Dave Mattson

The “forecast” from the salesperson is not based on any meaningful data. It’s more of a guess. Often, what sales leaders hear is best translated as, “See, I’m a closer!” Or, if a deal collapses, as, “Look, it wasn’t my fault.”

Some people refer to this trend as the AI revolution, but I prefer to call it Accelerated Digital Transformation. That’s a label that covers a lot of territory, I know, but there’s a lot going on right now, and a big label seems to fit what we’re dealing with.

In the business community, we are always searching for slight edges. We always try to get more business–by earning it. We always want our clients to buy additional products and services from us, and we always want them to become advocates on our behalf over the long term. Those are all things we want. And there’s nothing wrong with being part of an organization that wants them.

If you’re a sales leader, and your team is producing, I really do believe that’s because of your ability to do what an air traffic controller does. You’re just like the skilled professional with the headset on, monitoring the screen, taking in all the relevant information, and ensuring that all the takeoffs, all the landings, and all the decisions in between proceed according to plan. 

It’s usually pretty easy for us to think about the seller’s journey. That’s our sales process, and most of us are accustomed to thinking about that journey, simply because we already know what our own decision-making process looks like for deciding who we want to work with (and who we don’t). But what about the buyer’s decision-making process?

As an effective sales leader, you want to ensure, through your personal example, that you are walking your talk when it comes to decisions that support the first two pillars, sales process and methodology. Here are three important ways you can do that.

Your sales process is the steps you follow – the "what to do." Your sales methodology is the tactics and strategies you implement to execute that process – the “how to do it.”  With that much settled, it’s time to take a deep dive on the critical question of how your technology can best support your implementation efforts with your team – so that each person who reports to you works at optimal efficiency and produces consistent, predictable revenue for your organization.

Leaders can think of these areas as four pillars—four critical supports that the most effective sales leaders take full advantage of. Building a team without taking advantage of all four pillars can be a devastating strategic mistake.

In an article originally published at Forbes.com for the Forbes Business Development Council, Sandler CEO and President David Mattson details the modern buyer’s journey.

This article’s title is intended as the highest possible compliment. If you’re a sales leader, and your team is producing, I really do believe that’s because of your ability to do what an air traffic controller does.