What to do When You're the VP of Sales AND Marketing
What to do When You're the VP of Sales AND Marketing
10. Competition is stealing market share through low-ball price tactics
Take the glass-is-half-full outlook by using this as an opportunity to educate customers and reinforce your value. Tactfully demonstrate that when they size up you against the lower-cost competitor, they are NOT making at an apples-to-apples comparison. Show them what the competitor has missed, overlooked or can't deliver on, and reinforce all the value you bring to the table.
9. Losing market share to smaller competitors
Communicate the risks associated with placing business with a smaller firm. Show customers how service and quality will be compromised when a small firm takes on more than they can chew. Emphasize the cost of one misstep with the smaller player, and relate that back to real time and money lost.
8. No substantial differentiation in the marketplace
Every company, by virtue of it's existence, is unique in some way. Find that unique X factor that will position your firm or company as the lone wolf, standing well outside the pack. Otherwise, it's a commodity game, and we all know how commodities are traded . . . on price.
7. Pressure to grow market share from top management
Upper management does not always know as much as you think they might (or should) know. Good communication, about what the market size is, the number of players in the market, and what share you can realistically get your hands on, needs to be communicated, and not on a napkin.
6. Sales team is perceived as order-takers, and not solutions providers
This is a tough situation to get out of once you're in it, and it's a hard climb up. It starts by training your sales team to think like a customer, REALLY listen and start living on the other side of the table. Only then can you truly come to the table with strategic solutions.
5. Communicating price increases
Always in person with documented rationale. No emails or blind letters on this one, if it can be avoided. Good customers will appreciate that you are able to deliver bad news as effectively as good news.
4. Customer base is consolidating
When the customer base starts to shrink, it's time to innovate and explore new market sectors that are not shrinking. What are the best cross-over paths for your products? Start by looking at industries that are ancillary to the ones you currently serve.
3. Sales personnel perceived as very low priority to their customers
If your sales team is forced to chase customers, it means that customers perceive your deliverable as low priority in their world. Strategize. What can you do to elevate your importance and relevance in their eyes? What can you do to position your product or service as highly relevant and valuable to the customer's success?
2. Difficulty penetrating new market sectors
Going into a new market space is always a challenge. But to light the fire all you need is one YES. Capitalize on that relationship and demonstrate that you now have the inside industry knowledge to get the job done.
1. Nearing or have reached a growth plateau
When sales flatten out, it means you either start to grow or start to shrink. A plane can't stay up forever without refueling. It's time to explore new directions, to revisit your brand, and start looking downstream about what the next 5 years could bring.
To all of you that wear two (or more) hats in your organization, I wish you the very best.
What to do When Youre the VP of Sales AND Marketing - To learn more about this author, visit Ed Delia's Website.
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As a branding and marketing firm with a long track record of working with Sales & Marketing VPs, I wanted to document the top ten challenges I've come to recognize, and what the most common strategies are for overcoming these challenges. For some, this may be sales/marketing 101, but it never hurts to revisit the basics:
10. Competition is stealing market share through low-ball price tactics
Take the glass-is-half-full outlook by using this as an opportunity to educate customers and reinforce your value. Tactfully demonstrate that when they size up you against the lower-cost competitor, they are NOT making at an apples-to-apples comparison. Show them what the competitor has missed, overlooked or can't deliver on, and reinforce all the value you bring to the table.
9. Losing market share to smaller competitors
Communicate the risks associated with placing business with a smaller firm. Show customers how service and quality will be compromised when a small firm takes on more than they can chew. Emphasize the cost of one misstep with the smaller player, and relate that back to real time and money lost.
8. No substantial differentiation in the marketplace
Every company, by virtue of it's existence, is unique in some way. Find that unique X factor that will position your firm or company as the lone wolf, standing well outside the pack. Otherwise, it's a commodity game, and we all know how commodities are traded . . . on price.
7. Pressure to grow market share from top management
Upper management does not always know as much as you think they might (or should) know. Good communication, about what the market size is, the number of players in the market, and what share you can realistically get your hands on, needs to be communicated, and not on a napkin.
6. Sales team is perceived as order-takers, and not solutions providers
This is a tough situation to get out of once you're in it, and it's a hard climb up. It starts by training your sales team to think like a customer, REALLY listen and start living on the other side of the table. Only then can you truly come to the table with strategic solutions.
5. Communicating price increases
Always in person with documented rationale. No emails or blind letters on this one, if it can be avoided. Good customers will appreciate that you are able to deliver bad news as effectively as good news.
4. Customer base is consolidating
When the customer base starts to shrink, it's time to innovate and explore new market sectors that are not shrinking. What are the best cross-over paths for your products? Start by looking at industries that are ancillary to the ones you currently serve.
3. Sales personnel perceived as very low priority to their customers
If your sales team is forced to chase customers, it means that customers perceive your deliverable as low priority in their world. Strategize. What can you do to elevate your importance and relevance in their eyes? What can you do to position your product or service as highly relevant and valuable to the customer's success?
2. Difficulty penetrating new market sectors
Going into a new market space is always a challenge. But to light the fire all you need is one YES. Capitalize on that relationship and demonstrate that you now have the inside industry knowledge to get the job done.
1. Nearing or have reached a growth plateau
When sales flatten out, it means you either start to grow or start to shrink. A plane can't stay up forever without refueling. It's time to explore new directions, to revisit your brand, and start looking downstream about what the next 5 years could bring.
To all of you that wear two (or more) hats in your organization, I wish you the very best.
What to do When Youre the VP of Sales AND Marketing - To learn more about this author, visit Ed Delia's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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