Sales Result inc.

Sales Management and the Supply Chain

Eric Morse — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:04:39 +0000

No matter what you industry you’re in, there is likely always going to be some kind of supply chain behind your product or service. The simple supplies you need to do business have to come from somewhere, and anyone who has worked in retail knows that problems with supply lead to headaches for business owners. Effective sales management training will give you an edge in the realm of supply – both in assuring your business can operate, and responding to problems.

Supply Chain Faux Pas

While there are stricter controls on child labour than there used to be, for many industries it’s difficult to track exactly how workers are treated in their manufacturing plants. When information does surface that employees are mistreated, companies have a few options in how to respond. If your company depends on overseas manufacturing, you should be keenly aware of this process. Western markets tend to be very sensitive to news that their products are the result of child labour. Responding correctly may involve volunteering for independent investigations, internal reporting, and other measures taken to insure workers aren’t being exploited. Sales management training can give you a lead in this area.

Daily Operations Management

After you’ve assured that your supply chain is clean, there are some things to be done about guaranteeing that supplies make it to your store on time. The general rule of thumb is to order things before you run out – and before you’re in much danger of running out – so that you always have products and supplies when you need them. For retail stores, there’s a careful balance to be determined; product that can be moved is more valuable than products that need to be return to make room for newer offerings. Sales management training can help you figure out how much volume moves into and out of your store at different intervals. Gathering this information leads to informed decisions about what needs to be ordered when.

Plan for Late, Not Early

In a perfect world, every shipment would arrive on time. In the real world, that doesn’t happen. Some shipping services offer guaranteed delivery dates, but they can be expensive. The best way to avoid overpaying for shipping is to buy often and early. If you plan on every shipment being a little bit late, be it office supplies or product to be shelved, you’ll be prepared for the times when shipments don’t arrive when they’re supposed to. By planning for this contingency in advance, you avoid the frantic moments that ensue when something doesn’t arrive on time.

Sales management training can help you avoid public relations nightmares, both by keeping product on your shelves and being sure that your product has a clean track from manufacturer to shelf. As a business owner, some of these things may seem out of your control – they’re not. Customers pay attention to the details. If you’re interested in finding out more about sales management training, call for a free consultation.

Brick and Mortar Stores are Still Benefitting from Sales Consulting

Eric Morse — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:56:05 +0000

It’s been seen in every industry and every city: rough economic times and the ease of shopping online have taken a toll on brick and mortar stores. Boarded up windows and empty retail spaces are increasingly common. There is still some hope for the real world shopping experience, however. Sales consulting companies have consistently found ways to innovate on the shopping experience, leading to every industry having some leftovers in the physical market. Here are some of the ways they’ve kept afloat.

Convenience and Immediacy

When it comes to making purchases, many online vendors know that you have only a few seconds to convert a page view into a sale. The same thing is true in the physical world – convenience and immediate purchasability make a huge difference. The biggest advantage physical stores can have is that they offer immediate availability – once someone is inside the door, the ability to walk out with a product in-hand, without the hassle of shipping, is quite profound. A sales consulting company can help you present your products in a way that encourages people to make purchases because of their convenience. This includes advertising, but also the way your store is laid out.

Exclusive Products

Many stores are working on deals with suppliers to receive exclusive products. This is a great way to get people coming through the door. If products simply aren’t available on the internet, then the people who really want them will need to come in. This can be seen in action in any number of television-exclusive product offerings – those companies stay in business because they offer things that may not be available otherwise. Once the customer is in the door, it’s up to your sales team, the layout of the store, and the overall customer experience to push the products out the door.

Large Scale Items and Comparisons

Finally, one of the biggest benefits for brick and mortar stores is the ability to display items. Product demonstrations and displays give customers the ability to assess quality before buying. On the one hand, this means that physical stores are expected to have higher quality items. However, the security of knowing what something will look and, more importantly, feel like, before buying, is something that simply can’t be accomplished over the internet. A good sales consulting company will help you use this fact to your advantage. Likewise, a sales floor is great for setting products up side by side. Online retailers frequently have some sort of comparison system, but it doesn’t meet the experience of looking at one product next to another.

If you’re the owner of a small business that depends on foot traffic to meet sales numbers, you may want to think about hiring a sales consulting company. Not only will they help you improve advertising and customer volume, they’ll help you align your store to make the most of the customers who enter.

High Tech Sales Management

Eric Morse — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:07:16 +0000

With the 2012 Computer Electronics Show coming to a close, we’ve decided it’s time to review some of the challenges faced by the technology industry. In terms of sales, high tech is booming. Devices of all sorts are coming to market, but only some of them are succeeding. The ones that are doing well are doing very well. The question is what divides the good from the bad – how much of it is poor marketing and sales management, and what of it is the product itself? It’s our opinion that most products can succeed – they just need the right push. Let’s look at the current state of the high tech sales industry for ideas.

