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Atricle Dump - Is Anyone Really Managing Sales in Your Organization?
Yesterday we talked about using the right "voice" in your sales letter.Meaning, who should actually be doing the selling?Most people sell themselves, but as you discovered, there are some inherent problems with doing this.Writing a sales letter in someone else's voice is another technique that's often used. And many times, this actually gives your offer, and even your entire message, more credibility.And obviously, this is critical to making your pitch as effective as possible.In fact, credibility and beli
• Managers follow up on commitments the salesperson made in the last monthly meeting.
• Coaching.
• Setting goals for the upcoming month.
• Corrective feedback.
• Positive feedback. <
Is building your own inventory management solution really your best bet?The issues that companies face when they decide to build a solution in house are numerous: Scarce development resources, project cost overruns, delivery delays, unexpected technical issues, long-term maintenance issues.For these reasons, you should consider purchasing hosted, flexible, "out-of-the-box" vendor managed inventory (VMI) and web-based inventory solutions that can be running in a matter of days -- rather than months -- all at a fixed monthly price -
In too many companies I observe, salespeople are hired, thrown to the wolves and pretty much left to their own devices to “make it or break it.” When you think about it, this is a pretty nonchalant sales management philosophy, especially in relatively slow periods when your company really needs more business.
Sales is no different than inventory and accounts receivable in that someone must manage sales; that is, if you expect to achieve optimal results. Otherwise, the odds are really high that --- as a group --- the company’s salespeople are not going to achieve their full potential. Salespeople are no different than any other employees, you probably have some salespeople who really don’t need a lot of hands-on management, but then there are several others that will most certainly not make the cut in the absence of the guiding and nurturing influence of a committed manager.
Wouldn’t it be nice if all salespeople did their homework before a prospect call, followed up on all of their customer commitments, planned their week’s work, made effective use of their time, sold all product categories and were skilled at deflecting price objections from hard-bargaining customers? Only in our dreams are all salespeople this mature and disciplined, but most likely not in the real world.
So let’s agree that salespeople stand a better chance of realizing their full potential when they are lucky enough to have a manager who systematically works with them on a scheduled basis. But how does a busy manager pull this off?
The secret is to schedule Monthly One on One Meetings with each salesperson. These monthly meetings are without a doubt the most effective sales management tools I have ever discovered. The following are a few of the items that are included on the agenda in these one on one monthly meetings:
• Managers follow up on commitments the salesperson made in the last monthly meeting.
• Coaching.
• Setting goals for the upcoming month.
• Corrective feedback.
• Positive feedback.
The advantages of online shopping were first utilized by Amazon.com, the leading online shop serving millions of customers throughout the world. Over the years, Amazon has rapidly expanded their business, entering innumerous segments to serve as the one stop shop for online shopping. There are a number of growing online stores which offer the same products or services, but none have been able to match Amazon’s stature.What distinguish Amazon from other online shops are Amazon discount coupons, Amazon promotional offers, and other exclusiv
Wouldn’t it be nice if all salespeople did their homework before a prospect call, followed up on all of their customer commitments, planned their week’s work, made effective use of their time, sold all product categories and were skilled at deflecting price objections from hard-bargaining customers? Only in our dreams are all salespeople this mature and disciplined, but most likely not in the real world.
So let’s agree that salespeople stand a better chance of realizing their full potential when they are lucky enough to have a manager who systematically works with them on a scheduled basis. But how does a busy manager pull this off?
The secret is to schedule Monthly One on One Meetings with each salesperson. These monthly meetings are without a doubt the most effective sales management tools I have ever discovered. The following are a few of the items that are included on the agenda in these one on one monthly meetings:
• Managers follow up on commitments the salesperson made in the last monthly meeting.
• Coaching.
• Setting goals for the upcoming month.
• Corrective feedback.
