Hi, I am currently designing a sales workshop and one of the topics I cover is the sales pipeline - what it is, why you need to manage every step and how it can help you. I am a trainer but have very little sales experience. Has anyone got any ideas for a an exercise to give delegates on this topic? Thanks
victoria kaye
2 Responses
learning objectives and co policy
Victoria
It really does dependon what the learning objectives are for the session and what the co policy is on pipelines
If you let me know, briefly, the former, I can give you some ideas relating to exercises assessment and management of pipeline prospects
rus.slater(at)sky.com
Sales pipeline
The classic supply pipeline exercise is the beer game but this may be something you need some form of permission to use.
Even though I have spent years in sales and marketing myself I would start by talking to the client’s sales force if this is possible so you can understand at first hand what the real process is and what the issues are at each stage of the process.
Even if this company have a diagrammatic representation of their sales process (and most do not) the reality usually very different unless they actively review it on a regular basis, again few companies do this.
This would need to include some key customers and some potential customers who are not yet on board.
I would then use these findings with the group in the training session and get them to use rich picturing (or to use its formal title, soft systems analysis developed by Professor Richard Whip, now sadly deceased)
If you want a quick guide to rich pictures send me an e-mail to
n.hindley1 at btinternet dot com
The at and dot should be symbols. They are written to avoid spamming.
Name now changed to the correct spelling, thanks Rus and well spotted.
Good luck.
Nick