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Atricle Dump - Sales Management Neglect...the Real Cost
Are you a manager? Would you like more available time? Yes, then read on . . . How come you’ve worked hard all day but haven’t started the one task that was most important to you? As a manager, how come your daily work schedule often falls in a heap by mid-morning? Who’s got the monkey? The answer is, you have - probably several! “Management Time: Who’s got the Monkey” has been the second most popular management article ever published by the Harvard Business Review (“Management Time: Who’s got the Monkey”, by William Oncken and Donald Wass, first published by Harvard Business Review, 1974) and has been reprinted several times. Thirty odd years later, the message Oncken and Wass sent us on management, still holds true today. They suggested that there are three types of management-imposed time pressure – Boss, System, and Self. Boss-imposed time pressure Activities, which must be accomplished, or we’ll suffer the consequences! System-imposed time pressure Those activities/requests which come from peers and colleagues. The penalties are not so severe or as s
Not long ago, I traveled to the American East Coast to speak on selling at a chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA), of which I am a member in Los Angeles. This NSA chapter had been meeting at the same suburban area hotel on the same Saturday of each month for the previous three years. This particular Saturday in January was to be d
Many entrepreneurs start up service companies thinking that they are going to be plumbers, lawyers, dentists, realtors etc. Or they decide to sell coffee, candy or clothes. They all make the same mistake – successful businesses do not sell services or goods – they are marketing companies. Marketing is the engine that drives your business!If you remember that the core skill that you should learn and your main activity is marketing your business then you are on your way to success.Your product or service may be different to everyone else’s – you may have the best product there is and you may have thousands of potential customers – but how will they find you? No matter what you sell, who you sell it to and how you sell it – you need customers!If you want people to beat a path to your door you’ve got to tell them the benefits of buying from you. Make your irresistible offer and lead them through every step of the purchasing process:* Be sure you answer the big question on their minds... “What's in it for me?” Once people’s basic needs are met, this is why people buy the majority of items. If you don’t answer this one
In the world of selling, mediocrity can demand untold costs. In selling, there are generally two categories: hunters and farmers. The hunters are the sales people, both inside and outside, that specialize in going after new business—their thrust is the hunt, bringing in new customers. Farmers on the other hand specialize in nurturing house accounts and business that the hunters have brought in. Too often, organizations will settle for farmers that are mediocre, or careless and don’t tend to their crops. The prices businesses or organizations pay for allowing this kind of behavior are truly unnecessary.
My first real job in outside sales, other than selling encyclopedias door-to-door, was in selling to retailers. The owner of the business, Ray Kahn, once told me, “If you lose an account because you were out sold, it’s okay. But, if you lose an account because you weren’t paying attention to that account—you’re out of here!” Several years later, I saw first-hand that he meant it. Ray fired a hunter/farmer salesman, Mike that had been with him for a decade. Unfortunate for all that were involved, Mike got complacent and lazy, losing a major account because he wasn’t paying attention to the needs of the customer.
When a farmer doesn’t pay attention, it is an absolute travesty. Mike was an okay hunter, but not a great farmer. This situation is not unusual. If you manage sales people and you tolerate a farmer not tending to their crops (accounts), I believe that you are just as guilty as your farmer sales person. It is you, after all, to whom they are accountable.
Not long ago, I traveled to the American East Coast to speak on selling at a chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA), of which I am a member in Los Angeles. This NSA chapter had been meeting at the same suburban area hotel on the same Saturday of each month for the previous three years. This particular Saturday in January was to be di
Following on from the last edition of The Organised Times where we spoke about developing the people in your business, this week we're focussing on the importance of the continual development of your managers.Leadership comes from the top down. Poor management skills is the cause of most employee dissatisfaction and results in their poor performance.The following article by Nathan Chanesman from My Profile is worthwhile reading:Poor management skills lead to poor employee performanceIt's disheartening to read that poor management skills is the cause of most business dissatisfaction. You'd think that with all the training and investment that has gone into this topic that we'd learnt by now to get it right.Employees have lost trust in the companies they work for Kelly Services Survey published in October last year indicated that 47% of Australian employees believe "that companies do not have their best interests at heart".Dissatisfaction seems to be the order of the day. 50% of Australia's workforce want to quit it's job and nearly 40% reported that they often "woke up in the morning not willing to face the d
My first real job in outside sales, other than selling encyclopedias door-to-door, was in selling to retailers. The owner of the business, Ray Kahn, once told me, “If you lose an account because you were out sold, it’s okay. But, if you lose an account because you weren’t paying attention to that account—you’re out of here!” Several years later, I saw first-hand that he meant it. Ray fired a hunter/farmer salesman, Mike that had been with him for a decade. Unfortunate for all that were involved, Mike got complacent and lazy, losing a major account because he wasn’t paying attention to the needs of the customer.
When a farmer doesn’t pay attention, it is an absolute travesty. Mike was an okay hunter, but not a great farmer. This situation is not unusual. If you manage sales people and you tolerate a farmer not tending to their crops (accounts), I believe that you are just as guilty as your farmer sales person. It is you, after all, to whom they are accountable.
