Kevin Daum, best-selling author of Video Marketing for Dummies posted this article on Inc.com. 

Kevin comments on the top three ways to make your sales department “suck less” (his words, not mine)

1. Fire All Low Producers Today

I couldn’t agree with Kevin more.  The issue here is to have a replacement plan in place.  Every minute you waste on a sales person who does not produce is less time spent with sales people who do produce.  Goldman Sachs is notorious for having a program in place that at the end of the year they automatically fire the bottom 20% of their team.  Imagine your sales department and who would not have made the cut in 2012.

2. Attract Customers Predisposed to Buy

Find customers who actually want your product instead of trying to shove a square peg in a round hole.  Matching the proper products and services with the proper clients is a sure way to close more sales.  Make sure your sales people are focusing on quality prospects instead of quantity. 

3. Turn Your Sales Department Into Account Management

A growing trend in many sales department is to take those sellers who are poor sellers and turn them into Account Managers.  Don’t mistaken the skills for one another.  Great Account Managers are just that, great at managing accounts.  Great sellers often are just that, great sellers.  Rarely do we find sales people who are able to sell millions and manage millions of dollars in accounts.  More importantly, Sales Managers want their best hunters out selling and not working on administrative paperwork all day.  Turn your mid level 30% of your staff into Account Managers, keep hunters as hunters.