Firstly, hyper effective sales teams focus on applying the correct quantity, direction and quality of customer facing activity right across the customer portfolio. This means that effort is applied to retaining and developing existing customers ensuring that these relationships are as valuable as possible. However, without new blood the customer portfolio can quickly lose its value. Hence the most successful teams will also prioritise activity to build a healthy pipeline of new business. Furthermore, whilst other teams are basking in their success the hyper effective are developing brand new opportunities to sell. This may mean targeting new markets, new segments, new territories or just brand new clients, but it is a key to future success.

Secondly, it is incorrect to suggest that the best sales teams do not lose business like the rest of us and of course a failed bid analysis can ensure that the appropriate lessons are learned. However, when was the last time that you conducted a “successful bid analysis?” When a new piece of business is won or a major new client is secured there are many valuable lessons to be learned especially if you can include the client in discussions. Find out what it was that you did better than your competitors and repeat it!

So how do the really effective win these major clients. Decision making processes are becoming more complicated with the advent of more sophisticated purchasing tactics and policies; however it would be a mistake to believe that interpersonal relationships are no longer important. Successful sales teams invest time in developing relationships at all levels within their target client. This time is not wasted merely drinking coffee and chatting but is used to gather sophisticated intelligence from as many sources as is practical. Significant efforts are made to understand both the decision making process as well as the people involved. Remember information creates influence and power!

So activities have been planned, relationships have been built and decision making processes understood, now is not the time to risk all with a “standard proposal”. It is imperative that the customers' requirements for your product or service are clearly understood. This will enable your offer to be proposed or presented to your customer in a way that demonstrates your understanding. Tailoring your proposal does not mean putting their logo on your standard offer, it means describing accurately the value of the offer to their business. Show how you can meet their requirements, be specific about the benefits of your solution and quantify the value that you can create. Vague claims about cost savings or increased productivity are not the domain of the hyper effective.

Finally, when examining the most successful sales teams it becomes clear that the difference between the ordinary performance and the extraordinary performance is usually in the way that small details are managed. The difference between success and failure at the highest level often is very small indeed. Ensure that your team applies outstanding attention to detail in everything that they do!