3 Questions to Find the Right Sales Transformation Partner

You know your company best. You know what’s working and more importantly where you need to make the greatest changes. The problem with many sales training solutions is they take a “rip and replace” approach. They rip out everything you’ve been doing and replace it with a cookie-cutter approach.

The best sales transformation initiatives take a “draft in” approach, one that leverages your current best practices to build a more sustainable roadmap for success. If you wipe the slate clean with every new program initiative, you’ll be left with one-off achievements, rather than long-term success.

A true sales transformation partner will leverage your best practices, determine opportunities that will create the greatest impact and help you drive adoption and alignment throughout your organization. A partner focused on measurable outcomes can help identify and address problems without any hidden agendas or biases.

Here are three questions that will help you choose the right sales transformation partner. Make sure you have them answered before you hire a sales consulting firm.

1.  How will this partner ensure continued success of its methodology?

Adoption and reinforcement are critical in making any sales initiative successful. Without a plan to drive and champion the initiative, sales reps will have no incentive to execute new methodologies, leaving your results to fall flat.

Make sure your sales transformation partner has a clear plan to enable you and your front-line managers to reinforce success. Whether they provide refresher sessions, spaced learning opportunities, or on-site reviews and coaching, you want a partner who’s going to drive a cycle of commitment, coordination and competence around your sales initiative. Reinforcement and measurement should be built into the methodology in order to ensure your successful outcomes.

2. How does this partner differentiate themselves from its competitors?

One of the first steps towards launching a sales initiative is to clearly outline the required capabilities and positive business outcomes you are looking to achieve. Determine the areas where you would like to see the most improvement. Make sure you can measure the results. 

Where would you like to see the most improvement?

• Improve margins across your sales team?
• Increase your average deal size?
• Decrease ramp-up time?
• Shorten sales cycles?
• Improve forecast accuracy?

Once you’ve defined these key points, determine how your potential partners will execute on those PBOs differently and/or better than other vendors you are considering. Make sure you’re assessing an organization’s differentiators in terms of the initiative's requirements.

3. What tangible evidence of past work can be provided that will indicate future success for my organization?

Ask for the tangible points of reference on how each solution will provide the results your company needs. Look for measurable results and proof that the organization has been able to drive success for other companies like yours. Interview a counterpart at a previous customer to help determine how this vendor will be able to drive sales transformation within your organization.

One of the keys to successful sales transformation is a partner who drives an adoption mindset, rather than a single training event. Do the work up front to find the right partner for the revenue goals you’re looking to achieve. This due diligence will ensure lasting and measurable results and long-term success.