Anyone can sell in the good times!
As a sales manager you need a road-map to help navigate and drive results in a tough market economy. The fact is, it doesn't really take a great a salesperson (or manager) to achieve quota in times of double digit market returns. But what should you as a sales-leader do when the economy hits the skids?
What are you going to do to ensure your team achieves their targets when the market is flat?
Most managers are promoted into their roles because they were "good salespeople". Managing a team is very different! Managing a sales team in tough times is very stressful. Many struggle!
How do you as the leader plan to achieve your budget when there is so much indecision and fear in the market? Think about it, do you really know how each of your salespeople are going perform in these troubled times?
For most sales-managers it takes years of trial and error to master the art of managing a team.
The 5 critical skills of Sales-Leaders:
There are 5 critical skills that Leaders must master if they are to effectively move beyond their current limitations and drive increased results, whilst at the same time engaging their entire team preventing them from being poached by the competition.
Sales-Performance Coaching has been proven to deliver the fastest and most effective sales creation vehicle to drive your growth. One-to-one performance coaching is a powerful and time tested sales acceleration strategy. When mastered, it will maximise your growth whilst at the same time help to build a foundation of permanent growth in your business.
Sales-Optimisation Planning when done effectively, is a powerful yet simple tool which rapidly generates measurable results and is easy to introduce, control and monitor for quick wins. Whilst there are many strategy and planning methodologies around, the object of the exercise must be 'execution'.If the planning process is too complicated or it lacks simple and tactical objectives, implementation gets put into the 'too hard basket'. Each territory and individual Representative should have an effective plan that focuses on execution and delivery of outcomes.
Streamlined-Sales Process - A Sales-Process Map is a powerful sales consistency creation tool which captures the science for the best way to sell your products/services in your specific market. A well designed Process includes a series of pre-determined customer-focused steps that will enable your salespeople to substantively increase win rates, build customer retention and increase revenue production on a consistent basis. Each step consists of several key activities and must have predictable and measurable performance outcomes.
Sales Skill and Capability Development - For Sales capability training to be effective it must be tailored to suit your selling environment and market. Effective skill development should be based on the principle that 70% of all workplace learning happens on the job and not in the classroom. Whilst your Team may have all been trained in a specific selling methodology, many still fail to implement the elected training methodology to extract its full value. The most effective way to boost the capabilities of each salesperson is to tailor specific selling skills based on their individual needs.
Individual Performance Motivation - There is an enormous body of research out there which points to the fact that we are all motivated and driven by different needs and wants. The most effective salesperson motivation method lies in focusing on the individual.Most sales incentives and motivational drives are generally directed at the Sales Team, whereas an individually based performance strategy delivers far superior results. An individual performance management strategy should be specifically tailored to suit each of the members of your Team with a view to drive their sales development and growth, as well as ensuring the execution of their exclusive growth plan. A programme like this will also have the added benefit of enhancing the retention of your top performers.
As one of Australia's leading authorities and coaches in sales management, Ian Segail has been involved in the coaching, training and development of sales managers and salespeople for over two decades.
Drawing on 25 years of experience in sales, sales management and leading an HR and training team, Ian brings a strong dose of fiscal reality and practicality to his works as a Sales Performance Coach.
Engaging directly with business owners and both novice and experienced sales managers alike, across a wide variety of industries and selling disciplines, the focus of Ian's work is to transform sales results for companies by improving sales management practices.
Ian is the author of "Bulletproof Your Sales Team - The 5 Keys To Turbo-Boosting Your Sales Team's Results" and a number of business articles, business reports and white papers including "The fish stinks from the head!" and "Why Sales Training Doesn't Work."
Ian has an insatiable hunger for studying selling and people management and has passionately pursued answers to the question "How come some people can sell and most can't?"
