Whether you’re a CEO, hold a senior position or are just starting out, team members at startups often need to wear many hats. The chaotic nature of working for a new business requires you to be ready for anything. At times, however, it can be helpful to bring in specialists, especially when it comes to sales. That’s where sales consultants come in, but just how can they help startups grow and achieve its targets?
What is a sales consultant?
All businesses need a functioning sales and marketing setup, whether they’ve been going for six months or six years. The size of the department (or departments) depends on the stage of the company. Newer businesses are unlikely to separate sales and marketing, and it might be the case that just one or two people head up the department and look after both aspects.
This is where a sales consultant is beneficial, as they come into the business and provide an overview of sales. They will conduct and review practices and processes, implementing ideas designed to help the business reach its sales objectives.
What’s the difference between a sales consultant and a sales consultancy?
Whether you work with one sales consultant or a sales consultancy, their job is essentially the same. It involves helping your business sell more products or services by putting a process in place that can help the company move forward.
A sales consultant is just one person who may work for themselves, while a sales consultancy is a company set up to help businesses with their sales and, in some cases, marketing. Some times a startup may prefer working with a sales consultancy as it offers more access to resources.
Why should startups use sales consultants?
1) Assess your company
The first thing a sales consultant will do involves looking at your current set up. That’s not to say they’ll rip the process apart completely, but they should be able to identify areas where the team is doing well and how they can improve efficiency and close more deals. They’ll be able to spot possible opportunities and gaps to grow your business.
2 ) Offer an outside perspective
When you’re in the belly of the beast, it can be hard to look at the overall picture objectively. A sales consultant won’t have this problem, however. They will provide a different perspective and see things from a completely unbiased point of view as there’s no previous attachment. Consequently, they can go about recommending the necessary changes needed to drive the business forward.
3) Developing skills
A sales consultant can get your sales team up and running, equipping them with a new set of skills so they become better sales people. The consultant can look at many different aspects of the process and help with factors like time management, social media expertise, cold calling techniques and how to follow up with leads. As a result, your reps can gain an advantage over the competition by having extra insights to tap into.
4) Management
A sales consultant can also help you manage the team directly, tapping into the expertise to ensure the sales division is performing to its optimum. If necessary, they can step in and provide coaching and direction, using their experience to improve your sales reps both individually and as a team.
5) Turn more leads into sales
The ultimate goal of a sales consultant is to get your team generating more leads and converting them into customers. And that’s exactly what a good consultant does. The majority of them will have an area where they specialise (SaaS, for example) and know how to identify the right type of leads for your industry, allowing the business to focus on converting high-quality prospects.
Startups x sales consultants
A sales consultant can be the perfect tonic for a startup. They’ll help them define a process and offer structure to the sales side of the business. When done right, the result is an increase in quality leads and more sales that help move your startups in the right direction.