I apologize for not having posted to this blog for a while. In March, I agreed to lead the turn around of a business in the coin handling (high-speed sorting, counting, dispensing) industry. Much of my time has been devoted to that endeavor. Last weekend though, Norm Eagle – Director of Sales for Meta Health Technology, sent [...]
Archive of posts filed under the Sales category.
Inside Sales and Outside Sales – Working Together
When you employ both an inside sales team and an outside sales team, how do you divide your sales responsibilities? Without a clear definition of responsibilities, inside and outside sales reps can battle with each other instead of with the competition. If they battle over territories, customers and job roles, your customer gets caught in [...]
Inside Sales vs. Outside Sales
Business owners and sales managers frequently debate about whether to invest in an inside sales force, an outside sale force, or some combination of the two. With inside sales, your sales reps visit with customers and prospects via the telephone, email, and internet. They do not leave the inside of your office, hence the name. [...]
Managing Your Sales Force
Five key elements help you manage effective sales teams and grow a successful business: Well-defined plans Clear communications Processes and tools Performance metrics Flexibility and adaptation Well-Defined Plans Well-defined, precise plans are roadmaps to success. They present your goals and strategies for how you will achieve those goals. Success follows when you develop specific plans [...]
Sales Compensation Plan – Real-Life Example, Part 2
In our last post, we read about the negotiations a new business sales rep was having with her employer. Here is the conclusion.
Sales Compensation – Real Life Example
Last week I had an email exchange with one of my readers. This sales rep was in the process of negotiating (and re-negotiating) the sales compensation package. I thought you might be interested in the exchange.
Lead Management – Managing, Tracking and Reporting
How do you ensure that your sales team will follow up on and close on your leads? You need a system to manage your leads. This system should also provide tools to track the leads and to report progress to management and the sales reps working on the leads.
Lead Management – Qualifying Leads
Sales leads fuel your company’s growth and help maintain its competitive position. Make sure you fully realize their value.
Lead Management – Collecting Leads
Sales leads are a product of the marketing engine that identifies new customers and new opportunity. They represent future revenue and growth for your company. With just a little effort before the hand-off, sales representatives will embrace sales leads as the valuable source of new business that they are.
Sales Training
Sales reps are made, not born. Plus, selling is a skill which has evolved from “getting people to buy” whatever you are selling to fulfilling customer and market needs with your products. Like elite athletes, your most successful sales representatives are always “in training.” They are learning your market, products and competition. They’ve been trained [...]
