The Un-Sales Manager - Sales Management 2.0

Hiring the Right Salespeople? Find out how.

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:35:08 +0000

How to Take Emotion Out of the Sales Hiring Process and Hire the Best Salespeople

It’s the number one job of sales management and it is the most difficult, if you hire effectively the job of sales management becomes sooooo much easier. If you are serious about building a high performance sales team I have something special for you; I will train you on the aspects of building a recruiting process that will improve your odds of only hiring the best salespeople-not the best available. What could be the results of attending this web cast?

Increases in service, quality and customer satisfaction of over 50%
Growth rates 60% to 300% greater than their competition
Return on sales of 200%-300% greater than their competitors
Return on assets of 150%-300% greater than their competitors

Leonard Schlesinger Harvard University

REGISTER Today: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/347130472

It’s a fact that when you miss hire a salesperson it may cost you FOUR times what you ended up paying that person while they were on your team.

In this webinar, author and sales management expert, Ken Thoreson will teach you how to remove emotion from the hiring process and improve your odds for hiring salespeople who will produce. You will learn:
• 5 techniques to increase interviewing effectiveness
• How to evaluate the traits of high performers
• How to create a sales recruiting scorecard that “takes the emotion” out of hiring decisions
• How to use and create a sales case study specifically designed for your business
• How to building an interviewing process to hire the best, not just the best available
• How to separate the average from top performers

This webinar is perfect for sales managers, executives, business owners, HR Professionals and anyone who is involved in the sales hiring process.

REGISTER Today: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/347130472

Acumen Management Group Ltd. “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 14 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America. Move up and move ahead!

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

The Future of Your Sales Team

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:48:26 +0000

The Future of Your Sales Team

This year, I anticipate we will see a reduction in external sales positions of around 20%: 10% will be lost for good, and the other 10% will move inside. I believe that this pattern will continue for the next three years, until we are left with less than 10% of the total sales population working externally. The reasons for this are obvious: Advances in technology mean that we can communicate just as easily from our desks, using video conferencing etc.

Jonathan Farrington www.topsalesmanagement.com

If Jonathan is right, your current sales process, current sales team and management systems will begin to change over the next 18-24 months. He interviewed me regarding this topic last week and you can listen to the entire interview at the www.TopSalesManagement.com

Briefly, I discussed how metrics will change, how sales training will be altered and that the efficiency ratios and cost of sales will be improved based upon the utilization of existing and new technologies. As customers become more comfortable with technology, new salespeople come into the workplace and costs of running a sales organization grow (Gas=$4.50 Gal), sales leadership must consider new alternatives.

You will find the interview on the left hand side of the website. You will also find this site to be a wonderful resource for information on sales leadership from a select group of 15 sales leadership consultants from around the world, including myself.

I thought you might like to see the quote above to begin to stimulate your future thinking on your sales organization. Jonathan is a global sales thought leader; the quote is from an editorial he wrote in our Top Sales World magazine. (You can download this free sales magazine at www.TopSalesWorld.com It is on the left hand side of the website.

Ken Thoreson “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 13 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

A Sales Manager’s Recipe: What’s Cooking in 2012?

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:29:23 +0000

A Sales Manager’s Recipe: What’s Cooking in 2012?

Last week after a keynote program called Gourmet Living, an attendee came up to me afterwards and discussed her challenges as a sales manager. The last three years have been tough and she was looking for new ideas for 2012 to excite her team and also to simply change up the routine.

Since my keynote program had been about creating a Menu for Your Life with many metaphors around cooking I started thinking about what her sales management recipe should be, for about 30 minutes we discussed a variety of ideas. So if 2011 left a bad taste in your mouth, use the following ingredients to create a new recipe to make 2012 your best year ever.

Become a Detective: In sales management workshops we always talk about “inspect what you expect”. Once a week; review your sales teams CRM system to ensure they are using it properly and casually ask each team member about their certain activities within their key accounts. Once they know you are actually reviewing their accounts they will be more precise and begin to be more accurate. Next, make two extra sales calls per month with each sales rep. Validate they can sell your firm and they are using the proper sales tools. These actions are not micro-management, they are designed to provide you greater opportunities to coach and grow your team.

Reduce Fatigue: Recognize your sales team might be tired or somewhat challenged based upon the last three years of tight budgets and stress. Fire them up with new products or packaging/pricing, change the game with new times for sales and sales training meetings-even re-arrange the sales offices. Once a month, take your sales team on a “field trip” to visit a customer, let the customer “sell” your team on your products/services.

Find Creative Dust: Read a book on creativity and share it with your team. The truly great salespeople are the most creative and it is true that creativity can be learned! As a sales manager, creative sales strategies will push you over your quota-get your entire team into a creativity fix.

Become an SOB: That is a Student of the Business. Invest in sales management training, books, DVD’s. Create your own network of other sales managers where you can discuss ideas, learn what is working for others and explore new sales management concepts. Push yourself to become a professional in 2012, consider visiting other offices and view how their sales managers run their sales teams. At our website you will find free video’s on “hiring and training salespeople” and other articles I have written on sales management, you might also go back and skim through our blog to look for other ideas.

While these are just a few ideas, I would enjoy reading your reactions or other recipes for success below. As a team of readers, let’s build up a complete for each as we work to make 2012 a feast we will always remember.

Acumen Management Group Ltd. “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 12 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America. Ken’s latest book is “Leading High Performance Sales Teams”.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

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CRM 15 Years Later: now a rep’s friend…

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:25:33 +0000

SFA/CRM 15 Years Later: Now It’s Every Rep’s Best Friend

This week, I thought you might like to read someone else’s article and my comments regarding the article. My comments are first.

As a Sales Leadership consultant, I think the article below hit on many valid points; the Cloud and CRM usability are key elements in the acceptance of CRM, as is the price/cost issue, especially for the SMB market. The marketing campaign features are extremely important and the interface to accounting/ERP systems greatly improve the customer service aspect as well as giving a more 360 view, makes CRM a more than a salesperson’s tool.

One other element should be recognized is the “tech savvy” nature of reps today, vs even 10 years ago, this has made CRM acceptance so much easier.

However, what is interesting is 1) forecasting accuracy is still a challenge for the Rep/sales manager’s. 2) training and implementation of CRM is still greatly under emphasized and I find many organizations with salespeople using the same CRM system differently and not following a sales process properly and 3) this lack of discipline leads to pipeline and activity reporting to be inaccurate.

These few issues are the direct result of sales leadership and are training and management functions. The mistake I see in many CRM systems and vendors are they focus on the salesperson, not on the needs of the sales manager or organization. Sales leadership requires a more forward looking approach to build predictable revenue. With a greater proactive approach and sales management focus, the 3 topics mentioned above would help the sales manager take greater charge of the CRM tool and it would be more of a useful tool for sales leadership.

by Lauren Carlson

www.twitter.com/crmadvice

CRM Analyst, Software Advice

December 14, 2011

Sales force automation (SFA) systems hit the market in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until Siebel’s release in the mid-90s that they gained a foothold in the enterprise. Despite its increasing ubiquity, however, SFA quickly developed a bad reputation among sales reps, many of whom suspiciously viewed SFA tools as a way for management to track their every move. They were also frustrated by the kludgy user interfaces, slow data entry processes, and long ramp-up times.

Fast-forward about 15 years, and now most sales organizations are singing the praises of SFA. What changed? As it turns out, quite a bit. I see four innovations that transformed SFA into a sales rep’s best friend.

Four Tipping Points for SFA

SaaS made implementation cheaper and faster - Traditional client/server SFA systems had a very high total cost of ownership (TCO) and a long, sometimes unsuccessful deployment process that required a high degree of involvement and investment by internal IT departments. When Salesforce.com came onto the scene in 1999, they changed the TCO equation and implementation process for SFA. All of a sudden, there was no on-premise hardware or software to install, no reason for IT to get involved, and sales management could even customize the software—albeit within limits—on their own. Best of all, up-front and ongoing software fees were now a small fraction of what an enterprise-scale SFA application cost. The net effect of this sea change was that sales teams were able to get up and running faster, with less disruption to the rest of the company, and dramatically lower investments in time and capital.
The Cloud made SFA more accessible – In the 1990s, entering sales activity was a laborious process. The road warrior sales rep had to get out his bulky laptop, log on to the company server over a slow and unreliable dial-up connection, enter notes into a prospect’s record, and then sync it all back with the server. Ouch. Today, cloud-based SFA systems are accessible from anywhere, on any device—including smartphones and tablets—and high-speed Internet has become commonplace. In addition, because the application is accessible through a familiar Web browser, there’s no proprietary client software to master and no fussy VPN tunnel to set up. This gives the sales rep a much higher level of freedom and flexibility, and removes a key obstacle to wider adoption.
Analytics and marketing automation turned SFA data into gold – It wasn’t that long ago that sales force automation was primarily a glorified contact management system with some extra data tracking capabilities. Now, with the addition of sophisticated analytics and integration with third-party systems, SFA systems have become an invaluable tool that is finally helping sales teams do their jobs better. Reps can create detailed dashboards and reports to help them do things like forecast their quarterly pipelines, prioritize new opportunities, and track progress toward quotas. And because SFA can integrate with marketing automation systems, sales and marketing teams can jointly use the data these systems compile to plan and execute more effective campaigns to help reps secure more leads and push prospects through the sales funnel.
Process improvement compressed sales cycles – One of the original promises of SFA was that it would help companies improve their sales processes by, well, actually defining a sales process. This promise was rarely delivered on due to sales rep resistance and the trouble it took to modify the processes that were essentially hard-coded into early SFA applications. Newer SFA applications make process mapping and process improvement much easier. And the best practices built in to SFA systems today—based on years of learning what works and what doesn’t for most companies—help companies continuously improve their processes. The focus on sales process that newer SFA tools encourage has yielded tangible benefits for sales teams, ranging from reduced sales cycles to higher win rates.

These four developments have drastically changed the value proposition of SFA software, but the tide is still turning. We didn’t even hit on social media, which is a huge trend that some predict will have an even bigger impact on the enterprise than the cloud. What will that impact look like for SFA? We might have to wait another 15 years to find out.

About the Author

Ken Thoreson provides keynotes programs, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

A walk through a broken organization

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:59:13 +0000

A Walk Through of a Broken Organization

Strategic sales management is often a weak link in many companies-it needs to be the lynch pin.

Strategic sales management is often a weak link in solution provider companies. For the past 14 years I have been working all across North America and internationally, meeting, speaking and consulting with organizations of all sizes and areas of focus. While every client engagement is unique, some problems are common to many corporate cultures and tend to prevent a company from reaching its business potential.

This month, let’s take a walk through a hypothetical client site that illustrates many of the problems I’ve encountered over the years. We’ll use “Law and Order” rules: “Although inspired in part by true incidents, the following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.”

Walking into the front office, there are a few chairs, a few outdated vendor awards on the walls and employees pass a visitor without offering a greeting or showing much expression or enthusiasm. This is not a good indicator for the type of reaction the office evokes from prospects who visit.

President

I ask for Bill, the president. I am warmly greeted and taken to the back office, where we begin to chat about his business, his vision, his frustrations and the lack of business profitability. My experienced ears hear: “they” just don’t get it, “they” really don’t work hard enough, “they” really don’t know how to sell what we do and “they” don’t seem to care about the business like I do. Bill is also concerned that his sales manager is focused on functions that have nothing to do with sales.

Vice President
Bill introduces me to his vice president of professional services: During the first 10 minutes of a 45-minute interview I hear a lot about how much time the sales engineers have to take to help the salespeople in every engagement and that the sales teams get all the credit. “They never take the time to learn the products. If it wasn’t for my team and their expertise we would have no sales.” When I ask when was the last time the VP held a training session for the sales team, I get a shrug.

Salespeople
As I conduct interviews with each member of the sales team, either face-to-face or on the phone, I begin to connect the dots between what they’re saying and my meetings with the president and the vice president. The salespeople say things like: management always seems to dominate every opportunity; they’re always micro-managing what I do; the sales meetings are brutal, everything seems so disorganized; proposals are a joke; management seems to change what we do every 90 days; and they never seem to know what is going on. Something else emerges from my recordings of each salesperson. Every representative tells a different story when asked, “Why do people buy from you?”

Assessing Your Own Company
While these scenarios are graphic, these are conversations that sadly take place among many clients we have served.

Does anything here ring a bell about your company? As you read this in January 2012, it is an excellent time to assess the morale within your current organization and create a plan for the remaining portion of the year to fix elements in your company that need to operate more effectively.

A few concrete steps can go a long way. Create an ongoing sales training program; run monthly company meetings for all employees to bring teams together, increase communication and recognize achievement; make sure management meetings are organized to improve the focus on achieving corporate objectives; and make “soft” cultural improvements to increase morale and teamwork. In some cases the list of projects can be quite long, take a few each quarter and focus on those topics.

Creating a great organization takes time, vision, energy and a commitment to continuous improvement — which, by the way, is the definition of leadership.

As you skim our past blogs you may pick up other ideas that will enhance your organizations performance.

About the Author

Acumen Management Group Ltd. “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 12 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America. His latest book is titled: “Leading High Performance Sales Teams”.

Ken Thoreson provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Your 2012 Sales Management Plan

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:18:52 +0000

Your 2012 Sales Plan

It’s a little late to begin planning your 2012 Sales Plan, but in a conversation last week with a reader of this blog, I realized there maybe others who have not formalized their 2012 plan. I have included below the various “categories” you should consider in building a plan.

