The main functions that a commercial executive for a company that operates in the B2B model, i.e. it sells its products and services to other companies, are the following three:
- Generate Leads: Prospect on high propensity bases.
- Convert leads: Work with interested companies to convert them into customers.
- Relate to the current customer base: Work with accounts to sell more (for recurring transactions).
Note that 100% of a commercial executive's functions are circumscribed to their interaction with the market and depending on where the priorities lie, they will be allocated more emphasis in one of these three areas.
If the company is experiencing low lead generation, i.e. if it does not have many opportunities to convert, then all focus should turn to prospecting.
If on the other hand the company generates many leads, either by prospecting or through ads, the executive must focus on the work of converting these leads into clients.
And if the company offers products and services on a recurrent basis, time should be dedicated to current customers, so that there is greater loyalty in the relationship and a reduction in churn.
Now let's tabulate the mundane tasks of a business executive:
- Making cold calls (prospecting calls).
- Check email, Whatsapp and Linkedin for likely feedback and respond.
- Elaborate and send presentation e-mails.
- Check the delivery of e-mails, whether they have arrived in the mailbox and whether they have been opened.
- Update the systems and CRM.
- Generate prospecting lists.
- Correct telephone numbers.
- Conduct scheduled calls with leads.
- Read internal information about products and procedures.
- Attend internal alignment/training/management meetings.
- Fill in reports for management.
- Triage opportunities and update funnels.
- Attending to customer requests and quotations.
- Visit leads.
- Visit clients.
- Drawing up proposals.
- Drawing up customised projects.
If the day had 50 hours, there would still be time left to do everything necessary in a business executive's schedule.
Energy expenditure is generally poorly distributed, not because of functional incompetence, but because of the asynchronicity with which the market responds to our initiatives.
The returns come erratically, sometimes too much, sometimes not so much. There are down periods, where it seems like the world has ended and there is no response. And there are up periods where things "catch fire".
It seems impossible to sort out the agenda and live a normal life.
But in the last 20 years, the commercial sector in companies has been organised with the help of technology and today you can work in modules and reduce entropy (degree of disorder in a system).
First is the establishment of the primary and secondary targets . That way you have the daily thermometer to know where the fever of the commercial operation is.
Secondly, you need to reduce the volume of internal activities: fewer meetings, less coffee breaks, less time clicking the mouse and changing screens. Prioritise interactivity with the market, with an emphasis on oral communication.
Then it's about choosing the "right battles". Some clients are worth it and others are not. If you are the type to "go all out" you will exhaust yourself and lose your sense of priority.
At the end of the day there will be the feeling that a lot of things were not done and were left behind. This is normal. It will always be like that.
The most important part of our function is interactivity with the target market. Extend it and sell more. Extend it even further and sell even more.