Not long ago, I traveled to the American East Coast to speak on selling at a chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA), of which I am a member in Los Angeles. This NSA chapter had been meeting at the same suburban area hotel on the same Saturday of each month for the previous three years. This particular Saturday in January was to be d
Before you can develop an effective marketing plan for your business, you must know the answers to the following key questions and then proceed to preparing a feasibility study.What business are you really in?What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of your company?What are the strengths and weaknesses of your products/services?What are your company’s goals?Identifying Strengths and WeaknessesCompany imageProducts and services (including price)Benefits to customersThe cost of producing these products or servicesManagement skillsHuman resourcesBusiness locationFacilities and equipmentFinancial situation, including financing, cash flow and net profitsSetting Company GoalsUnrealistic vs. Realistic Inconsistent vs. Consistent Not Specific vs. Specific Not measurable vs. MeasurableTo be successful make sure your goals are Realistic, Consistent, Specific and Measurable. It sounds easy but, it requires careful thought and honesty.Analyzing the MarketIn order to analyze the potential for your business, you need to a
My first real job in outside sales, other than selling encyclopedias door-to-door, was in selling to retailers. The owner of the business, Ray Kahn, once told me, “If you lose an account because you were out sold, it’s okay. But, if you lose an account because you weren’t paying attention to that account—you’re out of here!” Several years later, I saw first-hand that he meant it. Ray fired a hunter/farmer salesman, Mike that had been with him for a decade. Unfortunate for all that were involved, Mike got complacent and lazy, losing a major account because he wasn’t paying attention to the needs of the customer.
When a farmer doesn’t pay attention, it is an absolute travesty. Mike was an okay hunter, but not a great farmer. This situation is not unusual. If you manage sales people and you tolerate a farmer not tending to their crops (accounts), I believe that you are just as guilty as your farmer sales person. It is you, after all, to whom they are accountable.
Not long ago, I traveled to the American East Coast to speak on selling at a chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA), of which I am a member in Los Angeles. This NSA chapter had been meeting at the same suburban area hotel on the same Saturday of each month for the previous three years. This particular Saturday in January was to be d
Career Placement Test your strengths and weaknessesCareer placement test is taken by persons who wanted to know what careers suits them. It is also a way to determine if a person needs help in deciding what course or career he or she will take up upon finishing his or her current status. Career placement test is applicable to high school students and degree holder persons.Career placement test is particularly helpful if a person has difficulty in choosing on what path to select after graduating from high school or college. Yes, it may be helpful but not all can benefit from career placement test. This is so because on some the result of a career placement test is a far cry from what they really want to be.For this, I can say that career placement test is there only to give you a hint or to guide you but not to influence your decisions. The important thing that you should do is to contemplate by yourself and think what you really like to be in the future.Assess yourself by carefully studying your strengths and weaknesses. In reference to the results of your assessme
When a farmer doesn’t pay attention, it is an absolute travesty. Mike was an okay hunter, but not a great farmer. This situation is not unusual. If you manage sales people and you tolerate a farmer not tending to their crops (accounts), I believe that you are just as guilty as your farmer sales person. It is you, after all, to whom they are accountable.
Not long ago, I traveled to the American East Coast to speak on selling at a chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA), of which I am a member in Los Angeles. This NSA chapter had been meeting at the same suburban area hotel on the same Saturday of each month for the previous three years. This particular Saturday in January was to be d
One of the best administrative professionals, and most productive people I know, is my mother. She is 78 years old and still works full-time as the personal assistant to the CEO of a bank! (I come from great genes – it makes me very optimistic about my long-term future!) One of her secrets to productivity is what is often called “a tickler file.” Many people used to employ such a system, but like a lot of good things, people stopped using it, even though it was so simple. Basically the tickler file is a reminder system based on the days of the month, and months of the year, and simply consists of a set of file folders, “1-31” and “January – December”.Under the heading of “everything old is new again” – it is time to bring that old system back – only it’s bigger and better than ever before. Now called “The GO System: Get Organized for Life”, it is a new 2-hour seminar being offered by many of the PTACs (Productivity Trainer and Authorized Consultants) around the country – and let me tell you why I’m so excited about it!Surveys show that people’s stress levels are at an all-time high – and a major source of that stress is “informa
Not long ago, I traveled to the American East Coast to speak on selling at a chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA), of which I am a member in Los Angeles. This NSA chapter had been meeting at the same suburban area hotel on the same Saturday of each month for the previous three years. This particular Saturday in January was to be different.
The “you know what” hit the fan late Friday night. Following dinner that evening, my contact with the group dropped me back at the hotel where I was staying and where the meeting would be the next day. In passing, she asked if I knew that I’d be presenting the next morning in the hotel’s restaurant…during regular service hours…to the public? Their usual meeting room had been booked out from under them. Well, that was a surprise that was to me.
Three days earlier, when the NSA Chapter’s program chair called the hotel to check if everything was in place for their coming Saturday meeting, the hotel sales contact, Lois, told the program chair that they had no reservation for the group for the coming Saturday. And, Lois told the program chair that the room they usually use, along with every other meeting room and space in the hotel was also sold out. Wow, what a predicament! Even worse, Lois offered no possible solutions to a long-time customer.
The meeting chair asked Lois how this could be? Especially since the group had been using that meeting room the same Saturday of the month for the past three years and had an on-going relationship. Lois answered by stating that she thought it was odd that the organization had not signed a contract for the coming year. Lois continued by stating that since the hotel’s customers “call them” she didn’t give it a second thought. Excuse me! If I was Lois’ boss, I’d do to her what Ray Kahn did to Mike—fire ‘em! There is no excuse for this kind of behavior.
That farmer, Lois, definitely was not tending her crops (accounts). Can you believe it? Worse, the sales person was ignorant enough to state, “Our customers call us.” She sold the room out from under this group. Perhaps because the group to whom she sold the room was generating higher revenue? Perhaps she was only mindful of
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