Selling in the complex world of B2B sales is a tough business. Companies buy when they are ready, and there's little to nothing you can do about it. This sense of being "out of control" of the sales process can be daunting, but it's a natural reality that must be embraced to succeed in this environment.
Sales organizations must be comfortable with "controlled chaos" and manage their expectations of failure and success. Failure is inevitable, but success is proportional to the volume of opportunities in the sales funnel. The more prospects you have in the funnel, the more opportunities exist for closure over time. It's a numbers game, where the larger the starting amount, the larger the resultant essence, in this case, sales revenue.
However, the lack of understanding of the modus operandi of the B2B sales funnel creates a disconnect in expectations, and often results in management making sales staff changes prematurely. It's reminiscent of planting a seed and expecting it to grow into a mighty oak tree in a few months. When it doesn't happen, you give up and plant another seed. But complex, high-figure B2B sales is like this. Due to the nature of the long sales cycles and the mismatch of expectations between management's quarterly revenue milestones and reality, closing a deal can take years.
Sales force efficacy on performance for lagging indicators such as deal closures typically occurs at monthly and quarterly intervals. These "snapshots" of sales performance occur too frequently on a longer B2B sales cycle timeline, creating the illusion that no progress is being made because you can't "see" progress behind the scenes. This expectation disconnect is a function of the lack of understanding on how human psychology works coupled with a mismanagement of expectations between sales and management.
To succeed in this environment, sales organizations need to adopt a different mindset. They must manage their expectations by understanding the natural reality of the sales process, which includes a large volume of opportunities and the inevitability of failure. They must align expectations between sales and management, adopting a mindset of "controlled chaos."
The long sales cycles require a different approach to measuring leading and lagging indicators of activity. Senior leadership, sales management, and the sales force must work together to manage expectations and align their goals. In the complex world of B2B sales, success is possible, but it requires a different mindset and a clear understanding of the psychology of heroes and villains in the sales process.
Complex B2B sales cycles are challenging, but they can be mastered with the right mindset and approach. Embrace the "controlled chaos," manage your expectations, and align your goals to succeed in this environment. Remember, it's a numbers game, and the more prospects you have in the funnel, the more opportunities exist for closure over time.
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