Get Organised! - a really important sales tip

It’s quite possible that there more sales are lost through poor organisational skills than through poor presentation skills.

How does your business operate? If the salesperson dies or leaves, how much information goes with them? How much is committed to a system that a new person can pick up and run with? How long would it take to get back the business we lose in the interim?

Personal Organisation

With all the tools available to us these days there is little excuse for forgetting to ring someone or forgetting to do something. Tools like Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes can be used to not only schedule meetings and call backs, but to give us reminders as well.
One of the greatest tips in time management is to ‘forget remembering.’ Committing things to a system, whether paper or electronic, is the best way of keeping on top of the job. The things to watch out for now are:
• Don’t lose the system.
• Make sure electronic files are backed up.

Keeping Control

As Outlook is the commonest electronic system, here are some tips on keeping up with our clients by using it.
The first thing we need is a ‘Customer Record Card’, and this is easily done using the Contacts folder. Open the folder and double click anywhere on the white space to open a new record. We type in all the data we need to create the contact. We are able to link files we create in Word and Excel etc to the contact using the ‘Actions/Link’ command. When we then open the ‘Activities‘ tab Outlook will find all the linked files for us. If we prefer we can insert a shortcut using the ’Insert’ menu.

Now we can create a Task for the contact using the ‘Actions/New Task for Contact’ command. Give the task a name, e.g. ‘Nuria, XYZ re new project’. Adding the phone number here is helpful since it saves clicking on the contact at the bottom LHS to bring up the contact details. Use ‘today’ as the start date and set the date you need to contact as the due date. On the main Tools menu, click Options, click the Other tab, and then click Advanced Options. Click Advanced Tasks. To have a reminder automatically turned on for new tasks, select the Set reminders on tasks with due dates check box. We recommend this to make sure reminders are set.

Now for the key point:

The most important thing to do is to keep a record of every conversation, action and visit attached to the task. Do this in the large space underneath. To do this, click in the space, select the Format font command on the task and set it to Arial 8 point. This seems to work just right because the date can now be entered on the left and we can tab across to put the result.
Each time we speak with the customer we now agree the date to ring back, and when we re-enter we can begin (after intro’s) with “Last time we spoke was …..” or something similar. It’s easy to keep in contact when we have agreement from the customer that we can do it. There’s a lot more to it than this, but we wish you success in getting organised. You’ll be surprised at the difference it will make.


Get Organised! - a really important sales tip - To learn more about this author, visit Bob Hazell's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

E-Mail | Print | More

Related Articles
5 tips for clear and effective writing
	Writing is one of the most important skills that a business owner can possess. Whether you are looking to write business letters, emails, blog postings, forum posts, articles, newsletters, eBooks, eZine, autores...
Being Organised Wins You More Business
	My daughter is relocating to take up a job in London at the end of year which has proved to be a more traumatic experience for me, rather than her. ..... If you're a parent you'll know how it feels when one of ...
How To Get More Done By Sleeping
	..... Having enough quality sleep is vital if you want to stay alert and be more productive. ..... How often do you avoid the warning signs of fatigue and force yourself to carry on working yet not achieve muc...
Pareto Productivity
	We are all overwhelmed at times with the work we have to do but are we doing the right work? or are we wasting our time on less important tasks and time wasting activities?
How to run a successful home based business
	Home based businesses have become widely accepted as an effective income generating alternative to traditional employment. Many business owners decide to run a home based business for the flexibility to work at thei...

---

Related Forum Posts
	Marketing And Sales Training
	Re: We all embellish, so are we all liars?
	Finances
	Jeffrey Gitomer's public seminars
	How many sales people do you have working for you.
	We all embellish, so are we all liars?
	Re: Just got laid off, new user
	Survey the Landlord

---

Related Businesses - Evan Elite Authors

Dave Kurlan Dave 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

Leanne Hoagland-Smith Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales success or one of the many who have failed to change? So what are you doing to change those results? Let’s be honest, with companies moving globally and at lightening speeds, the traditional business solutions are outdated and dead. My approach moves your business out of its comfort zone and secures your competitive advantage now. If you are seeking to increase sales, build customer loyalty, create a culture of great attitudes or just achieve some sleep filled nights, then we should talk because my clients have experienced exactly those types of results. Learn more about customer loyalty at http://www.processspecialist.com/customer-loyalty.htm Give me a call at 219.759.5601 for a free strategy session. P.S. If you are seeking a motivational speaker, sales trainer or small business expert that will leave your audience smiling and remembering, please feel free to contact me at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website

Dr. John Oda John Oda Ph.D NLP is a business peak performance expert, an author, and speaker frequently called upon to provide corporate training, workshops and seminars for many companies in the United States. He is an expert in coaching sales and business professionals in overcoming the behaviors and obstacles that may impede their sales results and affect their bottom line. Since 1995, John has created a speaking bureau such topics, which include: time management, sales training, human diversity, leadership programs and etc. He provides companies with a strategic plan to increase their bottom line by over 25 percent yearly. - Visit Dr. John Oda's Website

George Ludwig George 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

Anne Barr Anne 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

The Evan Elite Authors program is currently in beta phase. For details please contact us.