Have a Great Holiday Season: Make 2012 Your Best Year!

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:05:31 +0000

The Times are a Changing, Are You?

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:37:10 +0000

The Times are a Changing or Are You?

At the end of each year I write down my personal and business goals for the new yearinseven different categories. The challenging part of that exercise is I have to review the goals that I had set from the past year and grade my performance. I have saved these sheets from the previous 20+ years and it’s a telling experience, I have found there are always good goals, just sometimes unrealistic timeframes.

I would suggest you review your past 12 month’s performance; ask yourself: “have I changed or improved my organization?” If you are a new reader make sure you review all of the previous blogs for idea’s and tips to improve your personal or professional performance.

As I look forward into 2012 and think about current topics and potential new blogs, it occurred to me that asking you to evaluate your current status on a few basic sales management topics might be a great spot to get ready to leap into the New Year.

Please score these 1-5, 5=highest

q Rate how comfortable are you that you know what percentage of the pipelineinthe current category is required to ensure the current sales budget is exceeded?	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
q Rate how comfortable are you that you have enough pipeline potentialinthe 30, 60, and 90 categories to exceed future monthly quotas?	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
q Can you visually see all of your top 10 dollar potential forecasted accounts, from your desk? (out of sight-out of mind)	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
q How well are all key accounts targeted? Rate your plan to attack them?	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
q Rate the quality of your interviewing process that ensures the best candidate is selected not the best available candidate is selected?	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

q Rate the quality of your 3-month sales-training program, is it defined and implemented? Do you have a salesperson Development Plan implemented to improve the professionalism of your team?	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
q Rate the quality of your CRM/SFA system, is it being used effectively? Is it up to date? Is it backed-up?	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
q Rate how your compensation plan works? Are your company’s goals aligned with the compensation/quota programs?	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
q How well are your sales leadingindictors defined, are they measured, posted-Graphed-Analyzed?	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
q Do you have regular scheduled and unscheduled “Coaching” sessions with each of your salespeople?	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
q How would you rate the effectiveness of your sales contests and business games? Are they planned to promote revenue and build teamwork?	q 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Total Score _________

45-55 Minor Tuning Maybe Required

35-44 Consider Several Projects Are Required

25-34 Will Need Multiple Actions Taken Quickly

0-24 Major Assistance Required NOW

Many of these topics are critical for building a high performance sales team as well asincreasing the predictability of your revenue. I believe it’s critical that a sales manager or owner know a few basic ratios of their business, asinthe ratio of potential revenuesinthe pipeline to the defined sales quota vs actual attainment. Over a 6-9 month basis of tracking theseinformation you will find your closing ratio’s, the value of how much potential revenue must be generated each month to enter your pipeline and what you need at the beginning of each month to attainyour sales quota.

I also like the idea of “out of sight-out of mind”. If you have major accounts-you must have a written plan of action, for each account, for at least three months. If you have major sales opportunities to sell each month-you must have their name and action plans visibly defined on your wall or desk. This will ensure you are consistently aware of your important prospects.

Since recruiting and interviewing are the number one most important aspects, making sure you do it right becomes critical! View my free video on www.AcumenManagement.com

Depending upon where you scored orinwhat area you didn’t score as well as you thought, stay tuned to this blog as we moveinto 2012. I will be touching on many of these topics and othersingreater detail as the year moves along. If you would like to suggest specific topics for me to coverinone or over several columns please send me your ideas too!

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Make 2012 Your Best Year Ever!

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:24:00 +0000

Make 2012 Your Best Year EVER!

Is the market going to be better for your products/services in 2012? Or will your sales team face another tough year to achieve their sales objectives? Recently I have been writing/talking about an issue facing everyone-your salespeople, your management team and your customers/prospects=sales fatigue. After three challenging years and now that we are about to enter 2012, all the sales numbers go back to zero and with confusion in the market, most everyone I have interacted with seems both physically and mentally tired.

Last week I was speaking to a group of sales leaders in New York, as we discussed this topic, the question was asked regarding what as sales leaders can we do to counteract this condition. I suggested the following idea’s (you can find more detail in past blogs on these topics).

Build belief in your company & products/services: invite a happy customer to a sales meeting and let them tell your team how great your company and products are and what they have done for their company.
Make a change: repackage your products/services, alter pricing, even move the desks in your sales offices. Another idea, create a new company sales presentation that changes your messaging. Any short term change will alter the chemistry and make something new and fresh.
Focus on increased levels of training: build a sales training plan for the first 90 days that includes sales skills, product/services knowledge, CRM, etc. Next, build an individual salesperson development plan where twice each year, hold a formal salesperson career development discussion and mutually, you and a salesperson, create an individual plan to increase their professionalism. In our “Interactive Sales Manager Tool Kit” we include a Salesperson Development Tool. If you would like a free Salesperson Development Tool, send me an email request. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

There is always a lot to do but planning this week for 2012 results will greatly move you ahead of your competition and prepare you for making 2012-Your Best Year Ever!

Here’s another tip: December 15th, 2011: Make 2012 Your Best Year Ever: 50 Business Tips in 50 Minutes

Join a panel industry experts for a fast paced webinar where you will learn 50 great ideas on the following topics:
• How to build a high performance sales team
• How to create long term profitable client relationships
• How to leverage the power of social media networks
• How to align your entire organizations sales and marketing initiatives with your customers’ needs
• How to set focus your business on success and profit

Found out more and Register here or http://tinyurl.com/bl4zoq8

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.

Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

It’s Time to Vote for Top Sales & Marketing Awards

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:58:34 +0000

It’s Time to Vote

This is your opportunity to contribute and vote for the top sales and marketing thought leaders, software tools and resources.
I am delighted to announce that the 2011 Top Sales & Marketing Awards finalists have been chosen, and the voting polls in all fourteen categories are open – http://www.topsalesawards.com

You will need to register to vote – but only once – and you will also be able to vote once in each category every 24 hours. The polls will be open until midnight (Eastern) on Friday December 9th.

The live online awards ceremony takes place on Thursday December 15th, from 12 noon (Eastern) The competition in every section is of the very highest quality, and I am looking forward to an intriguing contest.

I have been nominated in 2 categories; I have been nominated and made it through the finals of the Top Sales & Marketing Book category: “Success Simplified” and in the Top Sales & Marketing Blog Post category and voting has begun: http://www.topsalesawards.com

Please take a few minutes to vote and let your associates know too!
Acumen Management Group Ltd. “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 12 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America. Move up and move ahead!

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com
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Ingredients for Success: a Gourmet Life

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:56:15 +0000

Ten Idea’s for 2012 Sales Kick Off Meeting

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:10:49 +0000

Sales Leadership: Ten 2012 Sales Kick-off Meeting Idea’s

While working with a client last week it became obvious that we are moving into the time to prepare 2012 budgets, new compensation plans and something most sales manager’s don’t take enough time in developing; their 2012 Sales Kick Off meeting.

Already many larger organizations are booking their sales conferences for the first quarter where they will invite their sales teams, vendors, resellers/partners to hear their plans to make 2012 the “best year ever”. Keynote speakers, breakout sessions, new marketing plans and product demonstrations will all be coordinated to increase enthusiasm, salesperson belief and excitement that the new year will bring. I know this because I am booked for five events already. However just because larger organizations are planning their formal conferences it doesn’t mean as a sales leader you shouldn’t be planning an event for your sales organization.

A yearly sales kick-off meeting can be organized as an off-site/overnight 2 day program or as simply as a ¾ to a ½ day event. You should schedule them no later than mid-February. However the basics of any sales kickoff event should include the following planning ideas. These ideas’s are not in any order of priority.

You should announce theme for the new year. This should be a positive statement of your major objectives and something that can be reinforced throughout the year. “Be Brilliant on the Basics” or Nike’s: Just Do It! Are two examples, comment below on your ideas for your sales theme for the year!
Include time for sales training on sales skills. You might hand out a sales training book, as a gift to each salesperson, this will be your first quarter “must read” book. You can use the book for extended sales training during your meetings. Also roll out your first quarter sales training plans.
Announce a first quarter sales contest. (see previous blogs for ideas)
Announce a 2012 yearly sales contest; this should be a big prize for exceeding the salesperson’s quota. Examples include: a trip to a resort, a cruise or a trip to an island. Remember these kinds of incentive programs are not expenses but paid out of incremental revenues/profits. The roll out should include written rules and pictures of the location, etc. See my book: Creating High Performance Sales Compensation Plans, for idea’s on sales contests. www.AcumenManagement.com
Describe and show your marketing plans for the first six months. This will show the salespeople how your organization is planning to support the sales team.
Schedule the president of your company to give a short message on his/her philosophy on sales and the culture of your organization.
You may or may not announce your new compensation plan at this event; it all depends upon the degree of change you are making. With minor changes, it’s a great time, with major changes schedule a separate meeting. HINT: Do not roll out the new compensation plan as the last topic of the meeting; schedule it early in the afternoon, if your event is a full day meeting.
Make sure you make the meeting fun! As the sales leader work on activities that create the right culture and teamwork, create a game that everyone participates in during the event.
Make sure each salesperson presents their “Business Plans” for the year, based upon the number of salespeople this can be done by breakouts into regions, smaller groups or as a single group. These business plans include not only forecasts but personal commitments to activity levels and professional growth.
Bring in an outside speaker. This could include a customer telling of their satisfaction with your firm, a sales trainer or a motivational message that propels your team to excellence. See for more idea’s: www.AcumenManagement.com

This is your time to bring a coordinated program that sets the tone for the new year. Make sure you take the time to do it right. What additional ideas do you have?

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

The Death of the Salesperson

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:07:58 +0000

The death of the salesperson has been greatly exaggerated

The art of selling: “The death of the salesman has been greatly exaggerated” is the name of a recent article in the Economist magazine: http://www.economist.com/node/21533371 . After reading my blog, then read the article, I would enjoy reading your comments.

When I read the article I had so many emotions; as a salesperson for many years, a sales leader for 15 years and a sales management consultant for the past 14 years, this article went right to the point that many of us write about, speak about and attempt to impact the organizations we consult with on a daily basis.

Quick example: recently I purchased an iPhone from AT&T; first call, I walked into a retail facility: Result: great service, welcomed me to the store, shared friendly conversation, they helped me save money on my existing account, the salesperson even “walked” me to the door on each of my two visits. They even responded to my emails. They had a well organized retail customer approach. Just yesterday I was in NYC, I walked into an AT&T store to purchase a carrying case for my new iPhone, still the same solid attitude, same sales process and training and follow through-they walked me to the door! They had a sales process & system and they were trained in the same mode that my Knoxville TN salesperson was trained. This approach showed me a strong sales focus and the power of salesperson impact on the transaction. BTW: I drove to the store to purchase the phone-rather than buying it over the web.

Sales is built on trust and confidence, in some minor products this can be accomplished by smart marketing, however, where the special B to B consumer or business person are involved someONE must impact them emotionally enough to cause them to take action. Where organizations are lead by an analytical they look at sales as Cost Centers, not Profit Centers. Professional salespeople do drive emotions if properly hired, trained and managed and should be the Profit Center of any organization.

Growth focused companies look at how to capture market share, grow net new clients and increase client penetration levels, however the point the article misses is why have some companies failed or why have some organizations grown? Those organizations that have focused on their front end-(sales focused)- have penetrated their existing customer base at higher levels and added net new clients at higher rates through a well crafted salesperson or sales process map.

HOWEVER: It is my belief that lynch pin for organizations, like Wurth, the company in the article, is that their sales leadership team must be focused on success. They have built a belief in their mission within the sales team and their products and have created a sales training system that reinforces their sales strategies, sales process and prospect buying emotions.

In my blog I have often written about the need for sales leadership to set the tone for the culture of the organization as well as the level of expectation. In fact recently in my blog I wrote that sales and sales management are the Critical Success Factors to lead us out of the negative economic conditions that exist today.

Bottom line: To make salespeople and their impact relevant, sales leadership must take a proactive approach not only with organization’s executives-to drive the need for salespeople, but in the day to day management of their team’s ability to execute.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sales Leadership: Making Monday Morning’s Marvelous!

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:45:30 +0000

Sales Leadership: Making Monday’s Marvelous

In past blogs I have commented on eating pizza, Gourmet Living and many ideas that are designed to improve the operations, culture and productivity of your sales team –as well as you the sales manager. As I am sitting the airport, on this Monday morning, on my way to New York City to speak at an event it occurred to me that those first two or three hours on Monday morning are critical to set the tone for the week. However, as a sales leader you need to be prepared before that alarm goes off on Monday.

On Sunday afternoon I printed off my boarding passes and that evening I packed a bag, packed up my computer/business folders and placed them in my car along with my overcoat. I had also set aside my clothing for Monday and after a final packing of few items, I was on my way. A short 30 minute drive and I was easily in the airport and through screening. That organization made it easy for me to focus on the work for the week and time to prepare without a hectic event that may have started off my week on a negative note.

So the question is… are you and each of your salespeople prepared for the week?

Several months ago I wrote a blog on “Sunday Night Sales Management”, while I may not suggest you call each of your salespeople every Sunday night as my first sales manager use to do, (see blog for details), you can set the tone several ways. These are not in priority order.

Start on Friday afternoon. Depending upon the maturity level of your sales team, many organizations hold their “Monday morning sales meeting” on Friday afternoon. Everyone can discuss the past week and review their plans for the coming week. This will reinforce the need for activity, planning and on Monday everyone is ready to go. You might the time to simply review everyone’s schedule for the coming week with a brief one on one also.