Find out why sales training doesn't work by downloading Ian's whitepaper from http://www.salestutor.com.au/Content_Common/pg-Salestutor-Tools-and-Resources-Articles-and-Whitepapers.seo
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Segail
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Newsletter Marketing - An Inexpensive But Effective Way To Increase Sales
Want to increase your company's equipment and service sales through marketing and promotional programs but don't have the big ticket budget for advertising or promotion?
Try using an inexpensive but effective Newsletter E-mail Marketing program.
What is Newsletter E-Mail Marketing?
The purpose behind newsletter marketing would be to promote your company's products and services, and to enhance its image and reputation as a professional, dependable, and knowledgeable entity.
Newsletter marketing offers some of the benefits typically gained from On-Hold Promotions, in that it informs the customer about promotional specials or new items and services offered by your company. But an added advantage to you is that your promotional message is delivered to your customers or prospects on a regular basis, rather than your waiting for your customers to hear your promo message only when they call your company and are put on hold. In addition, your newsletter's content gives your prospect motivation to open your newsletter and read it when he receives it.
How is all this accomplished?
A weekly--or monthly--newsletter with your company name, logo, and promotional information is created, along with news, tips, articles, advice, and information which are all selected on the basis of their potential interest to your customers. After your newsletter is approved by you, it is then E-mailed to a list of customers or prospects of your choosing.
Newsletter Format and Content
Your newsletter format is designed with these factors in mind.
* Contents of each issue includes current and of particular interest to business people
* New information, tips, news, advice, include articles and announcements about services, products, and new technology (excluding items which might promote your competitors, their services, or products), is chosen from professional articles and news releases, and replaces old copy from previous newsletter issues.
* Your company name and logo are displayed in a prominent location on each newsletter intended to project the impression that the newsletter is created and published by your company, or at least that your company is an expert in this field.
* Advertisements (except for your company promotions) from other vendors are not published in the newsletter.
* Your Company Promotions
Each newsletter will feature a special column or space designed to promote your company, its products, and its services, such as:
* Monthly equipment or services pricing discounts
* Promotional information about your company, such as new equipment and services you are adding to your line
* Special recognition, awards, or achievements of your company's executives or employees
* Personnel or management changes at your company
* Changes in company policies and services
Newsletter Service
A Newsletter service is one that is in business to help create and mail newsletters. In addition to mailing your newsletter, these services typically include reports that tell you which recipients actually open E-mails containing your newsletter.
How does this newsletter process work?
A simple four-step procedure allows you to choose your newsletter content and send it to selected prospects or customers, without printing costs or postage. All you pay for is a small fee for using the newsletter service (usually $.01 to $.02 per E-mail recipient). Or, if you work with a service that designs your newsletter and writes copy for you, there will typically be a small fee for that.
Step 1: You choose the template and format which you think will be of greatest interest to your prospects who receive your newsletter, along with a format which best represents your company, its services, products, and its policies.
Step 2: You create (and submit to your newsletter design service, if you have one) monthly specials, promotions, or news about your company (such as new products and service, upgrades, monthly pricing specials, etc.) which you'll want inserted into your newsletter template.
Step 3: Your template (if you use a design service) with your inserted company information is submitted to you for your approval.
Step 4: You E-mail your final template to a list of customers and/or prospects you have added to your E-mail list. (You can also print the one-page template to be used as a stuffer, hand out, or prospecting piece)
Using your newsletter for promotion in prospecting or in presentations to prospective customers
By including prospective customers in your Newsletter E-mail list, you keep your company name information in front of prospective customers, so that when they decide to purchase systems or service you can provide, your company will be one which the prospect contacts for quotes or information.
In following these simple steps, even a manager with little or no experience in newsletter marketing will be able to easily create an effective tool in marketing his products and services.
Garry Steck is publisher of Telcom Today, a newsletter for managers of telephone sales and service companies across the U.S., in addition to his 30 years as an independent telecom consultant. Among his most successful marketing programs, he lists newsletters as being near the top. He says a large portion of his new clients came to him as a result of his company's newsletters.
