CEO's place a great deal of management emphasis on driving performance improvement across multiple departments within their organizations. They must strive for efficiencies and strategic alignment throughout all business units. CEOs will always have to make decisions about where to invest their time and resources to build their company.
Hands down, the number one revenue generating business unit in organizations is the sales department. It would make sense that CEO's spend a proportionally greater amount of time within their sales department, right? Not the case however. CEO's are often unwilling to make changes within sales operations. This is partly due to fear of making things worse based on a general lack of knowledge and understanding surrounding the key elements of sales, sales planning, sales leadership and sales management.
CEO's need to take an active roles in leading their sales business unit. CEOs at the best companies are willing to roll up their sleeves and attack the details and transform their sales operations. This means supporting their functional leader within the sales and marketing departments. Taking active responsibility in the success or shortcomings within the company to generate revenue. In fact, it frequently requires restraint with the CEO enabling others, such as fellow managers and field sales members, to step to the foreground.
As a CEO, are you prepared to:
Be the number one sales and marketing leader?
Understand the sales department infrastructure, people, culture?
Understand the market?
Understanding your customers needs?
Realize your competitive position?
Strengthen you value proposition?
Understand what customers think of your products?
Validate pricing?
Introduce new products?
Invest in the sales infrastructure?
Ensure Strategic Alignment is centered around sales. Sustainable performance improvement requires alignment of the below three Performance Realization Categories™ . The Performance Realization Categories™ are three manageable segments, which allow focus in understanding and aligning your sales organization with other business units. Corporate Realization™. Ensuring the sales organization, as a business unit, is positioned correctly with corporate senior management to influence market position, innovation and growth plan goals. Functional Realization™. Maximize effectiveness of the sales organization to create and sustain customers. Ensure it is a well-managed and effective business unit. Sales Execution Realization™. Lead, coach and constantly improve essential skills required of the sales force.
As a CEO you’ll likely answer to a board or major equity investor about how you plan on achieving your growth goals or at least outlining the changes you'll implement. Making the appropriate time commitment and focus on the revenue generating side of the P&L is a good place to start.