Start over the weekend. Take minutes and simply scan CRM/Calendaring and review each salesperson’s planned activity and key prospect activity. By sending a few emails to each of your salespeople over the weekend, they will come to realize they will need to be prepared for Monday and following week. Inspect what you expect!

Start on Monday morning. If you have a Monday morning sales meeting, be prepared. Have your information ready, make the meeting worthwhile, positive and set the tone for your desired culture. Be organized. If you would like a copy of my “Sales Managers Sales Meeting Agenda’, contact me. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

The rest of the morning be active, upbeat and accessible; don’t lock yourself up in other management meetings or be out of the office. Get everyone feeling “beat” and help them find the rhythm. Your goal is to make Tuesday Terrific, Wednesday Wonderful, Thursday Tremendous and Friday Fabulous.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sales Leadership: It’s time to gear up your recruiting!

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:48:06 +0000

Sales Leadership: It’s time to gear up your recruiting

I have often stated that a sales manager should spend 15% to 20% of their time recruiting and interviewing, but as you move through October into November you need to increase your recruiting focus.

At this time of year, like it or not, every salesperson is assessing their current status, their organization, what they are selling and a pending new compensation plan in 2012. By increasing your recruiting now you will capture the attention of potential “A” or “B” salespeople and by adding them now or even at the first of the year you will be in position to exceed your 2012 sales goals. What should you do?

1. Place a display advertisement in the business section of your local paper-not in the help wanted section.

2. Review your resume folder or competitive salesperson list. Check your won/lost reports and find out who the salespeople were that won orders during the past year. Call them.

3. Contact your vendor account managers, let them know you are looking for additional salespeople, they may know quality salespeople to contact.

4. Increase your networking activity, attend a few extra events and let everyone know you are looking for quality salespeople.

5. Make sure everyone in your company knows that you are recruiting. Set up a referral bonus plan.

Obviously as you interview, make sure you have well defined interviewing process to effectively select quality candidates. My book may be of value if you haven’t been trained to hire salespeople,

Recruiting High Performance Sales Teams includes additional recruiting ideas, interview questions, scorecards and a bonus section that describes a New Salesperson On-Boarding process.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sales Leadership: Zen & The Art of Golf

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:46:24 +0000

Sales Leadership: Zen and the Art of Golf

One of my more popular blogs last winter was “Zen and Art of Snow Shoveling” based upon the famous book: Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and after yesterday I thought I might leverage that title one more time.

Yesterday was a lovely fall day in the Smoky Mountains. The sky was bright blue, no clouds, the leaves are changing into brilliant colors, the air was warm and I had a 1pm tee time. Unbeknownst to me another couple had signed up to play with my wife and me. As a not a great golfer I started becoming concerned when I saw the other man begin to boom his shots on the driving range. On the first hole I was somewhat nervous, but made a double bogey on a long par 5. Moving to the second hole I hit a great drive-the next thing that happened was what began to make the afternoon a wonderful experience. Ed began to compliment everyone’s shots and form as he continued to be a long and accurate ball stroker. My second shot hit the green, the first time I had ever done that! On the third hole I began to get on a role. By the end of the day, I had a few pars, a birdie and scored my best round of the year! Even with losing 5 balls I shot a 93! Now while that might not be good for many of our readers-for me it was a positive experience. What does this have to do with Sales Leadership?

As I reflected on our game, conversations and even after the game 19^th hole discussion I came away with what made the difference. From the first hole, which I didn’t pick up until the second, Ed was setting the tone for the day-compliments, some laughs but setting a standard on distance and accuracy. He would pick up broken tees, cleaning the tee box and fixing ball marks on every green. Pretty soon, all four of us were encouraging each other, managing the course and enjoying the experience. I found myself concentrating more clearly, working my shots better and even when Ed gave me a tip-I appreciated his concern to make my game better

As a sales leader are you setting the standards of expectations? Doing the little things (like cleaning a tee box) to make sure your team is executing more professionally? Making sales calls with your team and providing strategy and sales tips to your team to make them better? It was the entire approach-by everyone- to the afternoon that made the difference. Is your team helping each other, is everyone in the organization encouraging and pressing for excellence?

In my recent newsletter “Why Sales Managers Succeed!” I covered the topic of Organizational Excellence and the need for sales managers to lead their organizations during challenging times. If you are not receiving the monthly newsletter, you can sign up at www.AcumenManagement.com (new website too!)

Have a great fall, focus on the details, push your team for more, but set the tone with positive strokes and perhaps you will finish 2011 as your best year ever!

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Corporate Entrepreneurship: Good for Small & Large Business

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:55:15 +0000

Corporate Entrepreneurship: Good for both small and large business

My reading pattern normally is to read a “business book” then switch to a “fun book” and then back to a business book; this routine allows me to read a diverse number of books and keeps me current and thinking creatively. The latest business book I finished is titled: Corporate Entrepreneurship: How to create a thriving entrepreneurial spirit throughout your company.

While the book is aimed at corporate America, as I read through the content I easily saw the importance of the book for small business. Over twenty years ago I was working for a small business in Minneapolis, during that period of time I had an idea for a business that was related but not directly aligned with the small business’s main focus-selling software and computers to small business. My idea was to create a software testing laboratory that would validate software prior to it being released by the software developers-lower the number of bugs and improve profits. Without getting into more details that software testing business has survived and prospered and while it is no longer a part of the original small business, it is thriving. Within that same original small business, a specialized software product was developed and a separate focus started that lead to it becoming the number one software product within its vertical market!

As I read this book many of the challenges I faced within the small business aligned with the issues the authors Robert Hisrich and Claudine Kearney brought up, even as early as the Preface: ….involves overcoming inertia, rigidity, rules and regulations…to create something new-a new way of doing something, new systems…. As a business and sales management consultant for the past 14 years I have witnessed many organizations attempting to add new business opportunities within their current structure-only to run into the same obstacles. This book would assist any leader at any level of organization improve their ability to adapt and take advantage of potential new opportunities without disrupting their current business models.

I have also observed many organizations that jump into something new too quickly. The authors provide in the first chapter a process to help both the organizations leadership and the entrepreneur or adventurer to identify and evaluate the potential of the opportunity. This is well written, with great tools and excellent for any level of business. As in my personal experience, the owner of the business encouraged creativity; chapter two identifies specifically leadership’s role in promoting, facilitating and supporting entrepreneurial activity. One of the best chapters I felt covered “The Internal Politics of Venturing”. Let me say this again; this book is an excellent read for both small and large business leaders, in any organization the political drama can drain business opportunities. The other chapters I found very interesting were on compensation within a corporate entrepreneurial environment and funding the venture.

I found the content straight forward, easy to read, with great examples from organizations like Apple. What I really came away with is a an excellent read for any level of large corporate management that wants to create a challenging environment and needs to create a playbook for innovation- this book will provide that. For small business owners this book will layout a process to assist you in making better decisions, improve your new business ventures and create an atmosphere of success.

My favorite quote is: Take advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime, during the lifetime of the opportunity. Corporate Entrepreneurship, from McGraw Hill: Hisrich and Kearney will help get there!

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Align Sales Compensation with Your Goals

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:35:42 +0000

Align Sales Compensation with Your Goals
A compensation plan that works

Note: This week’s blog is an excerpt from my new book: “Creating High Performance Sales Compensation Plans”

When it comes to how businesses pay their salespeople, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. That’s especially true for any company that is diverse. Each has its own business, margins and mix of products and services. Some pay commission based on sales, while others only pay on margin; still others blend both with incentives and special bonus plans.

No matter which approach you use, success depends on awareness. Your sales management team must understand your company’s overall goals and structure compensation to align with them. In short, sales compensation should be not just a tactical focus for your organization, but a strategic one as well.

Sizing It Up
Compensation plans shouldn’t be developed in a vacuum. You and your sales leaders need a solid grasp of your overall industry and your organization’s place in it. You’ll need to factor in variables such as new product launches and major promotions, as well as consider your personnel structure.

You should also address these questions: Is your company a start-up or an established business? Are your sales goals orders- or bookings-based? How long are your delivery cycles? What are your objectives: to secure new clients, increase average order size, reduce selling expenses? Do you want to open new vertical markets, focus on the profitable aspects of your business or increase certain activities, such as cold calling? Each answer will help them design a compensation plan tailored to your company’s specific needs.

Finally, take a hard look at your sales organization. Take the time to set goals and analyze gaps. For instance, do you need to attract new representatives to make C-level sales calls? Do you want to retain employees to build a long-term, client-based sales team, or is rapid turnover acceptable because it provides new blood? Such considerations also play into compensation planning.

Understanding Cost of Sales
Of course, you can reduce selling costs and enhance profits by capping sales compensation, but in the long run you get what you pay for. If you hire good salespeople and compensate them poorly, expect high turnover, which comes with costs of its own. A sales plan that compensates strong performance will allow you to attract the best salespeople — and retain them as well.

You can reduce selling costs and enhance profits by capping sales compensation, but in the long run you get what you pay for.

Calculating the cost of sales (CoS) is an important part of planning a compensation package. For a quick CoS ratio, simply take an individual’s salary plus commissions earned at 100 percent of quota and potential bonus opportunities, then divide by that person’s revenues to obtain the percentage. For example, if a salesperson earns $150,000 in total compensation and sells $1.5 million of products and services, his CoS is 10 percent. A more sophisticated approach adds in marketing expenses, corporate overhead, direct expenses paid to the salesperson and expenses related to sales support costs.

Once you have determined an acceptable CoS range, you can fine-tune the commission plan. If you sell Microsoft offerings, services and other more product-focused solutions, it’s critical to find a blended CoS, which takes into consideration the margins of service and lower margins of product sales. That can allow you to achieve the desired CoS within your compensation framework.

Examining the Options
Compensation plans vary widely, but all should include “accelerators,” that is, increased commission rates for employees who achieve target sales levels. Following are a few common examples of different plan structures:

Profit-Based: Commission rates change as margin levels increase. These plans are generally based on invoice, product or monthly averages of margin generation.
Revenue/Quota: Compensation is based on sheer volume achieved over the previous sales period or on a percentage of a quota achievement.
Balanced: Compensation is based on margin, revenue and a third component, such as quota attainment.
Team: Bonuses go to all team members when quarter-to-date (QTD) sales goals are achieved.

Let’s examine which types of plans work best in which scenarios. If your company has high revenue-growth objectives in a boom market with little competition, use a plan with aggressive accelerators. Another option involves offering higher base salaries and lower commissions. An advantage to this approach: You may not need reps with top-notch sales skills because, in this case, they’re primarily order-takers.

The situation changes in a slower-growing market with many competitors. Here, you might adopt a “protect-and-grow” revenue objective to play defense against rivals, while using a margin-based plan to upgrade accounts. The idea is to gear compensation to account for growth while providing bonuses for new accounts.

If your company’s goal is to grow revenue and focus on new account conversion programs, choose a plan focused on the percentage of sales growth quarter over quarter or annually over named accounts. Certainly, using a quota-based compensation plan can achieve this objective, too. This scenario requires strong sales compensation with quarterly bonus emphasis on revenue gains from new business.

Tailoring Tips
Here are a few final considerations to keep in mind as you customize your compensation plan:

In new organizations focused on expanding within existing markets, the compensation plan will differ dramatically from that of an established company in the same industry. A mature, market-dominant company that receives a large percentage of its revenues from a small, loyal customer base can offer lower commissions and, perhaps, lower overall salaries. But a newcomer to an existing market probably needs to offer higher compensation to attract top-performing salespeople who can build a strong customer base.
New organizations in new markets need compensation plans reflecting the volatile environment, usually with higher-than- average base pay.
Companies in transition or undergoing a turnaround typically experience a higher CoS ratio; they may be best served by flexible plans incorporating morale- and team-building components.
Organizations positioned for high growth should develop plans covering brief, six-month periods. This will let management test theories and change direction while allowing the sales team to adjust accordingly.

No question about it: Creating an effective sales compensation plan is hard work, but the effort typically pays off in both improved sales performance and achievement of your corporate goals.

Ken Thoreson is managing director of the Acumen Management Group Ltd., a North American consulting organization focused on improving sales management functions within growing and transitional organizations. You can reach him at ken@acumenmgmt.com

www.Acumenmanagement.com Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com 3f4qb8v9ge

The Menu for Life: Step 1: the passion of impact

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:45:24 +0000

Last week I discussed the need for sales leadership to lead your organization out of the negative economy, this week’ s message is to help you understand step one: the passion of impact. The message is : by impacting the lives of others, your personal and professional life will prosper. Go forth and impact the lives of your sales teams.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

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Fix the Economy: Sales Leadership Must Be the Stimulus

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:41:29 +0000

Fix the Economy: Sales Leadership Must Be the Stimulus

By Ken Thoreson

While most eyes are on Washington DC and Wall Street to judge the health of the economy or to propose plans to that will “solve the problems”, everyone that reads this blog knows nothing happens unless a salesperson sells something!

