You can’t just . . .

create a new comp plan and commission structure

hire a two new sales reps

redo the sales process

change the sales strategy

go after new customers

implement a new CRM

promote a new sales manager

establish new territories

start content marketing

create a sales operations function

establish and inside sales team

build an outside sales team

create a team evaluation process

develop a channel strategy

do anything . . .

Building, creating, establishing, starting, and developing takes more than “just.”

I hear more clients and prospects approach their problems with; “We just need to do create a new comp plan.” or “We’ll just change the commission structure.” or “Let’s just create and inside sales team.”

Thinking you can “just” do any of those things is easy to do. You’re smart. You understand your business. You’ve properly identified the problem. Why can’t you “just do it?”

Because, you can’t!

Just because you’ve identified the problem doesn’t mean the solution is easy.

When we operate from the attitude of we’ll just create a new comp plan, we don’t document the desired outcomes of the comp plan and end up creating one that doesn’t incent the right behaviors.

When we set out to “just” hire a new sales person we end up hiring a farmer when we really need a hunter.

When we set out to “just” implement a new sales process we end up with stages that don’t correspond in any meaningful way to the selling process.

When we decide we “just” need a CRM, we get a database with a crap load of data no one wants to use.

Identifying the problem and not the symptom is great. It sets us up for success. But, solving the problem requires more than pin pointing a solution. It requires crafting the RIGHT solution for you and your problem and then executing flawlessly, neither of which can be done by just  . . . doing it.

When we decide we JUST need to do something we are dismissing its complexity and it rarely gets done right.

Important initiatives require more than “just” effort.  They require a substantial effort; effort that takes time, planning, assessment, commitment, knowledge expertise and more.

In this case, Nike is wrong. Don’t just do it. Do it right.