Professional Sales Management - Key to Sales Success
Professional Sales Management - Key to Sales Success
A research study by Siebel MultiChannel Services highlighted that there are three essential elements in the role of Sales Managers:
• Planning – Developing and owning the operating plan for the business unit’s market analysis, business development and resources.
• People Development – Establishing the resources needed to successfully execute the operating plan by hiring genuine sales talent, coaching and developing people.
• Proactive Review – Managing the revenue by monitoring, controlling and reviewing sales activity. Sales Managers accomplish this through proactively reviewing sales plans and consolidating their plans into the business forecast for the organisation.
Selling vs. Managing
Many companies promote salespeople into Sales Management roles because of exceptional sales performance. Unfortunately most managers have internalised models of sales success, shaped by market dynamics that no longer exist. At best they are out of sync with the new strategic value-driven imperative. At worst they are dead wrong. Companies’ financial performance depends on a well-run sales force and the focus is increasingly on strategic sales management. Top performing Sales Managers typically display eight competencies:
• Provide strategic vision
• Orchestrate organisational resources
• Influence organisational strategy
• Coach strategically
• Diagnose performance
• Select high-potential salespeople
• Leverage technology (CRM, SFA)
• Demonstrate personal selling effectiveness (internally and externally)
At this point, it should be clear that many sales forces are in trouble. They were designed for a simpler, more pleasant era. Selling was much more fun in the old days. Now it is real work with enormous profit impact and Sales Managers have to perform. To support company profitability they must ensure their sales teams:
• Select the “right” accounts
• Win these accounts
• Manage and retain them
• Identify and win the “right” opportunities
• Deliver real value
• Earn an equitable return on the value delivered
The contemporary sales force must respond to these imperatives by managing large accounts for profits and servicing small accounts at minimum cost. These changes are summarised below:
Old Approach
1. Get New Accounts
1. Get the Order
2. Pressure Your Company To Cut Price
3. Give Away Service To Get Sales
4. Manage All the Accounts the Same Way
5. Sell to Anyone
Necessary New Approach
1. Retain and Grow Existing Accounts
2. Become a Valued Business Resource
3. Price For Profit / Sell on Value
4. Understand Cost Implications and Manage For Profitability
5. Manage Each Account For Maximum Long-Term Profitability
6. Concentrate On the High Profit Potential Accounts
Unfortunately a high percentage of sales managers in South Africa receive no sales management training whatsoever, and much of the available training is dated. The best training places much greater emphasis on coaching, training and performance managing sales personnel. In addition the very best training is delivered in digestible chunks and employs customised simulation techniques that ensure high levels of knowledge and skill retention.
Professional Sales Management Key to Sales Success - To learn more about this author, visit Peter Gilbert's Website.
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In an environment where customer demands predominate, because competition is both relentless and increasingly international, the world of selling must accommodate a dramatically changed world of buying. Critically, sales management must catch up to this new world of selling. All too often, many sales forces are populated by dispirited, burned out salespeople and managed by short-term-oriented and narrowly focused sales managers. Indeed many sales forces are managed as if it were 30 years ago and the sales managers themselves were salespeople doing the work, instead of orchestrating the action.
A research study by Siebel MultiChannel Services highlighted that there are three essential elements in the role of Sales Managers:
• Planning – Developing and owning the operating plan for the business unit’s market analysis, business development and resources.
• People Development – Establishing the resources needed to successfully execute the operating plan by hiring genuine sales talent, coaching and developing people.
• Proactive Review – Managing the revenue by monitoring, controlling and reviewing sales activity. Sales Managers accomplish this through proactively reviewing sales plans and consolidating their plans into the business forecast for the organisation.
Selling vs. Managing
Many companies promote salespeople into Sales Management roles because of exceptional sales performance. Unfortunately most managers have internalised models of sales success, shaped by market dynamics that no longer exist. At best they are out of sync with the new strategic value-driven imperative. At worst they are dead wrong. Companies’ financial performance depends on a well-run sales force and the focus is increasingly on strategic sales management. Top performing Sales Managers typically display eight competencies:
• Provide strategic vision
• Orchestrate organisational resources
• Influence organisational strategy
• Coach strategically
• Diagnose performance
• Select high-potential salespeople
• Leverage technology (CRM, SFA)
• Demonstrate personal selling effectiveness (internally and externally)
At this point, it should be clear that many sales forces are in trouble. They were designed for a simpler, more pleasant era. Selling was much more fun in the old days. Now it is real work with enormous profit impact and Sales Managers have to perform. To support company profitability they must ensure their sales teams:
• Select the “right” accounts
• Win these accounts
• Manage and retain them
• Identify and win the “right” opportunities
• Deliver real value
• Earn an equitable return on the value delivered
The contemporary sales force must respond to these imperatives by managing large accounts for profits and servicing small accounts at minimum cost. These changes are summarised below:
Old Approach
1. Get New Accounts
1. Get the Order
2. Pressure Your Company To Cut Price
3. Give Away Service To Get Sales
4. Manage All the Accounts the Same Way
5. Sell to Anyone
Necessary New Approach
1. Retain and Grow Existing Accounts
2. Become a Valued Business Resource
3. Price For Profit / Sell on Value
4. Understand Cost Implications and Manage For Profitability
5. Manage Each Account For Maximum Long-Term Profitability
6. Concentrate On the High Profit Potential Accounts
Unfortunately a high percentage of sales managers in South Africa receive no sales management training whatsoever, and much of the available training is dated. The best training places much greater emphasis on coaching, training and performance managing sales personnel. In addition the very best training is delivered in digestible chunks and employs customised simulation techniques that ensure high levels of knowledge and skill retention.
Professional Sales Management Key to Sales Success - To learn more about this author, visit Peter Gilbert'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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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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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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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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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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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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