I am firmly convinced that the VP of Sales, Sales Director, or Sales Manager are the linchpins that drive the growth of any organization. They set the direction, culture and create the intensity required for success, in today’s economy it is our responsibility to jump start your business that will in turn impact others organizations and eventually the economy. This will be a massive effort, but we can start TODAY! I have listed a few ideas to that will begin the Sales Leadership Stimulus program. Let’s keep the ideas flowing to help everyone succeed…

Make sure every salesperson has a 90 business plan with activity goals, account strategies and revenue objectives. Vision and action must be in alignment
Schedule a sales skills training event at least everyone other week-assign members of your sales team to train each other.
Develop a “Cross Sell-Up Sell Plan for each of your existing customers. Determine what products/solutions each client currently uses and what other products/solutions you can sell to them.
Create a specific Current Client Contact Campaign using #3 above, assign X number of clients to contact per week/salesperson, track sales results for 90 days.
Ask each of your vendors: products/services/ administrative, for funds or gifts to use in a company wide sales contest between now and the end of the year. Read my book: Creating High Performance Sales Compensation Plans for other ideas
Create an active scheduled Tele-Sales Blitz Days in your office with your sales team. Schedule a minimum of two hours a week where everyone prospects for new business. Track daily results for appointments. Make this a fun time.
Once a month take your sales team to a satisfied client’s office for tour and demonstration of how they use your products/solutions. This will be belief in your company something required for salespeople to be mentality tough in these times. See past blogs on this topic.
Develop a peer group of other Sales Leader’s; share your ideas, ask for advice.
Build a team fun event where you roll out your goals, programs and enthusiasm to execute your plans. You must always be the positive leader, with excitement, energy and focus, your team must believe in your plans.
What are ideas that I forgot?

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Living a Gourmet Life…and then some

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 02:15:36 +0000

I thought I might make it easy this week, no reading, just a video from my You Tube Channel: Sales Management Guru.. Living a better life…

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com
Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sales Management Thought Leadership: Efficient Effectiveness

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:53:35 +0000

Sales Management Thought Leadership: efficient effectiveness

As an Eagle Scout I can discuss the topic of “Be Prepared” easily and based upon this past Sunday it even has more credibility. Sunday was “Boom’s Day” the largest fireworks display in the U.S occurs each Labor Day weekend in Knoxville, TN-so what does that mean? An estimated 400,000 people flock to the river front to watch the event; boats on the river, people lined up on the docks, roads and every home, parking lot and condo packed with friends and neighbors. As this was my first time to witness 45 minutes of noise, color and lots of OOOh’s and Ahhh’s I had to be prepared. Did I mention the potential of rain?

For two weeks, prior to Sunday, I asked everyone about the event; where to park, when to arrive, double checked my reservations for my dinner cruise and thought of what to pack in my knap sack. The good news was I found a parking spot in the first ramp I drove into, arriving at 2:30pm allowed my friends and I to casually walk thru Market Square, stop for refreshments and sushi and then walk the 10 blocks to the river walk and boat launch. When the rain came we had hats’, ponchos, umbrellas and at 9:30pm when the show began, the rain stopped. On the walk back to the car, I took out my flashlight and the four of us made it home by 1am. A great evening to remember.

What does this have to do with sales management? As a manager you must be prepared-at all times for almost any event. The best plan is to have a plan and to consider what might go wrong or what could impact your ability to exceed your objectives. I have simply listed below a series of topics for your consideration and for you to double check against your plan or lack of plan.

Do you have a plan?

If you lose a salesperson

If your sales team needs sales training

To increase the sales culture of your team

To increase your networking/partnering function

That generates excitement for your products/services

To say thank you to your support team

That increases your level of professionalism/education

To create a sales contest that drives revenue

That adds net new customers to your base

That drives the necessary sales leads for each month

To say thank you to your existing customer base

To increase your public relations exposure within your community or market

That will increase/improve your vendor relations

To improve your CRM effectiveness

If your computer systems fail or are destroyed

That’s enough for now, but if I missed anything, comment below, let’s build a complete list for the future.

HINT: this is a great idea for your next management meeting, simply begin by asking each of the departmental managers about their problems or contingency issues that arise on a day to day basis or what might occur if a disaster of any kind happens-then ask them for their plan.

Why is this critically important today? In any kind of business environment, the organization that operates the most efficiently generally out performs their competition, in more challenging times a focus on efficient effectiveness must become the mantra for the day.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sprint to the Finish–It’s that time of year!!!

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:10:20 +0000

Sprint to the Finish—–It’s that time of year…

A shaky banking industry. Roller-coaster days on Wall Street. Budgets being cut. Purchasing decisions being delayed.

With that economic domino effect affecting us all as 2011 begins to wind down, ending the year on a high note will be more challenging than ever. At Acumen, we’ve been offering the following advice to our clients and their sales teams:

Keep it in perspective. Recognize that if you are in the information technology sector, it is the best place to be in tough economic times. You sell what’s especially in demand right now: Solutions that can increase efficiency, cut costs and enhance customer relationships.

Stay optimistic. Remember that clients and prospects are seeking help and you’re in a position to both reassure and assist them.
Work harder. (Sorry, but that’s what’s needed.) Try to stretch yourself both in terms of attracting new customers and better serving existing ones. Sell professionally; execute brilliantly.

Meanwhile, the standard end-of-year scenario still applies, too. As always, this is when accelerated compensation programs kick in. More importantly, it’s when many management bonus systems take effect, rewarding executives for driving certain levels of pretax income to the bottom line or attaining their revenue targets. and it’s no wonder that, just like every year at this time, sales teams feel like they’re in the last 100 yards of a big race.

Following are five additional steps to help you stay out in front as you approach the 2011 finish line:

Count the days. In the same way that consumers track holiday shopping days, know how long you’ve got left to sell this year. Doing the countdown adds urgency to the process for you and your prospects. (Hint: How can you use the remaining weekends to boost business?)

Consider all your resources. Can you turn to colleagues to strategize about opportunities and develop winning tactics? How about doing site visits? Can an existing client or a vendor contact help create credibility with prospects?

Plot-closing strategies. Think about why prospects need your solution and exactly how they’ll benefit from implementing it, whether it’s generating revenues, improving productivity or better serving customers. Then figure out a reason for them to act now. You may have a sense of urgency driven by end-of-year deadlines for quotas or bonuses, but you need to show prospects how moving forward at this point will benefit them.

Make contact twice weekly. Never let a week slip by between meetings with prospects. If you see them on Tuesday, see them again on Thursday. Stop by at a convenient time-but always have a valuable reason to visit, such as providing an implementation plan or a reference letter.

Keep prospecting. Sales organizations often drain their pipelines by the end of December. January may be strong with leftover business, but February, March and April typically lag. It’s important to ensure that marketing and prospecting levels remain constantly focused on future pipeline development. We recommend that you take your calendar and block out specific times for prospecting between now and year’s end.

One last tip for coping with today’s economy: In the downturn following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I developed a short personal motto that successfully reinforced the need to keep moving forward. It was: “Take action. Stay positive.” I suggest that you develop a similar slogan to help you navigate these difficult times. Having a strong foundation can make all the difference in how you end the year and position yourself for 2012.

Ken Thoreson. “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull

revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 12 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for clients throughout North America. Move up and move ahead!

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.

Ken@AcumenMgmt.com Website: www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

The Essence of Education-Sales

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:52:54 +0000

THE ESSENCE OF EDUCATION

By Ken Thoreson

This blog is from a chapter in my latest book: “Leading High Performance Teams” I thought you would enjoy it. As we move into the final months of the year ensuring your sales teams are more professional is critical to exceeding your goals. www.AcumenManagement.com

Developing well-coordinated training programs for new salespeople and existing salespeople alike can provide tremendous ROI.

By Ken Thoreson

In working with clients, we at Acumen Management often find that sales-training programs suffer from problems such as inadequate new-employee orientation, sporadic and unfocused ongoing training and nonexistent or ineffective role-playing scenarios. Many clients also lack any type of coaching or mentoring in the field, during or after routine sales calls.

The good news: Sales- training programs don’t have to be sophisticated or expensive. To ensure success, you need only a few basic components: a comprehensive plan that spells out your training program’s goals and components, a clear ongoing process and, above all, effective execution.

A Comprehensive Plan
Your plan should contain an outline for initial employee training on functional job requirements, company product and service offerings and corporate benefits, along with recurring plans for training existing employees.

Many organizations’ training plans are missing one key factor: making sure that employee interest and motivation levels remain high. This process, which involves helping team members commit to the organization and align their personal and professional interests, is known as “re-recruiting.”

The perfect opportunity to set a lasting tone is when new employees join your company. If you have customer letters of reference, have the newcomers read them. If you have awards, explain how you earned them. All new employees should have lunch or a meeting with the person at the highest level in their divisions; in smaller companies, that would be the president. Commitment, loyalty and the right attitude will begin to develop at these sessions.

At Acumen, we believe in creating a detailed three-week new-hire training plan. Each week is broken down into specific training and knowledge-transfer components— with homework! The plan must cover everything, including:

Legal documents
Marketing case studies
Using the phone, fax machine and customer relationship management (CRM) system
Presenting and selling your organization via its brochures and PowerPoint presentations
Scheduled lunch meetings with key executives

… and more, based on your organization’s specific needs.

It’s critical that you clearly define each element of your training program and that the people responsible for each area sign off as each new hire has successfully completed the training.

A Clear Long-Term Process
To ensure success, your training plan should be designed so that you’re continually updating your team’s abilities. The plan should cover the following areas: sales skills, product and services knowledge, company operations, industry awareness and, if appropriate, understanding of key vertical markets.

Plan and organize your sales meetings for the entire quarter. Develop a comprehensive plan for repeatedly touching on each of the elements listed above over the course of the quarter (although not necessarily addressing all of them at each event).

The plan should also include personalized six-month programs that allow salespeople to set their own goals. This process helps ensure that individual and corporate goals are fully aligned. One of my clients requires its salespeople to attain several certification levels each year. In one instance, the salesperson has 15 minutes to review a case study before walking into a room where an actor plays the role of the client. Three independent professionals evaluate the salesperson’s performance, which may be videotaped for later review. The salesperson must receive a passing grade before moving on to the next level.

Effective Execution
To get your training program off the ground, first develop a written three-month sales training plan. Include a mandatory, predefined schedule; emphasize that employees must schedule their other meetings around it. Assign sales team members to present most training topics (if salespeople have to train others on a topic, you can be sure they’ll know the material cold). Schedule sessions with outside trainers at least once per quarter. Establishing a short-term plan and agenda ensures that you address current issues while meeting the goals for providing ongoing training.

Bottom line: Employees are a critical asset. Most software systems have regular maintenance check-ups and support agreements to keep them at current levels. Your employees require at least as much attention. Keeping your employees’ personal and professional objectives aligned with your corporate goals through training and re-recruiting will ultimately result in huge dividends.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Building a Sales Team that Manages Itself

Brad Trnavsky — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:17:51 +0000

Building a Sales Team That Manages Itself

Turn your company’s benchwarmers into sales scorers with these tips.

This article has been selected for DeFinis Communications’ “Sales Coaching: Top Tips for Increased Productivity” Blog Carnival. You can enjoy even more posts from other exceptional bloggers at their website.

It’s the dream of every person who hires salespeople: “We’ll hire the best people and let them go sell so that we can focus on running the business. After all, they should know what to do.” As a result, many fallinto the same trap: They hire those salespeople, turn their own attention to other aspects of the business and then checkinmonths later to find a disturbing lack of results.

The good news: It is possible to turn that dream of a self-managed, high-performance sales teaminto reality. But doing so requires a well-coordinated approach, and success depends upon clearly defining expectations and providing salespeople with the tools they need to reach their goals.

Any effective self-managementinitiative will be based on these three assumptions:

Assuming that salespeople can manage themselves with no direction will lead to failure. A completely hands-off approach will resultinmissed opportunities, untapped markets, wasted sales and marketing budgets and cash-flow problems.
Failing to set clear expectations will create frustration for everyone. Managers and salespeople must agree upon targets for monthly and quarterly activity levels and well-defined margin/revenue goals.
Pledging to “inspect what you expect” is critical for self-management success. This means validating that all salespeople can sell, understand your offerings and represent your organization professionally. When combined with a couple of simple tools, this mindset ensures that your sales team is as effective as possible.

Beginby having salespeople createindividual, six-month business plans describing their goals, training needs, quotas and forecasts as defined by specific clients and products. Plans should alsoinclude sales-activity goals and coordinating local marketing activities with Microsoft marketing programs. This creates a road map that everyone can review regularly to gauge progress.

Next, have each salesperson prepare a quarterly account-planning document listing up to five specific steps or methods for opening or further penetrating specific accounts. This tool allows salespeople to define important aspects of each account,including key contacts, competition and past successes. With thatinformation, they can develop account strategies,including specific sales tactics to be executed during the time covered by the plan.

It is possible to turn that dream of a self-managed, high-performance sales team into a reality.

These tools allow managers to monitor current — as well as past — performance, measuring results against each salesperson’s desired objectives and coaching as necessary.

They can also help ensure that your sales organization is consistently building pipeline values that provide enough prospect opportunity to exceedindividual quotas or personal goals. Everyone understands what’s supposed to happen; everyone can monitor how well current activity measures up to planned approaches and results.

Because these tools are developed byindividuals, salespeople will “own” their activities and can work steadily toward achieving their goals. At that point, they become self-managed.

Finally, salespeople should meet with key management-team members,including the CFO and vice presidents of marketing and production, to review the new processes. Individual salespeople should also present their business and account plans to their colleagues to document their commitment to the team and create potential for collaboration and even a little peer pressure.

