What is the most important business function in your company?
In an IT service company the most important business function is that of sales. You can have the best ideas in the world, the best personnel, and the brightest management but if your sales team falls down the entire operation will fall down.
Having an effective sales strategy as well as the right person to implement can it mean the difference between a successful innovative operation and a dud. I have seen several companies with good potential fall flat when it comes to sales. The number of sales people notwithstanding, if the sales strategy is not effective and there is no drive behind implementing it the product or service will not be marketed effectively.
Sales and marketing come hand in hand and while large companies separate the two, in a small firm the function can be combined into one individual with a commensurate salary.
When choosing your team, a startup must be exceptionally judicious about who they hire. A misstep particularly in the sales department will thwart successful operation. The only way to resolve a situation like this is to reassess the sales approach and either replace the weak link or coach the fumbling sales team to success.
Inability or unwillingness to change the business process in the face of adversity will bring down a business despite the best efforts of management.
By: Gene Leshinsky, A Boston Technical Recruiter
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.
