rang three times, my boss was out in the main office asking or rather demanding what was happening.

Over the years I had to train new employees to answer the phone quickly, with high energy and friendliness. This sometimes was a challenge because many of the new employees came from cultures with a different mindset about answering the phone.

Even today I attempt to answer my phone by the second ring. My goal is for the phone not to go into voice mail because voice mail seems to be the default option for so many businesses today. What people in business fail to realize is people buy from people not from robots.

When the culture gives the impression the customer or potential customer is a widget instead of a human being, this creates negative reaction sometimes subconscious within the customer or potential customer. Imagine how much more sales a business could have by becoming human?

Top sales performers realize there is more to increasing sales than just signing the purchase order or shaking hands. The entire organization is behind that newly acquired sale. In a culture of high performance, we care the customer comes first attitude will help to ensure immediate customer loyalty.

"No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." President Theodore Roosevelt

Conversely a "whatever culture" will take the customer for granted and work just to fill the 8 hour day.  Whether the employee completes one task or several tasks, it makes no difference because the employee gets paid regardless of the number of customers served.

Yes workplace culture is critical to increase sales. Possibly more mid-size to small businesses will realize extreme importance of culture and take positive actions to identify where culture has built barriers to sustainable sales growth.

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Consider this very affordable workplace culture assessment that identifies the barriers that are keeping your business from increase sales (business results) to quality (process management) to even customer loyalty.

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Liked what you just read? Possibly you may find these articles of interest as well?

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Unlocking the Business Strategy of Sustainability Through Leadership

About the Author

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S., is the People and Process problem solver for mid-size to small businesses. As an executive coach, business growth consultant, speaker and author, she takes a heuristic approach to sustainable personal and professional growth. Her task is simple to support you in bridging the gap between today’s results and tomorrow’s goals. She can be reached at 219.508.2859 central time.  Follow her on Twitter or check out her profile on LinkedIn.