These personalized plans’ real power becomes evident when they’re measured against actual performance. When salespeople face quarterly reviewsinwhich they must discuss how successfully they met their targets and recommit to their new plans, they truly “get it.” They understand what it takes to achieve their goals and how specific planning leads to improved performance. As you lead them through this process, you’ll see self-management take hold, moving from concept to practice — and from dream to reality.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

What Does Success Look Like?

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:11:25 +0000

Note: I am posting a guest blog this week, I thought you would enjoy the content.

What Does Success Look Like?
By Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter”

It seems simple enough, doesn’t it — understanding what success looks like. Too often in the sales industry, we think of it in lofty platitudes, rather than concrete realities. Want to harness what really defines success? Grapple with the below questions — not to the point of frustration, but with an eye on inspiration.
• What does success look like?
• How will we recognize it?
• What are the obstacles we face in achieving success?
• How much is our industry growing per year, and what are the long-term trends in the industry?
• What do we do that our competitors cannot do short-term? Long-term?
• Who is our strongest link in the organization?
• Do we understand our cost structure well enough to understand the net profit gained from adding incremental customers?
• Who are the 20% of our customers who deliver 80% of the profit?
• Are we long on time or money?
• How stable is our customer base, and does our operating P&L reflect it?
• How long does it take to turn a new customer into a profitable customer?
• Why do people want to work for us?
• Do we have an effective “back-stop” plan in place to deal with key personnel?
• Would investors be attracted to our business model?
Sure, they are not “easy” questions, but they are worth their weight in gold if you can authentically answer them.
Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter, is a consultative selling expert committed to helping individuals and companies identify better prospects, close more sales, and profitably build more long-term customer relationships. To find out more,

visit www.TheSalesHunter.com.

Sales Leadership: Improving Your Won/Lost Ratios

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:34:52 +0000

Sales Leadership: Improving your Won/Lost Results

Last week I was speaking to a group of executives about improving their Business Planning process by increasing their consideration of: strategic issues, market dynamics and resource/employee development. One of the other elements in effective business planning is holding a formal quarterly review process where the management team evaluates the quality of business execution and the operations, marketing and sales scorecards. During the session I revealed a variety of metrics we use to assist our clients on improving their sales and profits. The first sales related metric I recommend is the Won/Lost ratio, this is the number of proposals delivered vs the number of opportunity’s won. This is measured by your sales team and by individual salesperson.

The reason this ratio is important is it will tell sales leadership if your salesperson is qualifying properly, delivering enough proposals or has other sales related issues. From this ratio you can also begin to build the balance of your pipeline metrics, working backwards in your funnel. However, that is not our topic today.

What can improve your won/lost ratios? Better pre-call planning. Let me summarize a few questions the sales manager and salesperson can use to improve their preparation, if you would like our Pre Call Planning Sales Worksheet, simply send me an email, it is part of our On Line Sales Management Tool Kit, Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

Consider each of these issues as you plan your sales call:

What is he/she in charge of or expected to manage? How will your solution affect the
What does he/she want to achieve? How does she/he, measure success? How are they evaluated?
What is considered a success on this proposal?
What external factors or industry trends might make it more difficult to reach their goals?
What likely strategies and initiatives are in place to help achieve their objectives?
What likely issues does the organization face that could prevent goal achievement?
Who are the peers? Subordinates, superiors, outsiders whom they frequently interact? Who has formal power or informal power?
What’s their status quo relevant to your product/service/solution? What would it take to overcome status quo?
What is the personality style of each of the individuals on the call?
How will I open the call? What is the objective of the call? How will I close the call?

While these are just a few of questions a professional must consider prior to any sales call, it is also important to recognize that sales conditions can change at any time and constant reviews of your sales strategies will sharpen your skills but more importantly increase your won/lost ratio. The bottom line: increasing won/lost ratios mean an increase in commissions, need any more encouragement?

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sales Leadership; Be a Positive Force

Brad Trnavsky — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 13:15:55 +0000

Sales Leadership: Be a Positive Force

It’s been a tough past few weeks; it’s been hard to listen to the chaos in Washington DC, the impact on the US stock market, continuing war issues and the lack of strong economic growth. Last week I wrote about the summer blahs and sales leadership’s responsibility, it included an idea to “pump up your mental power”. Believe me; I was really excited to travel this week.

I am in Anaheim, CA at the National Speakers Association Conference. What a great time of the year to be in a location with positive people, positive messages and everyone willing to assist in providing idea’s, tips and recommendations to help you grow your business. I have the opportunity to sit in on breakout sessions, discuss ideas one on one and listen to the top speakers in my profession, not only do I get to hear their programs, but also observe their techniques and styles. It is a positive push in the right direction. As readers of my blog have read below, my Thoreson Theorem or mantra is: Stay positive, Take Action. My keynote program stresses the need for everyone to consider their personal philosophy and in the times we live in and as sales leaders we must remain a positive force within our organizations. What are you doing to increase the positives within your organization? I would like to read your comments below or send me an email: Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

Need some personal help to increase your positive vibes or to pump up your team?

All of this is why I wanted to share with you the information below; it describes my new book titled: Success Simplified:

This book has it all!!! It includes fourteen chapters on increasing your success quotient.

Success Simplified has been written by the individuals who have learned the secrets to success. Where in one book can you learn from Dr. Stephen Covey, Ken Thoreson, Dr. Tony Alessandra Patricia Fripp.

Ever wonder why you feel like you’re on a treadmill, trying to go faster and juggling many different tasks while trying to please everyone? You’re not alone! These days it seems that everyone is trying to grab the gold ring but the carousel is going too fast and it’s too complicated to and competent strategies to reach out and actually grasp it. Maybe it is a matter of redesigning success. We each have the opportunity to choose what success is for us. What if you took command and chose your own meaning of success so that you could love the life you live?

The insights shared by the authors in this book have the capacity to not only inspire but transform your life. Take advantage of the valuable information they have provided. You’ll be glad you did!

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, then you will be successful.”

—Albert Schweitzer

Based upon my meaningful keynote program, the reader will discover the importance of creating a personal theme for their lives, finding personal and professional balance, and creating the three ingredients to create a menu for life: 1) the passion of impact, 2) breaking out and becoming more creative and 3) being real and being more.

This book has been designed for everyone; it will create dynamic changes in your life and the lives of those you touch. You can also learn more on my YouTube Channel.

Ken Thoreson, author of the award-winning Your Sales Management Guru blog and book series for sales leaders, renowned consultant, speaker and contributor to many publications, teams with best-selling authors Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), Dr. Tony Alessandra (The New Art of Managing People), and Patricia Fripp (award-winning professional keynote speaker) in a new book about achieving and assessing personal success. Thoreson was selected by Tennessee-based Insight Publishing’s nationwide search to be featured in the newest book in its highly successful Success Simplified: book series. The book also features other well-known authors and speakers, each offering time-tested strategies for defining and achieving success in frank, intimate interviews.

Ken’s chapter, based on his popular keynote address and 13 years as a business consultant, features his Gourmet Living: “no-regrets, do-over recipe for success” and the importance of building a menu for life. “Each person is in charge of designing what their own success looks like to make sure they love the life they are living,” says Thoreson. “From our experiences, we are constantly learning how to take actions that help us achieve that success. I encourage everyone to ask themselves, ‘If you had your life to live to do over again, what would you do differently, if anything?’ While we cannot relive our lives, we can take action to change the way we are living.”

The chapter discusses how to find personal and professional balance by aligning the individual’s soul with their company’s goals. “For those who manage people, it’s about taking the no-regrets to a personal level and helping them understand their own goals and recipe for success,” he explains.

Thoreson waxes about the three essential ingredients for building a menu for life: the passion of impact; breaking out and eight ways to become more creative; and learning to be real and more. He also describes in detail the four critical roles that mentors, risk, work, and creativity play in achieving success.

The first three titles in Thoreson‘s series of “Your Sales Management Guru’s Guide” books also have recently been published. Your Sales Management Guru’s Guide to Leading High-Performance Sales Teams, Your Sales Management Guru’s Guide to Recruiting High-Performance Sales Teams, and Your Sales Management Guru’s Guide to Creating Sales Compensation Plans for High-Performance Teams can be ordered at http://www.yoursalesmanagementguru.salesgravy.com, Amazon.com

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Take Advantage of the Opportunity of a Lifetime

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:53:16 +0000

Take Advantage of the Opportunity of a Lifetime

Take advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime, during the lifetime of the opportunity! I use this phase in my keynote program on Gourmet Living; I have coined it as a Thoreson Theorem. In each of our lives we all have special times or events that open the door to unique opportunities. They maybe a business that is taking off and bringing great rewards, or it could be a special time to share with old friends or relatives. The important aspect of the phase to recognize the “time” factor and the action of “taking advantage”, many times I have noticed individuals not recognizing how little we have in our lives or failing to take action, they simply exist.

While we can’t live our lives over again, we do have the freedom to do over the way we live our lives. Domino pizza faced quality control issues and they are now “doing over” their recipes and services. In Gourmet Living I speak often about creating a Menu for Life where each of us can choose a philosophy of how we want to live life and to create a “mantra” or theme that will carry you on your day to day life experiences. All of this becomes a Do-Over Recipe for Personal and Professional Success. Why is this important as we move into the last week of July?

Are you ready, excited and focused or are you feeling the blah’s? Last week I was interviewed on the topic of sales fatigue for Top Sales World www.TopSalesWorld.com . It is something I have noticed the last three and four months where sales leaders and salespeople are feeling the grind of the past 18-24 months and facing the next 5 months of exceeding sales quotas. If you or your sales team are simply showing up to work, you may need to consider Doing-Over your personal and professional goals, setting a new theme for your sales team for the next 5 months and simply increasing the motivational factor for your team. Gain what I like to call ‘fresh air”. Remember professional’s will do what amateurs fail to do, the little extra’s that make the difference in their performance. The YouTube video below discusses 3 words, And Then Some....These three words are the difference between average performers and top performers. I hope you enjoy the video, its 2 ½ minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0VKjUwE2TI

I hope you are excited and that everyone on your team takes advantage of the great opportunities that exist and their lives are all Gourmet.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

You know what to do… Right?

Brad Trnavsky — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:35:34 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

You know what to do… Right? So why don’t we do it? A few days ago one of my running friends posted a status that said “If you wait until the last minute it will only take one minute.” The procrastinator in me loved the silly idea behind it, but the reality is that it’s NOT true. The truth is if you wait until the last minute it won’t get done or you will do a terrible job.

One of the biggest problems most people have in their life is an inability to act when they know they should… We tend to over analyze, think about things, and try to find our focus when we should be doing something. Think about it… If you need to lose weight is reading another book before you get started REALLY going to get it done? It doesn’t, but it allows us to stay within our comfort zone while feeling like we are doing something when in reality no real action has been taken. We know McDonalds is bad, we know exercise is good but we still eat the french fries and watch TV while reading a book on weight loss. The book isn’t the answer… Taking action, frequently ANY action is what is going to set us on the path. Walking daily and eating better is easy to get started the book will help you refine that. Once you are making changes and moving forward that book will help. You will likely glean some concepts that will help you improve your process, but there is nothing to improve until you get off your but and DO something.

Think about your sales funnel… Are you where you need to be? What could you do RIGHT NOW to improve? How about in your personal life? Your health? Your financial situation? Every one of us has things we know we could or should be doing that we are not. Don’t wait another day, when you see a problem take decisive action based off of your gut instinct. More often than not you will be correct, if your not, continue to study the problem and make another small change. Frequent minor course corrections are generally NOT our problem… an inability to act is.

What is the one thing YOU are going to change today?

Sales Leadership; The lost art of sales discovery

Brad Trnavsky — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:31:54 +0000

Sales Leadership: The lost art of discovery: Sales Training

As I am finalizing a program for a client of mine I thought I might share my thoughts around sales training. While Acumen isn’t a sales training firm, as a sales leadership consulting firm we get actively involved in designing course work and helping sales managers developing their sales training programs. For those that have read this blog for a period of time you know we believe that sales managers should plan their sales training programs on a quarterly basis, listing dates, times, topics and individuals responsible. Today I wanted to share another important aspect in salesperson development.

The paragraph below is from an article by Dave Kurlan, a noted sales trainer, it highlights what I have noticed over the past 10 years, salespeople have moved into a product push rather than a relationship building style. Why is that? Perhaps it’s the email/technology world we live in, short attention spans, or simply the lack of improving the level of professionalism of our sales teams. I like to recommend that you “video tape” your sales teams at least twice a year, the first is to validate they can effectively sell your company in less than 3 minutes and second is to record them as they perform a role play around Discovery or asking questions. A salesperson’s ability to ask key questions and then based upon the prospects answers, probe deeper to fully understand the individuals needs and the true business challenges are the key to improving sales.

Get Your Veteran Salespeople to Take Baby Steps

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 01:22 AM PDT

The Pipeline Guest Post – Dave Kurlan

We expect newer salespeople to be sales challenged, that is, not very effective when it comes to listening and questioning. But the reality is that for at least 74% of the sales population, veteran salespeople aren’t very effective at this either. Here are some of Objective Management Group’s additional statistics from assessing more than 500,000 salespeople:
•    58% talk too much
•    58% don’t ask enough questions
•    84% present too early in the sales process
•    85% offer quotes or proposals too early in the sales process
•    86% take prospects at their word – they trust enough to not ask a clarifying question

The questions I have for you today are:

1) When was the last time you simply went on a sales call to observe your salesperson’s skill level?

