Suppose your organization is looking for ways to speed up new business development. In that case, the mistakes we will discuss are likely the first ones you will need to eliminate as a logistics sales organization leader or individual entrepreneur. In this article, we'll identify these mistakes and give you a clear path to resolve them once and for all. Although it may seem easy initially, the process requires careful attention and action.

Most Crucial New Business Development Mistakes

If you are eager to accelerate your sales revenues or searching for the reasons behind your stagnant sales, there is a significant chance that you need to address one of the mistakes listed below. Your role in identifying and resolving these issues is crucial, and by doing so, you can pave the way for a more successful business.

Too Low New Business Development Activity

This mistake significantly limits an organization's growth potential. Without sufficient activity in new business development, the chances of securing new clients and expanding your market presence are drastically reduced. To reach sales goals, spending at least 2 hours daily on new business developement activities is a bare minimum.

Spending Too Much Time on Initial Company Screening

Many sales coaches recommend thoroughly screening potential customers before making a sales call. While this is important in the later stages of the sales process, this is an unnecessary step at initial prospecting activities. Becouse over-screening often leads to analysis paralysis, where too much time is spent researching instead of engaging with potential clients.

How Do We Eliminate These Mistakes?

Some may believe that the advice is relatively straightforward—i.e., instructing your sales reps to make more calls, better manage their time, or hire outstanding sales reps. Although this sounds simple, reality shows that it is not. First, getting a whole stack of well-performing sales reps is often impossible. Secondly, just stating what an employee must do without a straightforward process, examples, and continuity will also get your organization nowhere.

Therefore, if your organization constantly seeks ways to meet quotas and growth goals, it must have a system for building up salespeople from scratch. For this to happen, logistics services organizations need to:

1.     Create a Sales Process: Develop a transparent, structured sales process that outlines each step from lead generation to closing the deal. This process should be documented and easy for new salespeople to understand and follow. A well-defined sales process ensures consistency and efficiency, helping your team achieve their targets more effectively.

2.     Have a Well-Defined Hiring and Onboarding Process: Establish a comprehensive hiring and onboarding process that identifies suitable candidates and equips them with the necessary knowledge and skills from day one. This includes detailed job descriptions, rigorous interview procedures, and a structured onboarding program that familiarizes new hires with your company culture, products, and sales strategies.

3.     Constantly Train Their Sales Team: Provide ongoing training and development opportunities for your sales team to keep their skills sharp and up-to-date. This includes regular workshops, online courses, role-playing sessions, and access to industry resources. Continuous training helps salespeople stay competitive and adapt to changing market conditions.

By implementing these steps, logistics services organizations can build a strong, capable sales team well-equipped to meet quotas and achieve growth goals. Moreover, the above steps can eliminate other not-so-obvious mistakes.

To sum up, we encourage you to don't hesitate to seek external expertise when needed. This can include hiring sales consultants and leveraging sales training programs offered by third-party providers. External help can provide fresh perspectives and proven strategies to enhance your sales efforts by eliminating mistakes and working on things that actually matter. If you want someone to train your team and help you build a sales process, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Contact Us Now to start your journey towards sales excellence.

About the Author:

Thomas Ananjevas is a seasoned supply chain professional with 15 years of experience in purchasing and selling logistics services and building supply chains from the ground up. He founded a consulting, training, and marketing services company dedicated to the logistics industry. Thomas specializes in helping logistics companies implement necessary changes to ensure business growth and continuity. You can schedule a conversation with Thomas by clicking here.