Last month, I asserted that selling is one-on-one coverage. It’s the role a salesperson plays to grow market share. This means outselling the lone person or two calling on the same prospect as you. That being said, it’s not enough in any competitive endeavor to have only one strategy; you need more. This month, the subject is zone coverage.
What is zone coverage? It’s the team concept managing accounts within your branch organization. It’s a pivotal concept in selling and a strategic necessity for success. I know this from a history of hiring practices in our industry that have failed, specifically the idea that a company hires a veteran salesperson with the expectation that the salesperson will bring their book of business along to their new employer.
It almost never happens … unless the previous employer is in distress. However, more often than not the salesperson claiming to “own” relationships discovers that the ownership is something the customer actually perceives is shared with all members of the salesperson’s team. In other words, zone coverage.
The most successful salespeople get this. They recognize that facilitated dialogue between associates is the key to customer loyalty and profitability. This occurs as an accident for many salespeople who are incredibly successful because they do it by instinct. When asked, they agree that certain practices lend themselves well to creating successful team (i.e. zone) coverage with customers.
Zone coverage means that outside salespeople act as leaders and work within the limitations of production and service capacity. They understand that the definition of economics is essentially the allocation of scarce resources.
While some salespeople constantly tax the capabilities of the organization by pressuring for hot deliveries, emergency service, and alarmist warnings, top performers recognize that the assets of an organization are limited. Rather than perpetually dumping on inside salespeople and operational supervisors, they manage expectations proactively and define the best methods to help customers navigate the ordering and delivery process.
A good salesperson is a natural leader, not based on a title but instead by the practices of helping and influencing others in their careers. If you want to emerge as a top sales leader in your organization, here are three tips I recommend highly:
Host regular “huddles.” This has become a favorite term of mine in business. Short huddles are a great way to keep on track with important tasks of the day, address communication errors, and build a cohesive plan of sales and service attack. Instead of long, drawn-out meetings after which much momentum is lost, a regular cadence of brief huddles proves highly effective. I host huddles regularly as a quick method to share insights between associates and establish a cadence of consistency.
Give credit where credit is due. Praise is one of the most underutilized assets in business. On more than a few occasions, managers have told me their job is not to praise people “just for doing their job.” In fact, that is the job of leaders. Praise can create enthusiasm, reinforce behaviors, translate to happiness with customers, reduce the need for monetary incentives, elevate service levels and more … and it’s free. When you consider the economic value of praise versus the cost (i.e. zero), the value of praise is infinite!
Generously coach teammates to their career potential.True leadership means having the ability to allow others to grow to their highest capabilities. I’ve always appreciated leaders who try to surround themselves with people they believe are smarter than they are. If you want others to help you succeed, help them succeed.
Sales and customer acquisition is one-on-one coverage. Retaining loyal and profitable customers is zone coverage. Leadership starts with you.