Hardware Vendors

The hardware manufacturers are in a bit of a bind right now. With record setting flooding in Thailand, the price of hard disk drives has doubled and shows no signs of slowing. The increased cost for new hardware combined with an economic recession is putting vendors in difficult positions. Some of the larger companies have chosen to escape desktop manufacturing altogether – focusing instead on mobile and tablet markets. Those that remain are in good position to gain leverage on the market if they can survive the coming onslaught. Their sales teams are currently operating in overdrive to maintain customer support.

Handheld Devices and Smartphones

There’s a marketing war happening between handheld device makers. Everyone is vying for the coveted top spot, and the market isn’t all speaking the same language. Consumers are offered several competing mobile options, and no solid winner has emerged. This is the prime time for sales consulting. Any edge in this environment could be the determining factor. To market these sorts of devices, you need a concrete knowledge of three things – what your product is and how it differs from other offerings, who your target market is, and how you’re selling to them. The phone ecosystem isn’t going to go away – the other devices may prove less successful. Given the right sales strategies, though, it’s likely at least some of them will succeed.

A Time of Revolution

The high tech market is susceptible to high rates of change. Right now, a handheld device has ten times the computational power of a high end desktop from only a few years ago. The major markets have changed their approach to this somewhat. The offering of LTE – long term evolution – devices is meant to curb the need to continually market and re-market devices. They’re meant to grow along with the demands of customers, specced for something slightly beyond present demand and able to adapt in ways as yet unpredicted.

This is an incredible time for sales consultation. There are innumerable viable markets and niche audiences all begging for products to fill them. If you have one such product, we can help you firmly wedge it into place. If you have any questions about our high tech sales strategies, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

10 Indicators That Your VP of Sales Needs Sales Coaching

Eric Morse — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:43:01 +0000

The following ten points are all indicators that a VP of Sales or other upper-level sales management needs coaching and training. If you see one or more of these indicators, it’s time to reassess your sales management team, and determine how they can begin to meet and exceed your company’s goals.

They spend too much time selling upward, and not enough time on their people
They have no understanding of their sales funnel, and can’t predict month-to-month forecasting
They haven’t sampled the quality of work of their sales managers and individual contributors in sales or on the phone
They have no institutionalized sales and product training regime within their sales force
Their territories are misaligned and only a small percent of sales reps are effectively covering their territory
They have no sales playbook or set of rules that they follow
They have no sales process, key activities and/or defined metrics, and if they do, they haven’t followed the process, completed the activities, and/or made the numbers
Their win/loss ratio isn’t balanced: they are losing more deals than they are winning to competitors, and blaming it on the product rather than taking a look at themselves
They aren’t able to make their number quarter after quarter
They don’t have a plan for how they will make their numbers

Insanity is expecting a different result from your VP of Sales without making the necessary changes. Kick your 2012 off right by ensuring that your VP of Sales/sales management is equipped with the right mindset, sales team, and sales tools to meet their organization’s monthly, quarterly, and annual goals.

Inspiring Passion in Your Sales Team

Eric Morse — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:03:49 +0000

A sales team that is uninspired and passionless will never perform as well as passionate leaders hope they will. Getting from one side to the other can be frustrating – figuring out ways to spread your enthusiasm to your sales department is not always a simple task. You know that the inspiration comes from above, you just don’t know how to get it to trickle down. Unfortunately, there is no out-of-the-box solution to this problem. Every sales team is different. An in-house analysis of sales and management activity is the best way to find out where communication and inspiration break down.

Organization and Priorities

When management priorities differ from those of the sales team, the path to passionate sales diverges. Both groups need to work in harmony for energy to truly pass between them. By reorganizing and shifting priorities, sales members will feel more effective in making change within your business. This democratizing may seem simple, but giving people a glimpse of the power they have to change things will manifest itself in discoveries of personal power elsewhere – even in the ability to close more sales, find more leads, and so forth.

Improving Structure

Improving the structure of your sales system, from the opportunity development to account management, can help you place sales team members in areas they will shine in. It may be that everyone has a passion for sales negotiation and account signing – don’t ignore their desires. In some cases, individuals are best served by consistent responsibilities. In other situations, it might be of benefit to everyone to have a sort of rotating schedule. So long as each sales member knows the duties involved, this will help some people avoid burning out on a single position. Giving your sales team something to look forward to at all times will improve the work they do.

Let Them Feel Envied

Your sales team needs to know when they excel. As your competitors flounder, don’t hesitate to point out your own success. If you can look to your team and tell them, blankly, that they’re the reason the company is outperforming all others, it will cause a surge of pride. This pride contributes to a company culture that is centered on positive feedback looping. The more the company succeeds, the more pride the team will have it, thus performing even better. If your sales team is leading the market in your industry, they should know it. Even if they know it based on numbers, having some acknowledgement never hurt anyone.

If you have any questions about how to best inspire your sales team, you should contact us. We can help you rearrange your sales team and establish a company culture with strong leadership and proud employees. If you aren’t meeting the numbers you want, this can be a huge step in the right direction. Combined with sales team training and certification, you’ll be on a collision course with success.