Achieving a Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Overview: In undertaking an examination of sales productivity, it’s useful to sharpen the distinction between the sales environment of yesterday and the one that has emerged in the present decade. In most marketplaces, the sale has become increasingly complex. This complexity is visible along several dimensions. Some of the yesterday-versus-tomorrow comparisons that help describe this shift are as follows: standard vs. sophisticated or customized products/services, single vs. multiple customer contacts involved in the buying process, static vs. dynamic competition, short vs. long sales cycles.Because efficiency measures can be implemented from the top more quickly and decisively than effectiveness measures, it’s natural that efficiency strategies have a greater appeal to most senior managers. Efficiency has another irresistible attraction. It’s easier. Often, to increase efficiency, all you have to do is work harder – make more calls, knock on more doors, telephone for more appointments. You’re doing more of something you already know how to do. Effectiveness, in contrast, is about doing something different. It’s about doing better rather than doing more.

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Format: PDF | Size: 200KB | Date: Jan 2003 | Pages: 10