I had an interesting discussion with a man today that owns his own software and services company. He would fit into that midsize area with only 180 employees. With the revenue that he explained to me that they were pulling in, it was pretty clear that the current economy wasn't doing to much damage to his business (if he was telling the truth). He said something on the call that got me thinking. He was explaining to me that his large sales team produces the revenue for the company. The field sales and the inside sales groups produce the most money for the business.

I started scratching my head. Do sales people really produce revenue for a business? Well I guess it's a matter of semantics. I think the customers are the ones producing revenue for a business, not a sales person. It's the customers wallet the money is coming out of so wouldn't it make sense?

The point of a sales person either field or inside is to take an opportunity and then move it through the sales cycle. Getting the customer from being interested in a product or service and actually paying for it. Marketing should be targeting new customers with actionable messaging that turns into the opportunity. But it all comes back to the customer being your primary source of revenue.

Do you agree or disagree?

Source - http://socomsales.com/word/2008/sales-people-do-not-produce-revenue/