ABC’s of Sales Planning

Why do I need a sales plan? Sales planning is critical to sales success. Return on Time Invested (ROTI) should be key criteria that every salesperson should use when evaluating their account base. The biggest asset a salesperson has is their time. It is imperative that they manage this asset carefully. Time management is called the queen of the management sciences and the reason why they call it the queen of management sciences is that time management – needs to be “romanced” –salespeople need to go through a fundamental management course every 12- 24 months.

Does Anyone Really Manage Sales

Do we as sales people create the sale through our dynamic personalities and outgoing demeanor. Hardly; we make the sale through our continued activity with the client. I will go out on a limb and boldly say we never manager sales, rather we manage activity. Should you disagree with this please read on.

CRM: Culture or Technology

CRM as a concept is great, in practice it is very different. For those who hope software will address they woes without addressing their sales process, it is a long costly and painful realization. For CRM to succeed, it has to start with process and culture, then use software to reinforce and grow.

3 Steps to Appealing to Customer Values

Would I continue to patronize an airline that is consistently fifteen minutes late, but which treats me like a prince? Or, would I defect, giving my loyalty to a no-frills, cattle-call carrier that ignores me but gets me to where I need to go on time?

Even the Lone Ranger Needs a Posse

It's become rare for a single producer or relationship manager to be able to develop large accounts on his or her own. In the complex world of the 21st century, peoples' talents are more specialized, so that we have entered the realm of team selling.

Stop Your Sales Professionals Selling!

That's right. Get them to stop selling from their own narrow and selfish perspective and concentrate instead on doing things that are in the best interests of their customers and clients. Because it works, when you do it right.

DIY Marketing Budget -Part III: Why to Pay Agencies a Fee

In the final part of her three-part series on creating a marketing budget, Michelle Edelman, vice president/director of strategic planning at San Diego-based full-service marketing agency NYCA, explains how to determine how much to pay an ad agency and why it's worth the money.

Hiring and Training of New Sales Staff

How do you train your sales personnel? Perhaps a better question would be… Do you train your sales personnel? As silly as this may sound a lot of organizations hire a salesperson and tell them to go get it. I have personally dealt with such an organization and this was considered the norm.

The Importance Of Working Together With Your Team

The principle of working together with your team should underpin how you operate. Managing people doesn't just mean acting as overseer, to see that they get their work done satisfactorily. It means involving people throughout the team in a creative role, to ensure that together you are all able to succeed.

Sales Lead Generation: 8 Powerful B2B Sales Lead Generation Techniques To Help You Reach Your Sales

Most of the fastest growing B2B companies do not rely solely on just one sales lead generation method. They have a complete arsenal of sales lead generation tools at their fingertips, that they can use at any given time.

Tough Reprimands -- How To Handle That One On One Discussion With A Sales Person

What do you do when one of your sales people just isn't performing up to standards? The key to answering that question is determining the cause of the non performance. Start by reviewing the obvious. A sales person must have adequate tools, resources and leadership to maximize their effectiveness. The review process is a critical component of sales effectiveness. This review should occur monthly for regularly performing sales representatives (reps) and even more frequently for those reps that are under performing. This review enables the sales manager and the sales representative to discuss, plan and measure success. In addition to possessing and capitalizing on certain natural talents and traits, the review process should encompass the following issues:

New To Sales Management? Assess Your Team Sooner Rather Than Later

The importance of assessing the skills-sets, experience, promotion potential andaspirations of your team as early as possible, cannot be over-estimated. Knowledge is power!

What!? You Don't Know This Stuff?

The individuals that have been slowest to embrace technology and the Internet are the ones who have the option to use it, as opposed to those of us who are forced to in order to keep up.

Your Resume - What Employers Want To See

Online recruiting resources have give hiring managers and recruiters unprecedented access to candidates, and subsequently, they're less willing to take risks hiring people who's backgrounds do not closely match the position they're looking to fill. That's why a properly constructed resume is critical to finding the right job.