There are many ways in which a company can improve its profits. For example it can cut costs, if there are any left to cut; suppliers can be squeezed if there is any juice left in the orange; acquisitions, mergers and disposals are other ways of increasing profits; and of course let us not forget restructuring and refocusing, the favourite terms in press releases, as companies try to convince analysts that the extraordinary charge on their P & L was justified. Most if not all, of the above are expensive, some extremely expensive, some are short term and some potentially dangerous.

In our opinion there is another way, and maybe it is taken for granted - and that is to sell more, sell better, and sell faster. After all greater volumes, better margins, and improved cash flow are not far from most executives priorities, and these are the benefits that come from selling more, selling better and selling faster.

Also it is relatively cheap to implement. No its not! is the cry from the frustrated CFO who after three years implementing a CRM system at a preposterous cost, is still waiting to see some bottom line benefits. Oh no its not! is the cry from the equally frustrated HR Director as he trips over a pile of unused sales training manuals and strategic selling charts. This may seem a little harsh, and it probably is, but werent there good sales people before the introduction of IT systems and complex sales techniques?

Much is written in the business pages and journals about all aspects of business, but so little about selling.

The fundamentals of selling are simple; find a prospect who needs something you have to sell, and has the money to pay for it. Convince them of the value of your proposition, counter their objections and ask for the order. Sales people flourish in an organisation where there is a clear business plan with realistic goals, a well defined, unambiguous sales strategy, a strong value proposition, and a supportive management environment. If an organization has these attributes a well managed and motivated sales force will do the execution.

The next time you are planning a strategic review to enhance shareholder value, or just to improve profits, make sure you ask the question, Whatever happened to selling?