A new corporate client recently implemented a number of new strategies I shared with them on Module 1 of our flagship training…Sales Accelerator Programme. When we got together for Module 2 a month later, they shared that they had their best month EVER as a result of these changes.
Today I’m going to share one of the changes they made, that not only increased their sales…it also pulled the various teams together to achieve the global goal.
What is this magic tool?
IPA’s and FBI’s
No matter what you’ve got on your plate, you should always start with your IPA’s and FBI’s.
IPA = Income Producing Activity
…the actions that have a direct impact on your sales. That’s everything you do that creates a “YES…let’s do this now” from your customer.
Interactions with customers that have agreed to buy are customer service and delivery. The more activities your sales people do with customers after the YES the less time they are spending on sales. This can be a very cosy and comfortable place for your sales people to get lost in, especially if they don’t like prospecting and business development.
As a sales team, you will always have an abundance of IPA…so how do you prioritise?
FBI = Fastest Business Impact
…a measurement of how fast an activity will have a meaningful and significant impact on your sales and business.
Look at all your IPA’s and ask yourself…
If I could only get one thing done today, which of these will have the Fastest Business Impact on sales/business?
This becomes your Priority FBI 1. Be sure to have no more than 3 Priority FBI’s per day. That doesn’t mean you stop there if you have more time…it simply means that you get the most important stuff done before the end of the day. Even if it’s only the first FBI.
It’s so easy to get sidetracked and get to the end of the day before you realise you haven’t completed the most important activities…your FBI’s. This is dangerous and a huge risk to your sales.
So what did our client do?
The senior team agreed the division-wide FBI’s for the following week and distributed them to the Head of each department first thing Monday.
Each Department Head decided the 3 FBI’s their team would need to focus on to deliver the results to support the division-wide FBI’s. They shared these with their team in their Monday morning meeting.
At the meeting, each team member decided their personal FBI’s to deliver the Team FBI’s…and shared them with their colleagues.
Not all the teams were directly involved in generating sales but each teams’ actions could either support or hinder their sales colleagues.
This had an extraordinary impact on focusing everyone in the division on the common goal of sales growth.
It sounds simple and it is but takes determination and effort to pull off.
Focusing on FBI’s as a sales leader has a truly positive impact on what you choose to do each day to increase sales through your team. Getting your sales people to focus on IPA’s and FBI’s will ensure they are focusing on the best activities to achieve greater success.
A win-win for all.
Until next time,