2) How are you building the skill level of your team? If you want a Salesperson Development Tool, send me an email; Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

3) Have you trained your salespeople to listen, ask business focused questions and build relationships?

I would enjoy hearing from you on your reactions and thoughts on sales training. Leave a comment below…

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Gourmet Living: Your Life’s Pizza

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:31:33 +0000

Gourmet Living: Your Life’s Pizza

Ahh summer is here, the fourth of July was celebrated with parades, fireworks and many family and community get togethers. I hope your weekend was a terrific time to celebrate America.

On Saturday, we spent the evening on the dock, cooling off with frequent swims and feeling the light breeze off the lake; about 6pm I went up to the kitchen and took out my pizza stone and made a pizza, with pepperoni, mushrooms, 2 kinds of cheeses, fresh basil and Italian seasoning. Needless to say we finished it off as the sun was setting behind the hills of east Tennessee.

If you follow our blog or receive my monthly newsletter you know I speak often about food, finding your Menu for Life and the analogy of pizza and life. All of our lives are made up of various ingredients-much like my Saturday evening pizza, but our lives are also made up of various slices that if balanced properly increase both our personal life as well as your professional life. These slices of life relate to relationships, friends & family, fitness, communication skills, time management, etc.

To hear an excerpt from my keynote where I describe how to find balance in your life and begin to create a Gourmet Life listen to this YouTube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kTVC-jcT3Q

If you would like a copy of the Personal/Professional pizza to assess how you score in each slice of life, send me an email. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

As you look on You Tube: search for “Ken Thoreson”, you will find 10 other short video’s from my keynote program: Gourmet Living.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Building Culture to Increase Profits

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:08:13 +0000

Sales Leadership: Building Culture to Increase Profits

Did you know that when you lose a salesperson, it costs you 4 times what you paid that person during their employment? These costs include not only salary, but benefits, lost sales/profits, time of management support, training costs, and in many cases lost market presence and bad company image with repeated new salespeople calling on the same accounts (if you want the entire formula, send me an email and I will send it to you: Ken@AcumenMgmt.com)

In a recent WSJ column a graph was displayed showing the level of discontent of workers that are “seriously considering leaving their jobs”. They surveyed 2,400 workers and compared a study from 2005 to 2010 showing the percentages of discontent.

Ages 2005 2010

25-34 25% 40%

35-44 24% 33%

45-54 20% 28%

These numbers are significant for two reasons; one: as the economy gets better and more jobs open up, plan and expect to lose people and two: why should be people be discontented?

As readers of this blog should know, my answer to point number one to build an on-going sales recruiting program. See previous blogs on recruiting or view my free video on my website.

The answer to number two is more challenging but is a critical role in the job of sales leadership, creating a positive culture of high performance. In many of my keynote programs I discuss the need for leaders to “align the soul of the individual with the goals of the organization”, this means that the leader must know the individual goals of each person and then you must show that person they can achieve their personal and professional objectives by assisting the organization in achieving its goals. If the salesperson wishes to purchase a boat, show them how they can earn the extra commissions to pay for the boat, HINT, create a poster with a picture of that boat with a bar chart that reflects the sales goals required to hit the required cost of the boat. If is a college fund for their children you should know that as well.

In addition to the personal skills required by sales leaders, you will need to create the atmosphere where you reinforce belief in your organization. Previous blog on building belief would be a good read on this topic, but in summary focus on building success stories on where your product/service has greatly benefited your client base and share them at least quarterly.

Next, are you creating a fun atmosphere? An office where people enjoy each other, laugh, share idea’s, talk about their lives and work together for the common good is essential. One idea I have recommended at this time of the year is to have your sales team and/or management team cook a picnic lunch for all your employees. Make is a summer, once a month event, it’s a way to say thank you. Create a theme, some fun event, allow the president or others to simply give a short talk about a positive event(s) within the company and then everyone “get’s back to work!

If you have other ideas on building culture, please post them below and let’s build a library of ideas.

Focus on building a culture where your salespeople are earning top commissions, expectations for high performance are set, discipline, accountability, control are in place and a positive environment is a priority. Your turnover will reduce, your profitability will soar.

Have a safe and fun 4^th of July and remember why we celebrate that day!

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

I thought you were a customer?

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:37:12 +0000

I’d like to share a classic story of how to NOT close a sale. I was shopping at Costco with my friend Terry the other day for a few things we needed for the office, and like most people I love Costco because I generally find several things I never knew I needed until I serendipitously stumble upon them. Such was the case on this day. While walking the isles looking for external hard drives, and a few other relatively inexpensive items I stumbled across a special events vendor selling a Murphy Bed that was built into the coolest book-case/ cabinet I have ever seen. This thing was beautifully designed and engineered and I REALLY liked it. I spent probably 10 minutes looking over the three display models, commenting on the features I saw particular value in and complementing the salesman (who I later found out owned the company) on the quality of the product. I was even talking about where I would like to have this product in my house. I was basically sold on this product, but now I will probably never buy one!

Why you might ask?

I ask the man for some sales literature and a business card and as I walked away he said “That’s too bad… I thought you were a customer!” My first thought was What the hell! Are you serious? Do you REALLY expect me to drop 5K on a product I just stumbled upon in Costco without talking to my wife or making some kind of plans for how to pay for this? The words that came out of my mouth as I looked over my shoulder were briefer though… ”I was…”

Not “I am” or “I will be” just a simple “I was”.

I understand what he was trying to do, he was trying to close a sale, but a close like this almost never works. In fact its poor sales skills like this that got this blog started nearly 5 years ago. What he should have done was temperature checked me before I left with a simple question like how would you like to have one of these in your home, and then saw where I was in the buying process, collected my information and followed up in a day or so. This simple change could dramatically improve his close rate and the reputation surrounding himself, his company, and sales force. People don’t generally spend 5K on something they saw for the first time in a Costco. They may on your sales floor, but that’s a different scenario… I came for that product, I am interested in it, and I wouldn’t be there if I did not on some level want to buy it. It is important as sales people to understand the purpose of each event you are in. Are you generating leads or closing sales? when you are asking yourselves these questions keep in mind your customer, your product and your venue. you could have a very different sales cycle on your showroom floor, in a home show in a high-end neighborhood, and in a suburban Costco. That doesn’t mean there are not buyers in all of those locations. What it means is that you may have to approach buyers differently in each location understanding the individual wants and needs of that market.

I am sure this guy was just frustrated… He had probably shown that product to 500 people who were all very interested and didn’t buy. What I experienced was the result of that frustration. However, what he should have done was stepped back and analyzed what was happening and come up with a new strategy. My suggestion would be lead generation, I would still close for sales, but if I couldn’t get it I would go back and add 400+ names to my database and follow-up with great customer service. It’s not a fast buck, but I am SURE my way would have sold a few more beds and at 5K each I think it’s worth the effort.

What would YOU do?

Have you had an experience with a salesperson for a quality product that went terribly wrong? Share your experience in the comments. I’d LOVE to hear about it!

The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs! Start your week off right…

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:28:05 +0000

First let me state this: I did not write this week’s blog.

As sales leaders we have 3 aspects to our job. We must focus on the “role” we play, we must focus on the “strategic” side of our job and we must focus on the day to day “tactics”, the story below describes what the “role” of our jobs are, that is the culture and motivational aspects of sales leadership. I believe the story below helps every salesperson fight though the tough times and mental challenges we face in everyday life.

Yesterday a 22 year man won the US Open, a month ago, he went into the last day leading the Masters and lost. He fought through not only the physical side of his profession but also the mental side. I hope you enjoy “The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs!

The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs

There was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs.

He was hard of hearing, so he had no radio.

He had trouble with his eyes, so he read no newspapers.

But he sold good hot dogs.

He put up signs on the highway telling how good they were.

He stood by the side of the road and cried, “Buy a hot dog, Mister.”

People bought.

He increased his meat and roll orders.

He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.

He finally got his son home from college to help him out.

But then something happened.

His son said: “Father, haven’t you been listening to the radio?

There’s a big recession coming on. The Middle East situation is terrible. The domestic situation is worse.”

That made his father think: “Well my son’s been to college, he reads the papers, and he listens to the radio, he ought to know.”

So the father cut down on his meat and rolls orders, took down his advertising signs, and no longer bothered to stand on the highway to sell his good hot dogs.

Sales fell fast, almost overnight.

“You’re right son,” the father said to the boy. We are certainly in the middle of a great recession. There just isn’t any business.”

(Need we point out the moral?)

This was received in 1974… BEFORE Email.

Ken Thoreson

Acumen Management Group, Ltd

423-884-6328

Ken@acumenmgmt.com

www.acumenmgmt.com

Guidelines for Effective Management Performance

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:25:50 +0000

Guidelines for Effective Management Performance

Share this with your management team

As I was refilling my book shelves (see previous blog) I found the following bullets from Dale Carnegie & Associates, the copyright was 1967 and updated 1981. All the information is highly pertinent for today’s biggest sales management challenges; my white paper on The Job of Sales Management that is located on my website is somewhat similar but specific to the job functions of the sales manager. The list below reviews management’s role in building a high performance organization. At your next management meeting I recommend sharing this with your entire management team and discuss how each person is working to accomplish the various suggestions below.

The experience of successful managers in organizations of all types and sizes; has made it clear that certain functions, concepts and principles must be understood and performed consistently to assure continued success and effectiveness in dealing with their people:

Managers must understand that:

It is essential to influence others to cooperate toward achieving desired results-that the manager has value only in relation to an organization and the people who comprise it.
The manager’s total personality, including the attitudes towards life and particularly toward people, will determine success or failure as a manager.
The blending of the organization’s goals and the career goals of the individuals in the organization is of paramount importance. These goals are interrelated and must all grow and prosper in concert.
The most important responsibility of a manager is to develop people and help to make them successful, since only successful people achieve important results.

Managers must do the following:

Focus attention chiefly on results to be achieved rather than things to be done. Everything that is happening should lead to the desired results.
Plan and organize effectively to achieve these desired results. Direct and coordinate the efforts of everybody concerned with these results to do their best to achieve them.
See that major objectives are divided into “bite-sized” pieces and properly delegated to appropriate subordinates with time targets for achieving expected results and with established controls and designated accountability to prevent deviation from what is expected.
Establish effective performance standards so all concerned people will be geared toward attaining profitable action and will know what is expected of them and how their performance will be measured.
Build a “results-getting” attitude in the organization so people will develop self-reliance and achieve their goals with confidence.
Motivate subordinates to peak achievement.
Be creative and help others develop their creative potential.
Delegate effectively and maintain proper control so that what is planned is achieved.
Maintain coordination of the efforts of all personnel both within and outside your organization so the interaction of these people will be focused on desired results.

10. Know and strive to reach your own and the organizations continuing purpose and build this into your job and the job of your subordinates.

11. Exercise and display the kind of leadership that will cause people to rally around the plans and exercise teamwork to get things done.

Acumen Management Group Ltd. “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 13 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Sales Leadership: a lack of resources may limit success

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:45:09 +0000

Sales Leadership: A Lack of Resources May Limit Success

Date Line: Las Vegas, Nevada

I have spent the last 3 days/nights in Las Vegas on vacation prior to speaking at a conference this week. During that time I toured few new hotels, saw a show, dined at great restaurants, viewed The Grand Canyon and visited Hoover Dam. If you haven’t been here recently, it’s a great spot to visit and enjoy the area. However, two things hit me: 1) the recession has really affected the area, they are #1 in foreclosures, with supposedly more to come, the highest unemployment rate in the nation and the hotels/casino’s are starting to close! Number 2); Lake Mead which was made by the creation of the Hoover Dam in the 1930’s currently holds only has 47% of the required water supply, it is down 163 feet! Hoover Dam not only supplies water to the Southwest, including Phoenix and Los Angeles, it also supplies the electric power. As the water supply dwindles, so will the ability of this man made wonder of the world to generate water and power for the increasing needs of the population.

The lights of Los Vegas still are bright, yet they only receive 3% of the power from the dam, and 90% of its water supply, just 55 minutes from the strip. The water shows at the hotels are impressive, yet everyone knows they are in a 25 year drought. Most of the locals understand their resources are becoming limited, yet they are expecting tomorrow to be a success. I am unsure if they are prepared for the tomorrow or if they have new resources in place? As a sales leader are your resources ready for tomorrow’s success?

The number one reason most sales leaders are fired is their in-ability to achieve sales quota. No surprise, however based upon our 13 years of consulting on business and sales management issues the general reason sales leaders fail is because their resources are not well positioned for tomorrow’s success. What do I mean by this?

Sales management must know their future quota objectives-at least 18 months out. This will first allow sales management to make sure they have the required number of salespeople hired to achieve that desired goal. For example; if you expect each salesperson to achieve $1M of sales and you have a $10M goal the easy answer is to have 10 salespeople. However, we all know that is unrealistic as not every salesperson in every organization will achieve their quota or because of their level of maturity/experience they will need to “ramp to” that level of production. You must also take into consideration, that you will lose X% of your sales team each year. What is your hiring plan for 2012?