You will find reprints from his newsletter articles on telecommunications on his website: http://www.telcommgtassociates.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garry_Steck
Try using an inexpensive but effective Newsletter E-mail Marketing program.
What is Newsletter E-Mail Marketing?
The purpose behind newsletter marketing would be to promote your company's products and services, and to enhance its image and reputation as a professional, dependable, and knowledgeable entity.
Newsletter marketing offers some of the benefits typically gained from On-Hold Promotions, in that it informs the customer about promotional specials or new items and services offered by your company. But an added advantage to you is that your promotional message is delivered to your customers or prospects on a regular basis, rather than your waiting for your customers to hear your promo message only when they call your company and are put on hold. In addition, your newsletter's content gives your prospect motivation to open your newsletter and read it when he receives it.
How is all this accomplished?
A weekly--or monthly--newsletter with your company name, logo, and promotional information is created, along with news, tips, articles, advice, and information which are all selected on the basis of their potential interest to your customers. After your newsletter is approved by you, it is then E-mailed to a list of customers or prospects of your choosing.
Newsletter Format and Content
Your newsletter format is designed with these factors in mind.
* Contents of each issue includes current and of particular interest to business people
* New information, tips, news, advice, include articles and announcements about services, products, and new technology (excluding items which might promote your competitors, their services, or products), is chosen from professional articles and news releases, and replaces old copy from previous newsletter issues.
* Your company name and logo are displayed in a prominent location on each newsletter intended to project the impression that the newsletter is created and published by your company, or at least that your company is an expert in this field.
* Advertisements (except for your company promotions) from other vendors are not published in the newsletter.
* Your Company Promotions
Each newsletter will feature a special column or space designed to promote your company, its products, and its services, such as:
* Monthly equipment or services pricing discounts
* Promotional information about your company, such as new equipment and services you are adding to your line
* Special recognition, awards, or achievements of your company's executives or employees
* Personnel or management changes at your company
* Changes in company policies and services
Newsletter Service
A Newsletter service is one that is in business to help create and mail newsletters. In addition to mailing your newsletter, these services typically include reports that tell you which recipients actually open E-mails containing your newsletter.
How does this newsletter process work?
A simple four-step procedure allows you to choose your newsletter content and send it to selected prospects or customers, without printing costs or postage. All you pay for is a small fee for using the newsletter service (usually $.01 to $.02 per E-mail recipient). Or, if you work with a service that designs your newsletter and writes copy for you, there will typically be a small fee for that.
Step 1: You choose the template and format which you think will be of greatest interest to your prospects who receive your newsletter, along with a format which best represents your company, its services, products, and its policies.
Step 2: You create (and submit to your newsletter design service, if you have one) monthly specials, promotions, or news about your company (such as new products and service, upgrades, monthly pricing specials, etc.) which you'll want inserted into your newsletter template.
Step 3: Your template (if you use a design service) with your inserted company information is submitted to you for your approval.
Step 4: You E-mail your final template to a list of customers and/or prospects you have added to your E-mail list. (You can also print the one-page template to be used as a stuffer, hand out, or prospecting piece)
Using your newsletter for promotion in prospecting or in presentations to prospective customers
By including prospective customers in your Newsletter E-mail list, you keep your company name information in front of prospective customers, so that when they decide to purchase systems or service you can provide, your company will be one which the prospect contacts for quotes or information.
In following these simple steps, even a manager with little or no experience in newsletter marketing will be able to easily create an effective tool in marketing his products and services.
Garry Steck is publisher of Telcom Today, a newsletter for managers of telephone sales and service companies across the U.S., in addition to his 30 years as an independent telecom consultant. Among his most successful marketing programs, he lists newsletters as being near the top. He says a large portion of his new clients came to him as a result of his company's newsletters.
You will find reprints from his newsletter articles on telecommunications on his website: http://www.telcommgtassociates.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garry_Steck
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