Formalizing Commitment

WHAT does "formalizing commitment" (or any other sales competency) mean to an executive, corporate behavioral psychologist, or sales trainer? These Leaders want to build a BEST Sales Company. They are concerned about building a sales culture that focuses on business sales education, human performance and ROI measurement of training.

WHAT vs. HOW

The ASTD Sales Training Drivers World Class Competency Model defines the "WHAT" in sales training not the "How To". It outlines a "framework" of competencies by which sales management can be managed. It also provides a "learning function" for building the sales organization and defines the roles that ensures sustainability. Formalizing commitment is a "competency". It is NOT just about "closing the sale" which is a "how" factor in sales execution. There are plenty of books and research on "how" to close the sale. The World Class Competency Model supports an educational culture or departmental business "backbone" so that executing the "how" strategies ( like "closing the sale" or "overcoming objections, or teaching the team how to "bond and build rapport" can be taught effectively!

Explaining to you what formalizing commitment means is just way of defining how a sales competency "fits" into the creation of a World Class Sales Organization.

There are 5 actions that define the sales competency of "Formalizing Commitment".

1. Solutions are guided and formalized by the implementation of commitments and agreements.

2. Commitments secure the requirements leading to an intelligent buying decision.

3. Building business support in contractual agreements that ensure sustainability.

4. Communicating verbal and written agreements in a timely fashion to stakeholders.

5. Document and amend written agreements to reflect negotiated decisions.

Sales Trainers will also want to integrate teaching commitment concepts that integrate with human performance skill building including: business behavior modeling and building trust to ensure a successful long term client relationship. Try exposing your sales team to many forms of written contracts to formalize our relationships. Written literacy and laws, seals, signatures, and value of exchange via bills, checks, bearer certificates and accounting /bookkeeping systems are other examples ways we formalize commitments.

The contract is the foundation of a strong marketplace whether it is a retail, wholesale, commercial, residential, corporate or a consumer sale. It can be a legal binding agreement for the exchange of a good, service or a barter, Formalizing commitments are also key when safeguarding or resolving potential conflicts that may arise from misunderstandings.

NEVER make an agreement in business based on verbal commitment if you can help it. As trust is an issue here, in this age of marketplace exchange, business transactions are vulnerable to security breaches and hearsay judgment calls by unscrupulous types with fraudulent intent.

Information security is a very important reality today that must be adhered to during business transactions. The Internet has allowed business professionals to secure new kinds of relationships in this new environment, just as contract law, business forms, and accounting principles have formalized commitments and secured business relationships on paper. Always be careful to use common sense when getting involved with any financial transactions. Make sure that all parties are in agreement and signatures are verified by 3rd party witnesses.

Listed below are areas where formalized commitment will exist in a sales and marketing business environment where employees and clients are involved. Sales Trainers will want to review this list with HR to make sure they are in compliance with delivery of training of sales professionals.

• Written Standards of Conduct

• Detailed Policies and Procedures

• Compliance and contractual agreements

• Infrastructure to manage programs

• Comprehensive training programs to help understand compliance, polices, procedures, marketing and sales guidelines, and benefits programs.

• Monitoring and reporting elements

• Grievance System to respond to complaints, allegations, and disciplinary action.

• Audits, assessments, informal reviews to identify problems, conduct on-going monitoring of sales and marketing function.

• Reports that assist in the identification, investigation, remediation, of systemic problems and development of corrective action plans.

While many of these guidelines are put in place to control sales and marketing actions and decisions, it may be difficult to enforce them within larger organizations. You may not be able to cover every situation in the daily conduct of a sales professionals many varied activities.

• Sales management structure

• Training: Written Commitment of Compliance

• Training Evaluation: Web Based or Classroom

• Ensure participation

• Record Attendance

• Test Results

• System Employee or Contractor Number / ID

• Maintaining employment files

• Lead Distribution and Tracking

• Generating and analyzing all Agent Monitoring Reports

• Direct manage Supervise organize and coordinate all sales activities.

• Develop selling strategies to enhance sales growth and customer retention

• Review agent performance

• Develop and document corrective action plans

• One on one counseling

• Marketing guidelines

• Benchmark Reporting

• Assessment, study or investigation.

• Pipeline Report

• Sales closing verification process

• Closing Percentage Report

• Application Verification

• Cancellation Report

• Sales Allegation

• Performance Review