Second, the newly hired salesperson (resource) is not adequately prepared to contribute. We find this in almost every new client organization. The new hire on-boarding process is not well designed to quickly raise the productivity and validate the new resource can sell your organization and products/services. Next, we find that “rigors of cadence” are not part of the ongoing development of the sales team. What I mean by that is sales certification and training programs are not rigorous or demanding in performance. We like to see a testing process to validate each salesperson can represent your company on at least a yearly basis designed to improve everyone’s professionalism. Also, we find there is not an on-going cadence or sequence of training programs built on a regular basis, these programs should cover not only sales training skill development, but also sales operations (CRM), industry knowledge, competitive awareness, and product/service expertise. These should planned 90 days in advance or each quarter. Do you have your summer training program prepared?

The other resource most overlooked understands the impact of the marketing funnel on the sales funnel. The question is: how many leads are required to enter the sales funnel each month from marketing and your sales team to ensure you, as the sales leader, always have an adequate level of sales opportunities to exceed your sales objectives. Only by measuring and knowing these numbers and the various ratios of opportunities as they move through the sales funnel will sales management be confident of resource allocation. If you would like a worksheet on this issue, send me an email: Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

These are just a few of the resources you as the sales leader must consider; review my past blogs to find topics on: Time Management, Sales Meeting Agenda’s, Personal Development, etc. If you are interested in learning more on Hiring and On Boarding Salespeople, you might enjoy reading our new book: Hiring High Performance Sales Teams. www.AcumenManagement.com Summer is a great time to consider your resource development program, how will you personally improve your own resource?

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sales Leadership: Clean Out Your Book Shelves

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:27:51 +0000

Sales Leadership: Cleaning Out Your Book Shelves

On Monday afternoon I found out the painters were coming on Wednesday! That meant I had time to clean out my office, shuffle furniture around and generally make room for them to paint the walls.

One of the actions I had to take was to unload three large oak book cases with three to five shelves full of various business, sales and sales management books I have collected over 20 + years, and various 3-ring binders from training programs I had attended or created for our workshops . Most were dusty. However the best experience was discovering items I had forgotten I even had or books I wanted to review again simply for the idea’s I knew they would stimulate for my speaking programs or consulting work. I found it is good to clean your closets and book shelves from time to time!

In visiting my client’s offices there always seems to be a book shelf or two with a variety of book/binders that they have also been built up over time. It is a natural part of increasing your professional status. Hopefully they were all read, not simply collected. When was the last time you took the time to simply review your library of business books or binders to discover gems of information that could be utilized? I have found it common that idea’s or tools that I read 3 years ago that were not pertinent at the time, maybe today or more importantly can be leveraged tomorrow. As sales leaders we must constantly seek new ways or ideas to stimulate our sales teams, increase our business acumen and increase our professionalism. You can find this in the constant supply of new books, but from time to time simply “cleaning off your existing shelves” may lead to a few gems as well.

One of my personal rules is I like to read a business book and then read a fun or enjoyable book. I rotate this principle throughout the year, even having 3 or 4 books going at the same time depending upon my mood or time demands. I will admit that after writing four books these past 18 months my reading time has slowed down. (Your Sales Management Guru series-AcumenMgmt.com) However, I just finished “Successful Selling by Matt Heinz –off to find the next Brad Thor book!

If you would like my list of Executive Business Books, send me an email: Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

Ken Mgmt. provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sales Management: Benchmark Your Business

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:25:11 +0000

Sales Management: “benchmark your business”

During the past three weeks I have visited three partner organizations, each of varying sizes in revenue, products/services offered and operational effectiveness. I also had a wonderful conversation with a fourth organization discussing new hire on-boarding issues, profitability and lead management. All of these organizations had issues in common, unique challenges and various management frustrations. One of the great opportunities I have had over the past 20+ years is to work with, speak to and consult with hundreds of organizations. This experience has provided me a great level of knowledge on which to base my consulting recommendations and to create the variety of tools that are used by thousands of individuals.

Because of this physical experience, one of the fundamental recommendations I make to clients and non clients alike is to physically visit other organizations and actually view how other companies operate. This is called: Benchmarking’ or as the definition states: a point of reference for a measurement. There are many executive peer groups where individuals meet and discuss common business challenges, hold each other accountable and some even compare financial metrics. In some peer group situations business leaders are from the same industry and some groups are made up of general business leaders. All of these kinds of groups are excellent sources of information. Our own Sales Management Board of Advisors program is similar, with the unique concept that the Boards are made up of individuals who are focused on sales management issues, i.e. sales managers, sales directors and VP’s of Sales. While all of these groups share information and learning is accomplished, the challenge that most of these groups cannot achieve is to help the participants truly understand “how” someone else’s business operates.

I like to recommend that at least once a year, the management team from an organization visit on site another company and spend the day with on site management team and operations staff at their “benchmarking” company. During the onsite visit, you will actually see how other organizations physically managed their CRM systems, train salespeople, deliver their solutions and how their office is actually physically organized. You generally can’t get this hands on viewpoint simply having executives speaking to each other at conferences or meeting in a group environment. Obviously you will see both the goods and bad’s during these events; this is the important aspect of the onsite benchmark meeting. The agenda and key topics to be covered during must be carefully planned. These events should be coordinated with a group meeting at the beginning of the day, with one on one manger shadowing during the day, with a group wrap up session at the end of the day where everyone can share their findings. While the investment can be large, the payoff will be huge. In every session we have coordinated both organizations have benefited from the experience. Openness and an attitude of sharing are critical.

Your challenge for the next five months, find your “point of measurement” and dare to compare. It will make your business planning for 2012 a real experience.

Ken Thoreson provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sales Mgmt: How much time do you have left?

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:12:31 +0000

Sales Management: How much time do you have left?

Generally most sales teams have until the end of June to achieve your quarterly objectives, these objectives maybe measured as quota attainment, headcount, CRM utilization or even certain levels of training accomplishment. As sales leaders your quota achievement could be based upon either “revenue or invoiced dollars” or “booked or sales dollars”. If you are focused on achieving your quarterly objectives time is running out.

If you are evaluated on a revenue/invoiced dollar value; then your sales orders must be in the system with enough time to ship your products and deliver your services, if you are based upon booked orders you have somewhat of an advantage. Its May 16^th, there are 33 business days left until June 30^th, (taking one day because of Memorial Day). Are you on target? How will you maximize your time and that of your sales team to ensure you will exceed your second quarter objectives? I have listed a few ideas to help you jump start your focus, please comment below and let’s build a list of ideas to help each other!

1) Increase the awareness of time with your sales team: share this blog, and then make a PowerPoint slide for each salesperson that states:” What can I do TODAY to win a sale?

2) Set up a Friday afternoon sales meeting to recap the week and discuss plans for the next week. Rather than a Monday morning meeting, make sure everyone can recap their week and have a plan for the next week.

3) Hold individual weekly meetings with each salesperson to strategize their opportunities: hint: have at least 2 salespeople in each meeting to increase the brain power.

4) Get senior management/President involved in more face to face sales meetings to help sell the company and get additional eyes/ears in the sales process.

5) Create a list of the top 10 largest opportunities in the second quarter and post it in your office to keep everyone aware of their progress.

6) Determine your “delta” or what additional dollars you have to sell between today and the end of June and divide that number by the remaining number of days left to show you the daily order rate required.

There are six ideas, what additional ideas can you contribute?

Of course you can also assume your sales team will think about their objectives on Saturday and Sunday as well–that would give you additional 12 days! Let me know if you want a copy of my Sunday Night Sales Management column. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

Guru hint: Don’t forget that the summer months are just ahead and your pipeline must be full for July/August months, your quota does not take a vacation…

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sales Leadership: Why Winners Win!

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:52:59 +0000

Sales Leadership Thoughts: Why Winners Win!

Last week after speaking at a conference a person mentioned to me she really enjoyed the topic; Why Winners Win. It is one of my favorite parts of the keynote and the four points I make wrap up many of the beliefs I hold, so I thought I would share them with you today.

The first element is: Winners Create Optimism. One reason is they dare to dream what others can’t imagine. In the past sociologists told us that you needed talent or hunger to succeed and win. There was a study done of highly talented individuals and those people who worked extremely hard (hunger) that never became successful and those highly successful talented or hard working (hunger) individuals. The result was the groups that were successful had an additional ingredient: optimism, not a simple happy go lucky feeling, but a real attitude that good things will happen. The secret to this ingredient is you can develop it. Work on the positives of life.

The second element is: they recognize fear as opportunity. Winners aren’t immune to fear, but instead of stopping them, the go with it. They treat fear as a signal and push through to experience new heights of living. Feel the fear-do it anyway!

The third is: they build dreams. Winners can visualize, they create of the image of their dream into reality. Our dreams shape us and we can’t do what we can’t imagine, people who get what they want often figure out what that is by letting their ambitions soar instead of censoring them before they emerge. Winners hang on to dreams…they are self fulfilling prophecy; positive illusions promote the capacity to productive work and a successful life.

The fourth action is: Winners reduce frustrations. Winners focus on what will go right, not what will go wrong, losers see the sand traps around every green, winners see only the greens—go for the pin! Remember that past frustrations build anxiety, while we must recognize frustration, it is a healthy by product of working towards your goals/dreams. Frustrations are simply steps to achievement.

I hope these ideas will begin to make your week, month and year terrific! Remember to build a Gourmet Life! Put the right ingredients in place and your Menu for Life will guide you to a highly successful and happy life.

Ken Thoreson provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Sales Leadership; Be Prepared

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 02 May 2011 15:23:16 +0000

Sales Leadership and Being Prepared

As an Eagle Scout, I have always considered the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” in all aspects of my life, this past week as the South felt the destructive power of massive tornadoes and rain it was a difficult time for many with many challenges to come. I was in Kansas working with a client, while wife was at our home in Eastern Tennessee facing the storm alone. The good news for us was we did not suffer any real damage; during many phone calls between us we discussed the situation and developed action plans, i.e. moving to our lower level, taking cell phones, batteries, radios, water and blankets. We also discussed the actions that had to be done outside the home during the short breaks between the four storms that hit us that evening, I was watching live radar and she was working the various issues; positioning the generator if we lost power, cleaning the drains that kept being blocked with leaves, sticks and grass and protecting portions of the house from raising water. In the end, it all worked, thank fully. Sales leaders face challenges every day and being prepared as much as you can be is critical success factor/CSF.

Organization skills are important aspect of being prepared. While many times salespeople are less organized than many other job roles good sales management must be highly organized because of the random nature of various events that can be disruptive on a daily basis. It is not unusual for sales leaders to walk into their offices on a daily basis and learn of: 1) a sales opportunity that might be lost, 2) an unscheduled meeting with the President, 3) a salesperson leaving the company, 4) a customer problem that needs to be addressed immediately and a host of other topics. So what can a sales manager do to help themselves?

1) Create a 90 day sales training plan, with dates, times, topics planned in advance

2) Use an effective “to-do” list to maintain priorities. HINT: I actually use sheet of paper with my short-term/high priority and longer term goals visible, I draw a line down the middle of the paper and list them on either side.

3) Focus on effective communication, much time is lost with follow up when individuals were unclear as to your directions. Re-read your emails before sending, ask others to proof important documents to ensure there is “clarity” and at the end of a meeting, ask the other person for their understanding of the actions they are to take with deadlines.

4) Always recruit! Every 60 days place advertisements and interview constantly.

These are just a few tips on improving your preparedness, I always stress in my workshops and consulting that a proactive approach to sales management vs a reactive style will always succeed. What other idea’s do you have?

REMINDER OF IMPORTANT EVENT

One of the most exciting events… The Worlds Sales Success Conference

From May 9^th to the 13^th a series the world’s top sales experts will present a variety of programs designed to train and motivate your sales teams.

This conference, which represents the most ambitious online event of its type ever staged, with thirty five sessions presented by some of the world’s top sales experts, over five days, will be all about succeeding, winning and exceeding expectations.

But this is more than a sales conference: Just four weeks after the Magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and a tsunami which delivered 46ft waves, we learn that the death toll is likely to top 25.000, and recovery is going to take not years, but possibly decades, maybe even a generation, at a cost of at least $250 billion.

This is an opportunity for anyone operating in the sales space to make a meaningful contribution to the Japanese Disaster Fund (via the Red Cross. Can I count on your support? Together we can make a worthwhile *contribution.

http://topsalesworld.com/salesConference/index.php

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Sales and Sales Management Resources

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:33:05 +0000

Sales and Sales Management Resources for Everyone

This week’s blog is unique; first I am excited to announce that our blog was recently rated #19 out of the top 50 sales blogs in the US. This list is a great resource any salesperson or sales manager, check it out. http://school.salescrunch.com/salescrunch-top-50-sales-blogs-2011/

Number two; I want to ensure you are aware of the an exciting five day event, May 9^th-13th

2011 Sales & Marketing Success Conference

Against a backdrop of several years of below par performance – 50% of salespeople missed quota last year, for example – we want to stimulate growth, and provide the motivation and the advice that will help frontline sales professionals and their leaders, kick-start a new beginning.

We have come through the toughest financial crisis in history, and we believe it is now time to be positive and look forward.

I will be presenting on May 9^th, the first day of the conference at 2:15pm EST, my topic: Gourmet Living: a personal Recipe for Personal and Professional Success. Check out all the speakers and their topics and register today! http://www.topsalesworld.com/salesConference/

We plan to charge just $5 registration fee per presentation, and we are limited to 1000 guests per session, so places will be allocated on a “first come – first served” basis. The daily schedules appear on the following pages do please book early.

Jonathan Farrington
Founder & CEO, Top Sales World

* We estimate that after administration charges levied by banks/PayPal, we will be able to contribute around 95% of all registration donations.

