The Impact of Top Management’s Involvement on the Sales Process
One of the crucial dilemmas faced by sales managers, senior executives, and leaders is whether they should participate in the sales process alongside their sales professionals when dealing with customers. The impact of their involvement can be the deciding factor between sealing a lucrative deal or losing a valuable opportunity.
Some corporate leaders have risen through the sales ranks and feel entirely at ease engaging with customers during sales calls. Others, however, may lack sales experience and choose to avoid involvement altogether.
So, what is the most effective approach when it comes to team selling alongside your sales professionals?
A 2021 article released by Harvard Business Review (HBR), based on a six-year study, has identified five distinct roles of involvement exhibited by senior executives when dealing with strategic customers (those who are crucial to the future of their organization). If you have spent enough time in sales, chances are you have witnessed or can personally relate to all of these types.
The Five Types of Involvement
Hands-off or “not my problem”: This policy was adopted by 28% of senior executives in the study. They take a completely hands-off approach and refrain from getting involved in any capacity.
Loose cannons: This approach was taken by 21% of senior executives in the study. They meet with key customers without seeking background information and are unfamiliar with the challenges faced by the customer. Additionally, the account manager may not even be aware that the meeting is taking place.
Social visitors: This category comprises 19% of the executives in the study. Social visitors focus on building trust and relationships rather than generating revenue. They engage in social interactions but rarely delve into substantive discussions about business.
Dealmakers: The opposite of social visitors, 18% of executives in the study fall into this category. Dealmakers engage with customers when significant revenue opportunities arise, without much concern for building relationships.
Growth champions: Only 14% of executives in the study fell into this category. Growth champions focus sharply on both revenue and relationship building. They exhibit productive customer-facing behavior and excel in strategic customer relationship building, leading to high returns in revenue and profits through extensive engagement and in-depth business discussions. Although growth champions are rare, they are the most effective type of leader in most sales situations.
Executives assuming the hands-off, loose cannon, social visitor, or dealmaker roles often believe they are being helpful, but their efforts may actually damage the overall customer relationship rather than enhance it.
The growth champion, on the other hand, represents the most fruitful type of involvement. Their approach aligns closely with the personality orientation known as Actualizer in our Dimensions of Professional Selling® training. Actualizers constantly strive to improve their organization, demanding excellence from themselves and those around them. Similarly, growth champions focus on building strategic customer relationships and achieving significant results in terms of revenue and profits through elevated engagement and in-depth business discussions.
HBR highlights that although highly effective growth champions have their own downsides.
Four Tips for Leaders to Foster Growth Orientation
Choose customer involvement wisely: Select which customers to get involved with based on their behavior, the characteristics of their buying process, and the importance of the customer-supplier relationship. HBR suggests that investing in a growth-champion relationship may be a waste of resources if the customer conducts business purely in a transactional manner.
Enhance your sales skills: If you frequently participate in sales calls, consider refreshing your sales skills training. Training programs like Dimensions of Professional Selling® or Excellence in Sales Leadership™ can help you position yourself more effectively in front of customers and establish yourself as a leader within your organization.
Be honest about your capabilities: Assess your ability to help or not help in achieving certain objectives or tasks. Overpromising and underdelivering can frustrate the customer, damage the relationship, and create internal issues with sales support and account management.
Conduct annual customer relationship reviews: HBR recommends that companies conduct an annual review of each strategic customer relationship and assign growth champions based on long-term business potential rather than current buying behavior.
When top management is involved in B2B customer relationships in the right way, it can yield significant dividends. The success and development of your organization depend on your ability to prioritize the customer and embrace the role of a growth champion.
Harvard Business Review: When CEOs Make Sales Calls – Reference: Capon, N., & Senn, C. (2021, February 17).
