Commercial support for startups - Akimbo

While business development increases sales and improves market visibility, this is not an easy task. Start-ups are aware of this and do not hesitate to be supported. Many collaborate with Akimbo to boost the performance of their sales team, on topics of guidance, outsourcing Or of Coaching.

This type of service can help a business identify potential customers, better understand their needs, and establish strategies to reach them. In addition, business development can help a startup build a solid infrastructure and develop in an organized manner.

What is commercial support?

In an environment that is becoming more and more competitive, commercial support is a way tooptimize your sales force Through a action plan. For a startup, this intervention often comes at a key moment in its development.

Internal commercial support

Internal commercial support, as you might expect, is organized around two salespeople from the same company.

It is often a commercial experimented Who will advise A novice or an employee who wants Increase your skills. This type of profile sometimes lacks ripening and can quickly find yourself in trouble against a significant change within its environment or in Her workload.

The role of the coach will be touse your knowledge of the company and the environment to supervise and train the salesperson to manage this situation and become autonomous in the future.

External commercial support

The company manager and/or sales manager can call on a external commercial support company to advise and correct actions of his team.

The speaker uses his outside perspective to give advice on startup practices. According to his observations, he will be able to provide a targeted operational assistance.

Its aim is to establish a results-oriented approach. For this, he is working to make the sales force Of the most startup efficient possible. It may be required to replace certain processes or tools by other methodologies considered more appropriate or productive.

In this article, we will focus more specifically on support. coming from outside.

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Why use commercial support?

• To exploit the maximum of its potential and maximize its chances of success

The startup must structure its commercial development quickly before being overtaken by events. However, its level of ripening does not always allow him toAnticipate future events and how to respond to them.

The speaker will analyze and provide a action plan adapted to needs of the startup while taking into account the Upcoming items.

• To improve the skills of individuals and the business

Paradoxically, the success of a startup can become critical if the performance is not keeping up with the rapid growth in demands. At first, the members knew adapt punctually their individual practices. But the need forinvest and to register in a more sustainable management model quickly becomes necessary. Support indicates the way forward for managing your success and turn it into a situation sustainable and viable.

• To train startup salespeople to manage the rest of the business

When the startup starts experiencing commercial issues And business volumes increasingly important, the internal management Must be revamp See reinventing. The solution is commercial support. It is this intervention that will make it possible to make the business win by times And in productivity. It is a investing in the future of the startup.

What is good commercial support for start-ups?

• Support the startup in the creation or development of its sales process

Support often makes it possible to Take a step back on the performance achieved. The sales coach takes the time to understand the internal and external situation of the startup. These are the elements that determine the success or failure of the project. The intervener, working with the collaborators, brings resources and ideas beneficial to the startup growth.

• Know the functioning and components of the startup

Support must be shown trainer and wholemeal. It may be required for a particular purpose but remains attentive to all the elements that make up the structure. Although the speaker can outsource certain analyses to deepen his remarks, he must Know your subject of study. It must be versatile upon multiple strategies : the digital domain, project management, team management, the search for funding...

• Placing the entrepreneur at the heart of support

The project must be built aroundidentity of the members that make it up. This is why it may be necessary to organize exchange and observation sessions to To know the desires, methods, tools and abilities of salespeople. The support then takes the form ofworkshops Or of participatory training. The aim is comparison of internal and external practices. THEpoise of the two parties form the direction to take. Ce personal development will quickly adapt to the profile of vocational.

• Select the right structure to be supported

According to the need, some support organizations will be revealed more or less interesting. Startups can call on incubators when they are still at the idea stage but a throttle will be more appropriate when they are already launched. Some structures generalists will help to make progress on the overall construction of the project while some experts provide advice on specific skills And a technical support. The interest in choosing this type of organization is their Knowledge of the environment but also the networking with the startup ecosystem.

In this logic, Akimbo, Sales Academy #1 in France, offers a business support offer. Different training programs unto parttime are available according to areas of expertise goals and the wishes of customers. These supports will maximizing performance Startups by working on their prospecting techniques, their commercial posture, the management of appointments or the management of customer accounts.

