How Does a Fractional VP Sales Make an Impact?

I have found it common that small and mid-sized business Owners/CEOs can have great frustration over their sales results. When they learn about a sales builder who can help, they are curious to learn more. During our initial conversation they often have the following two reactions.

First, they recognize that my diagnosis of what’s causing their sales underperformance is different than the symptoms they’ve been chasing for years. They feel a sense of relief as they digest the solutions I outline that other businesses have successfully applied to convert their sales departments into steady growth engines.

Second, they become curious- sometimes skeptical- about how I can be effective as a Fractional Sales Leader on a part-time basis when previous full-time sales managers were unable to achieve growth targets.

What they don’t understand yet at this early stage is that my role is one of transformation, followed by implementation of a dedicated resource that I help them put in place to drive growth for the long-term.

There is a very deliberate purpose and timing for when VP Sales executive experience is needed versus ongoing Sales Manager tactical execution. Collectively, both roles enable an organization to achieve sustainable growth scalability - the key is "the order of things".

To help satisfy the common curiosity around my fractional model, this article provides first-hand insight into how I go about driving change, adoption, and sales effectiveness in the trenches.

Key Challenges That Make Fractional Sales Leadership Essential

The following challenges are common circumstance when my Fractional Sales Leadership approach can be a swift solution to immediately impact the changes you are looking for in your sales department.

• Owner/CEO is spread too thin by managing both their executive duties and sales, leaving them exhausted and unfocused.
• An unpredictable sales forecast makes proactive business planning nearly impossible.
• The company is vulnerable with 80% of revenue coming from just 15% of its customers.
• The sales team performs inconsistently. The newest reps are struggling to hit quotas even after 2 years on the job.
• The sales pipeline is not even close to being full enough to achieve the company’s revenue targets.

You might be wondering if it’s time to hire a sales manager – but how do you know if you’re ready? Take a moment to read my prior article that was designed to assist in your determination process – “When Should you Hire a Fractional Sales Leader?”.

Optimizing Sales Through Strategic Meeting Cadence

When I take on a full-function Fractional VP Sales role, I usually allocate 1-day/week on average to a client. This schedule can range up-and-down based on the number of salespeople, key initiatives, growth trajectory objectives, etc.

I partner with my client sponsor to design a coverage plan that may involve on-site interaction, virtual engagement, in-field activity, or a mix of all these approaches.

The most valuable asset I bring to every partnership is my deep and broad experience that I gradually developed over decades.

I leverage this experience to locate and focus on the primary dials and levers that will have the greatest impact on my client’s sales results. I am equally focused on not getting hung up in the small things that consume precious time.

I also immediately begin the process of creating a sales culture of accountability and high performance. The common activities I implement are:

• 1-on-1 meetings with each seller on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending on the number of revenue contributors and other varying factors.
• Monthly sales team meetings that are designed to be high-impact group activities.
• Leadership team meeting participation to play an active role in overcoming selling obstacles through effective inter departmental teamwork.

As we firm up the plan for my involvement, what becomes evident to the Owner/President who has been “covering” sales is that they have only been scratching the surface.

In most cases, their schedule demands only allow them to invest 10% of their week running the sales department. They recognized my involvement will bring dramatically more focus, skill development and accountability.

Operationalizing a New Sales System and Driving Adoption

In my Fractional VP Sales role, I don’t “consult” and leave my client with a 3-ring binder or lengthy Power Point deck to implement on their own. I roll up my sleeves and work directly with all revenue contributors and dig into the trenches with them.

I take a hands-on approach implementing the various models, processes, and systems we developed together. I continue leading the transformation by refining the new sales system until it is operating seamlessly as reflected by predetermined metrics and key performance indicators being met.

Here’s a sample of the diverse focus areas that we may agree on as part of my Fractional VP Sales responsibilities...

Sales Coaching & Skill Development

• 1-on-1 sales rep coaching to optimize sales process conversion rates
• Review the sales pipeline and develop strategies to increase volume as needed
• Engage in customer meeting role-play and live/virtual settings… win more deals!
• Oversee and guide the seller’s individual sales plans
• Strategic account planning
• Talent Management – source, onboard, and continually grow talent assets
• Design and facilitate skill development workshops

Sales & Marketing Integration

• Value proposition development to improve competitive differentiation
• Deploy vetted lead generation services to increase sales funnel volume
• Lead process mapping to streamline MQL to SQL hand-off and key accountabilities
• Design and implement prospecting outreach strategy and messaging

Special Projects

• Create or source sales enablement tools to increase seller’s efficiency & effectiveness
• Develop sell-through incentives and contests
• Create pricing parameters to empower sellers with more autonomy – increase selling time

Leadership Team Involvement

• Executive sales contribution in company-level strategic planning
• Partner with Leadership Team colleagues to increase operational efficiency
• Leverage and negotiate strategic partner relationships

….. and so, so much more!

Owners/CEOs are typically coming from product, finance, or entrepreneurial backgrounds. It is uncommon that they are former Heads of Sales.

This results in most of them having very limited, first-hand executive sales leadership background with most of their experience coming from figuring things out on their own.

Having led sales teams in a variety of company sizes and industries, my exposure and background has conditioned me to quickly adapt in new environments.

I won’t say, "I’ve seen it all”, but I can say, “I’ve seen and navigated most of it!”.

In the rare case that I encounter an unfamiliar setting, I have a close-knit network of 200+ Fractional VP Sales colleagues across the US and Canada that enable me to swiftly fill in the gaps.

Click here to explore case studies showcasing tangible results achieved after applying targeted solutions to clients' challenges.

If sales improvement is hot on your to-do list, I welcome your outreach to get a discussion going at dskerlos@salesxceleration.com or book a call through my Scheduling Tool.

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I am part of a national group of Fractional Sales Leaders who collaborate to share insights like the examples shown in this article. We formed because of our shared passion to help business leaders exponentially grow their revenue.