• Positive feedback. <
I have a friend Barry, a professional driver who regularly drives from Toronto Ontario to Long Beach California, a trip of roughly 4,100 KM. I have done the same drive a number of times, so we often compare notes about restaurants, places of interest, etc. We also talk about how long the drive takes, and what is interesting is that if you take the weather out of it, he tends to make the drive in about 2.8 to 3 days, while it usually takes me 4.75 to 5.5 days. We both go to the same destination, covering the same ground, driving within acceptable
Wouldn’t it be nice if all salespeople did their homework before a prospect call, followed up on all of their customer commitments, planned their week’s work, made effective use of their time, sold all product categories and were skilled at deflecting price objections from hard-bargaining customers? Only in our dreams are all salespeople this mature and disciplined, but most likely not in the real world.
So let’s agree that salespeople stand a better chance of realizing their full potential when they are lucky enough to have a manager who systematically works with them on a scheduled basis. But how does a busy manager pull this off?
The secret is to schedule Monthly One on One Meetings with each salesperson. These monthly meetings are without a doubt the most effective sales management tools I have ever discovered. The following are a few of the items that are included on the agenda in these one on one monthly meetings:
• Managers follow up on commitments the salesperson made in the last monthly meeting.
• Coaching.
• Setting goals for the upcoming month.
• Corrective feedback.
• Positive feedback. <
Selling your own fragrance is complex, rewarding and profitable. Complex because there are so many items to be considered bottles, labels, packaging, shipping, size and price.Rewarding because there is nothing quite like the buzz of seeing your product in a quality store being bought by a customer. Profitable because if your program is successful you can expect to sell a large number of bottles depending on the way or ways you have chosen to market your perfume.Perhaps the most important consideration you will have to undertake is
So let’s agree that salespeople stand a better chance of realizing their full potential when they are lucky enough to have a manager who systematically works with them on a scheduled basis. But how does a busy manager pull this off?
The secret is to schedule Monthly One on One Meetings with each salesperson. These monthly meetings are without a doubt the most effective sales management tools I have ever discovered. The following are a few of the items that are included on the agenda in these one on one monthly meetings:
• Managers follow up on commitments the salesperson made in the last monthly meeting.
• Coaching.
• Setting goals for the upcoming month.
• Corrective feedback.
• Positive feedback. <
As a business owner, you're no longer sitting in your too-small cubicle waiting to be called to HR for yet another downsizing in yet another company. No more being told when you can take lunch, make a personal call or, heavens forbid, go to the bathroom.Owning your own business comes with lots of perks. One of them that is frequently overlooked however is that you now have the ability to fire a client.Stop and think about that for a moment. As a business owner, you don’t need to take on every client that comes along and can *fir
• Managers follow up on commitments the salesperson made in the last monthly meeting.
• Coaching.
• Setting goals for the upcoming month.
• Corrective feedback.
• Positive feedback.
• Training.
• Developing strategies to accomplish specific goals.
• Prospective customer review and discussion of the next step.
Group sales meetings certainly have their place in every organization for information sharing, education, getting feedback from the sales force, discussing market conditions, etc., but group meetings severely limit the manager’s ability to address individual issues that must be addressed with individual salespeople.
Here are some of the questions I find to be useful in one on one meetings:
• What do you believe is preventing you from covering your draw?
• What are the top three obstacles you are having the most difficulty overcoming?
• If these three obstacles that you have identified were to go away, expressed in dollars, how much do you believe your sales would improve?
• What are the key strengths you believe our company has to offer your customer base?
• In what areas do you believe our competitors have the upper hand?
• What are your income goals for 2007?
• What sales and gross profit will you need to produce in 2007 to achieve your income goals?
The answers your salespeople give you in response to each of these questions will open your eyes and give you the insight you’re looking for to determine what is standing between each member of the sales force and a higher level of success.
Document Each Meeting: I recommend keeping good notes from each one on one meeting in a spiral binder that you keep in each salesperson’s file. THE MOST CRITICAL KEY to success in management is following up, and perhaps just as important: that each salesperson knows that you will follow up.
When you and yo
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Related Articles:
Accounts Receivable Collection
The Five Phases of Selling - Part 3
Touchpoint Tuesday: 7 Unforgettable Follow-Up Approaches
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