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Provide effective commercial development support

Effective commercial development occurs in several areas: from executive support to executive coaching to sales force management. Its action is intended multilateral but especially meticulous and organized.

Commercial support: a key to the performance of your start-up?

Once the startup is launched, it will gradually gain momentum and face new challenges.

Commercial support will rethinking the structure of the company in accordance with the Change of scale that takes place.

The objective is to combine quantity and quality services provided by the company.

Reorganizing its production and sales capacity requires times And of theenergy, elements that the startup lacks in periods of commercial expansion. This support will be present during all tasks of the startup. He goes orienting The teams to the good decisions And the good production practices to be applied for Succeed in its adaptation.

This process ensures the profitability And the sustainability of the company.

How to succeed in commercial support?

Be clear about the objective of the support

The role Of the coach must be clear delineated before the visits, or even Revu At each meeting if required. This reflection on the working environment concerns the frequency of visits And the items to be addressed as a priority.

The questions to ask yourself are about The objective of this support. Unblock a folder? Learning new sales techniques or something else?

These reflections will make it possible to target the subject of the intervention And of save time on the action plan.

Prepare support by working hand in hand on the subject

The aim is not to brutally impose new measures on salespeople. Both parties need to work together To return the support efficient.

This cooperation can be carried out through sessions of Debriefing that involve tutti collaborators. These exchanges are an opportunity to Make a point on the situation, on the positives but also negatives in order to suggest areas for improvement.

The “good methods” will emerge from the confrontation Of lived experiences Internally aux good outdoor practices.

Determine the frequency of follow-up and support over time

Both parties must agree to organize commercial support regulars.

From one meeting to another, the salesman goes observe and note remarks and advancements. This is what will allow Monitoring the evolution in order to correct any deviations. It is by becoming aware of the reality of things and the opinions of everyone that the evolution of practices can take place.

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The steps of good commercial support

It's aboutanalyze the past and the present From the startup then Define your future ideal. It is on these elements that the work of commercial support will be based. It includes several steps that will allow a progressive and adaptive integration new practices within the business.

Step 1: Discussion and understanding of support issues

Through sightings And swaps with the manager and his collaborators, the support organization will establish the internal and external diagnosis of the startup.

The role of the salesperson is to confront the current needs of the startup to market developments.

This phase is used to understand and anticipate the elements that will be affected by the restructuring project. The process is meant to collaborative for the sake of satisfy and improve work of all stakeholders.

Step 2: Gathering information on the start-up's commercial strategy

In order to define a Common base of skills and knowledge, the external coach must know the mechanisms on which the start up is based.

Evaluating the actions and customers to be targeted is essential for delineate The commercial strategy.

Observation of situations Real of work allows you to highlight the elements on which to work. It is the best way toguide actions commercial support on the procedures that really require it.

This step corresponds toMarket analysis in order to develop the Business Model.

• Situation on the ground;
• Inspecting the process of selling the product or service;
• Observation of marketing methods;
• Explanation on the use of networks;
• etc.

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Step 3: Data Analysis

Commercial support allows individuals to benefit from a outside view that brings them out of their isolation and their internal habits.

Once the observations have been made and the information gathered, the sales coach seeks to interpret. Analysis consists in comparing knowledge of the sector and the profession aux data collected To bring out a adapted commercial strategy.

Here, the expert formalizes the Business Plan.

Step 4: Advice and application support

Commercial support allows teams to benefit from a knowhow, of a consultancy service And of a expertise news. The whole process is structured and the new objectives Are clearly Defined and Explicited.

• The new internal organization;
• New business goals;
• New sales methods and tools;
• Innovation projects;
• Analysis processes;
• etc...

Beyond the simple communication of the measures to be taken, commercial support continues until The application of the latter. La thoroughness is part of commercial success.

It may also happen that some points are at correct during the passage of the theory To the practice.

Step 5: Debriefing the support between the various actors

The aim is for profits commercial support Last in time. One of the last points to establish with the startup is the business strategy planning.

The intervener ensures that the new ways of working Be understood and accepted by all. Also, it ensures that individuals are trained and motivated to continue their efforts in this direction.

So, the projects are implanted And the Frame to follow is clearly explicit. The challenge is to successful commercial deployment On the longterm.