September 2011
14 posts
2 tags
Let Your Key Accounts Know Why They Are Key
What attributes must an account have to qualify as key?
When companies set out to start a new Key Account Management program, this uses to be the very first question they choose to address. But there are other important matters that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Even though you’ve picked your selection criteria and elevated a certain account to key status, it doesn’t necessarily...
1 tag
The Diminishing Returns On Your Sales Force...
Lately sales results have been great at your company, so great that next year you can afford some additions to your sales teams and be better off sustaining the outstanding revenue growth. As you give your finishing touch to your PowerPoint presentation for the EVP of Sales, you think: “She surely expects to see a reasonable estimate of the additional revenue that the new hires can bring...
3 tags
When You Downsize, Do It Strategically
In businesses that move from maturity to decline, Sales Forces often get downsized in an attempt to preserve profitability. Workforce cuts are always painful, for those who are let go as well as for those who survive and whose workload can double or triple.
But is there a better way to downsize?
“As the size of the Sales Force is reduced”, A. A. Zoltners, P. Sinha, and S. E. Lorimer...
2 tags
From Time To Time, Stress-Test Your Value...
In a previous post, we discussed the importance of a compelling value proposition. It’s simply at the heart of your sales strategy. Therefore, when your top-line results are lagging, it could be worth considering a health check of your commercial messages as they probably need some sort of “revamping”.
How to practically do it is a different story. Revamping an ineffective value...
2 tags
3 Ways To Make Your Sellers Want to Use Your CRM
Many companies have learnt the hard way how challenging it is to make their sales and marketing organizations want to use their brand new CRM systems.
More often than not, adoption ends up to be spotty. A low adoption normally means that data quality is hampered and, if the quality of data in your CRM system is unreliable, at the end of the day no one will trust your heavily invested resource...
2 tags
Make Sure You're Focusing On Your Best Sales...
Companies put tremendous amounts of money and effort in pursuing the best sales opportunities that they see in their markets. But the problem is: what’s the yardstick by which to measure how good an opportunity is?
There are frequent misallocations of resources in the sales world. Significant amounts of investment dollars are squandered on low-value targets, while the most...
1 tag
“I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.”
– Mark Twain, novelist
2 tags
Get Your Account Management Strategy Right. From...
In essence, your account management strategy should be targeted at achieving these two complementary results: a) demonstrate that your company’s vision is superior and can best meet your clients’ needs; b) make your customers agree that change is necessary and that your company is better positioned to lead that change.
But how can your account managers support your strategy from an...
1 tag
“It is not enough to be busy. The question is: What are we busy about?”
– Henry David Thoreau, United States writer and social critic (1817-1862)
3 tags
Like Shoes, Sales Forces Are Better When Sized...
The size of your Sales Force affects your customers, your salespeople, and your whole company. There are quite obvious consequences of not having your sales organization properly sized.
[[MORE]]If your Sales Force is too small, it can’t service your customers well. Your salespeople are likely to be overloaded and unable to pursue every sales opportunity effectively.
If it’s too...
2 tags
Sellers That Can Whiteboard Win Their Customers'...
When asked about the skill set they mostly want to see in their salespeople, sales executives pour out the usual list of suspects: negotiation skills, business acumen, communication savvy, smart questioning, etc. Interestingly, the same question asked to customers might provide a slightly different answer. [[MORE]]You might hear them saying that they want a salesperson to be able to grab a marker...
1 tag
Designing the Best Sales Force Structure
In deciding whether to deploy a generalist or specialized Sales Force, companies must first assess the complexity and heterogeneity they’ll face in terms of the markets they’ll service, the products they’ll sell, and the selling activities they’ll have to perform.
[[MORE]]The remaining key steps when developing the most effective and efficient Sales Force structure are as...
4 tags
Your Customers Are Calling You. To Close a Deal?...
Don’t get too excited by your customers making the first move and calling you spontaneously. In fact, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are interested in buying your products or services.
[[MORE]]With more information available to customers today, the fact is that suppliers are being contacted when the purchase decision is almost taken. When calling, customers probably have already...
1 tag
What Can Reps Learn From Their Peers? A Lot, and...
OK, you’ve undertaken a major change management initiative and, understandably, you’re relying on your first-line sales managers to play as change agents. But, is there anything else you can do to increase your chances of success?
In today’s highly networked, collaboration-intensive work environments, peer influence seems to have outpaced authority in bringing about desired...