May 9^th programs

Jill Konrath

Kelley Robertson

Kevin Eikenberry

Ken Thoreson

Koka Sexton

Guy Kawasaki Discusses “Enchantment” – Episode 36

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 05:42:10 +0000

This past weekend, Brad and I were honored to chat with best-selling author, venture capitalist, and former Chief Evangelist at Apple, Mr. Guy Kawasaki about his new book, Enchantment.

Enchantment should be on the reading list of every salesperson and sales manager in every industry around the world…it’s that good. The basic principle is to begin to practice the art of changing not only the minds of those you lead, but their hearts and actions as well.

That might sound a little soft at first blush, but Guy makes a compelling case for mastering this skill. After all, in today’s age of easily and abundantly accessible information, engagement isn’t enough; you need to be able to create commitment among your clients and loyalty to your brand.

Sales organizations that want to win in today’s competitive market need to start by creating enchantment among their sales people. Of course, that all starts with sales managers and leaders who embody the ability to enchant their people. A good manager can get results, but an enchanting manager gets results and commitment, which in turn creates a better customer experience.

Salespeople, too, need to be cultivating the ability to enchant prospects and clients. Imagine a sales culture where prospective buyers line up in the dark to be among the first to buy your product. Sound impossible? Just have a look at Guy’s former employer, Apple. You can create that kind of enchantment, too.

Having Guy on the podcast was a real privilege, and we’d like to thank him again for stopping in. We’re glad to be back, and talking to Guy was definitely a great way to get back into the swing of things.

As always, please share your feedback in the comments section, and thanks for listening!

Brad & Jerry

Building Belief: The Key Job of Sales Management

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 05:00:15 +0000

Building Belief: The key job of sales management

This week’s blog is an excerpt from my latest book: Your Sales Management Guru’s Guide to: Leading High Performance Sales Teams. You can purchase the book at Amazon or at http://www.yoursalesmanagementguru.salesgravy.com

Are your sales inconsistent? Are you losing more opportunities than ever before? Does your sales team seem weak compared to those of your competitors?
Any number of reasons-from rapid growth to hiring mistakes-could be responsible for a “yes” answer to any of those questions. But in working with our clients, we often find that the underlying problem is actually an emotional one: lack of passion. Individual team members or the entire sales organization-or both-simply don’t have the combination of enthusiasm and belief that’s essential for success.
Salespeople have to be emotionally invested in their work with a burning desire to achieve. They must also believe that the company they represent is the best and the solutions or services they sell are of the highest quality. That belief must be genuine. It’s not just a marketing message, and it’s not something that they can fake.
With all the new products many vendors have launched in recent months (and will continue to release this year), that type of authentic belief is more important than ever for partners. Most sales organizations don’t do any belief-building activities, though. Or if they do, they only do so occasionally. Our experience shows that the most successful sales teams constantly undertake belief-building initiatives. Examples include:
Storytelling: People from different cultures and generations pass along stories about their ancestries, traditions and lore. Companies need to take a similar approach to capturing and preserving their histories. To do so, write down customer success stories when they occur. Put together detailed descriptions of your company’s role in helping customers implement new technologies, launch or salvage important projects or earn recognition from Microsoft. Then share these stories at sales meetings and other employee events. You can also use the best stories to recruit top performers and help orient new employees.
Monthly Meetings: When a company launches, its first employees typically feel that they share a mission. Everyone knows everything that’s happening and what’s needed to succeed. But when the staff grows beyond about 15 people, that sense of mission-along with clearly defined expectations and common beliefs-can be difficult to maintain.
We believe that monthly employee meetings are crucial for keeping everyone engaged and informed. (Larger organizations and those with remote offices may want to opt for quarterly day-long events instead.) Such gatherings give you a chance to remind your staff about your business philosophies, plans and expectations. You can also use them to recognize outstanding employees, perhaps honoring a Most Valuable Player chosen by the team at each session. Remember to make the meetings fun as well. Consider sponsoring games or offering door prizes. One company meeting I attended featured a surprise visit from an Elvis impersonator, who sang several songs.
Customer Visits: Each quarter, have your entire sales team visit a customer company that’s successfully implemented your solutions. Ask the customer’s executives to describe the impact your company has had on their competitive position or to review the savings they’ve gained from your products and services. You might also invite customers to share their experiences at some of your monthly meetings.
Reference Letters: Ask your best customers for testimonials. While such letters are, of course, highly useful as tools for future sales presentations, they’re also valuable for building belief in-house. Frame the letters and display them in your lobby or sales presentation area. Have new employees read them as part of the orientation process.
In our business, it’s all too easy to get bogged down with lost sales, missed project dates and other problems. Regularly reinforcing the positives goes a long way toward keeping everyone’s belief and passion strong and moving in the right direction.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.

Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com
Blog: www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

We’re BACK! The Sales Management 2.0 Podcast Returns – Episode 35

Brad Trnavsky — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:00:46 +0000

Brad Trnavsky

Well, after a much needed break in the action, we’re happy to announce the return of the Sales Management 2.0 Podcast!

Jerry Kennedy

Brad and I are happy to be back in the saddle, as this is one of our favorite things to do. We’ve met some brilliant folks, and we’re really excited for the lineup ahead.

Our first guest of the new series is Guy Kawasaki, so stay tuned for Guy’s episode, which will post up on Wednesday of this week. We’re going to be discussing his new book, Enchantment, and how the principles in the book can be applied bay sales professionals and sales managers alike.

If you’re not already subscribed to the blog here on Sales Management 2.0, be sure to do that now so that you don’t miss an episode of the podcast. As always, if you have Kudos, criticisms, questions or feedback, be sure to leave a comment below.

Thanks for listening!

Brad & Jerry

New year, new goals, no resolutions!

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 04:49:32 +0000

I hate New Years Resolutions! Seriously… I hate them. Why? because no one (well almost no one keeps them). My personal preference is to honestly reflect on things for a few days and then focus on setting a new direction for the coming year in much the same way you would develop a new Mission and Vision Statement for your company. I then make every effort to use this as the guiding principal in every decision I make every day. It sounds difficult, but it not if you are 100% bought in and I can’t see why any of us would write a personal mission and vision statement without our own buy in. The worst person to lie to after all is yourself! This process has worked quite well for me for a number of years however, this year I decided to augment it after reading a fantastic post by Chris Brogan called “My Three Words for 2011“. This post is incredibly well written and I think will make it easier to ensure you stay on track because in addition to that Mission / Vision you can pick your 3 words that will define the year and before you make decisions quickly reflect and ask is this within the scope of my 3 words or am I getting away from my core goals or business?

My three words are:

Reinvest: For me This word has a lot of meaning. It’s not just about making more money, its about energy, life, and legacy. I have made a decision to loose 50 pounds this year, blog more frequently, spend more time with my children, and to reinvest in myself by getting out and enjoying the outdoors by hiking, doing a little salmon fishing or anything else that tickles my fancy! It does have to do with growing my businesses, but theres more… much more!

Storytelling: Everyone knows I love to teach with stories. The reason I like to do this is because it is powerful and memorable. it also helps to build relationships and brand. The stories you tell say a lot about you, your company, and your product. There is more to me than Brad the sales guy and I want people to see that and know me because these relationships build trust and that is the basis of my brand. I also use this in my personal life because again it helps my children learn and they are more likely to learn from a memorable story than by memorizing a bunch of “stuff’.

Reduce/ Simplify: Ok I know this is two words, but I could not decide and I am using them in very similar ways. Most people know I am working on a Doctorate in Education with a focus on Leadership and Management and this eats a LOT of my time. So does running this site, podcasting, working, growing my business, going to church, working out, catching a hockey game, and spending time with my family. Last year I cut out a lot of stuff (Including our cable TV!). I was a founding member of The Sales Bloggers Union, and I quit at about 12:15AM New Years Day last year just 15 minutes into the new year. I realize I need to do more though. I need to reduce the number of commitments by reflecting back to Reinvest and Storytelling. I need to create systems that simplify repetitive tasks. I need to cut out unnecessary things and make sure the time I am investing is quality time that will pay back in a way that satisfies my core values.

There is really a lot more to say about these words than I am putting here because this commitment to improvement is very personal. What I am really trying to say is I am making an effort to ensure every decision I make from the food I eat to the projects I pick up are in line with these principles, and that I am making SMART Goals to ensure I achieve the desired results.

I’d love to hear about your three words and your goals in the comments section. Connect with me here, on Facebook, or Twitter and lets help each other stay on track and have a successful 2011!

Welcome to the NEW Sales Management 2.0!

Brad Trnavsky — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 03:24:52 +0000

Its been a long time coming, but I wanted to throw a quick blog post up announcing the NEW and improved Sales Management 2.0. As you can see things look a lot different around here. After years of struggle I have made the decision to pull my network off the Ning Social Network Platform. Ning was great in the early days, but I did not feel that they were giving any of us the level of customer service we deserved or that I was paying them for. The new site is a self hosted WordPress site with Buddypress. So far I am very happy with the new platform. Things are still a little rough but I have been working on it and will continue to make improvements moving forward. A BIG thanks has to go out to Pete Wright at Fifth and Main for helping with the export from Ning and getting the boned of this thing up and running for me!

With a new home comes a host of new features:

The blog and podcast have now been merged and retitled The Un-Sales Manager
We now have a much better system for Groups
There is a new Digg style link sharing feature where users can submit and vote on links to blog posts and resources.
You can log in with Facebook Connect!
You can check out the Job Board.
Download Whitepapers and e-books or subscribe to free sales and marketing trade journals.
Much more coming soon!

A lot of time and effort has been put into making this a valuable resource for sales professionals. So go ahead and register or log in , check things out and let me know what you think! I hope you all enjoy it this site is a labor of love and I will do everything I can to help its members succeed!

-Brad

Sharon Drew Morgen on Buying Facilitation® – Episode 34

Brad Trnavsky — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:00:39 +0000

Sharon Drew Morgen, Creator of Buying Facilitation®

If you’ve ever wondered what happened to those customers who said they would buy from you but never did, Sharon Drew Morgen may hold the key to solving your frustration.

Sharon Drew (don’t you dare call her just plain “Sharon”!) is the visionary and thought leader behind Buying Facilitation®, the new sales paradigm that focuses on helping buyers manage their buying decisions. She is the author of the NYTimes Business Bestseller Selling with Integrity as well as 5 other books and hundreds of articles that explain different aspects of the decision facilitation model that teaches buyers how to buy.

Her latest book, Dirty Little Secrets: Why Buyers Can’t Buy and Sellers Can’t Sell and What You Can Do About, is destined to be a game-changer…for those salespeople who are ready for it. Sharon Drew contends that salespeople spend all of their time working out a solution to the potential customers need, but little to know time considering the system that the need developed in. Without that understanding, she says, there is no possible way for the salesperson to influence the final decision.

Rather than focus on problem-solving or “solutions” selling, Sharon Drew encourages salespeople to learn about the subtle (and not-so-subtle) issues that are occurring in the background on the prospect’s end of things. Politics, rules, assumptions, values, relationships…all come into play in every decision that gets made in a company, and salespeople ignore these issues at their peril.

Sharon Drew says that the average success rate of salespeople, which currently hovers around 7% across all industries, is abysmal, and that if sellers would learn to not only understand what is happening for the buyers they encounter but learn to help those same buyers navigate their buying decisions, that success rate would jump to nearly 40%. That’s an increase in effectiveness that the sales profession can no longer ignore!

Make no mistake: Buying Facilitation® is not sales training. Rather, it’s a revolutionary approach to relating to your customers and guiding them through the sometimes treacherous waters of making a buying decision. Grab a copy of the book, read it with an open mind, and be prepared for an eye-opening look into the world of the buyers you deal with every day!

Thanks for listening,

Brad and Jerry

Alex Rogers on Why It Pays To Be Different – Episode 33

Brad Trnavsky — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:00:25 +0000

Jerry and Alex Rogers, owner of ARRC Technology and Chartec, Inc.

Alex Rogers is one of those guys who tells it like it is. He’s the owner of ARCC Technology and Chartec, Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, and his goal is to be supplier of choice for IT consultants around the country. It’s a pretty ambitious goal for a guy who started with a $300 investment, and he’s well on his way to achieving it. So what is it that sets Alex and his team apart? Alex says it all comes down to one word: differentiation.

And Alex isn’t just talking about product differentiation, either; he believes that everything about you needs to be different, from the way your sales people sell to the process they follow to get new clients. If you can truly set yourself apart from the pack, you can focus on what really matter in sales: finding out what your prospects want to buy!

If you can be the salesperson who takes the time to ask the right questions and really dig down to find your prospects’ hot buttons, you have a much better chance of building rapport. That rapport is the foundation of a successful sales process. You can learn so much about what a potential client wants to buy if you take the time to listen. Listening is just one of the qualities that will make you different from your competition, who are too busy pitching and closing to have a conversation with their clients.

How does Alex make this message clear to his team? Practice, practice, practice! Alex shared that one thing he feels truly sets his sales team apart is the fact that they are constantly rehearsing customer interactions until they have them down pat! And for those of you thinking that excessive practice and rehearsal makes you sound like a robot, think again. This kind of preparation makes you better able to handle any questions or potential roadblocks that might get thrown at you during your presentation. Better to prepare now than fumble later!

We really enjoyed our conversation with Alex, and we’re sure you will, too. Have a listen, take a few notes, and be sure to leave your feedback in the comments section.

Thanks for listening!

Brad and Jerry