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 © 2008, Business Influence, All Rights Reservedwww.businessinfluence.com.au 
Maximizing Your Sales Function
By Darren Bourke – Director of Business Influence Pty Ltd 
Managing the Sales Team Set the Sales Targets & KPI's.
Set the periodic sales targets for individuals,teams and the company. These could be daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, half year and annual. They should be stretch targets but achievable. Not too easy nottoo hard.
Autonomy.
Having interviewed many sales people, the most common frustrationthey have is being micro-managed. Below I outline how to approach internal salesmeetings which are pivotal to getting the most out of the sales function. Beyondthat, let them have ownership and accountability of their sales area. Be there tosupport and guide but don't get in their way.
Understand the Motivation behind Sales People.
Sales people are typicallyvery driven and singularly focused individuals. They get a massive kick out of the"thrill of the chase" and "closing the deal". They are generally motivated by salesturnover and their earning capacity including commission. Understand this inmotivating and driving them.
Pay Structure.
This would be the number 2 frustration of sales people. Agree ontheir base pay, superannuation, benefits, bonus scheme or commission structureat the start. Then measure, monitor and make good on all of these to the letter.Make sure payments are on time within predetermined lead times. If you can'texplain the bonus or commission structure in a few minutes on 1 page, revisit thebasis of calculation. This is absolutely critical.
Let Them Sell.
Sales people are there to sell. Don't burden them with financialor administrative tasks unless they are Sales Managers leading a team. Outside of the internal sales meetings which are critical, let them do what you employedthem to do.
Weekly Sales Meetings.
Weekly Sales Meetings should be laser focused, short,sharp and direct. Use an agenda. No waffle. Discuss current leads, open orderstatus, business development opportunities and other current prospect/customerstatus. If weekly sales data is available, report it quickly against pro-rata budget.Keep product, training and HR/admin issues for the Monthly Sales Meeting. Agood productive meeting may only run for 20 minutes or less.
 
Monthly Sales Meetings.
Monthly Sales Meetings include a review of priormonth's individual, team and group sales performance against budget targets.Use an agenda. A monthly spreadsheet detailing sales turnover and keyperformance indicators against budget should be tabled and analysed. Report thenews. Relevant product/service updates, training and general businessadministration issues should also be tabled. Commissions and other performancecriteria should be reviewed and resultant follow up actions noted.
 
 © 2008, Business Influence, All Rights Reservedwww.businessinfluence.com.au 
Quarterly Sales Meetings.
Quarterly Sales Meetings are to review the priorquarter's performance at an individual, team and group level. Break your yearinto four quarters and report Q1, Q2, Q3 & Q4 results. They should bequantitative and qualitative. Customer data and feedback should be included aswell as sales team needs and gap analysis. This may also include marketing andbusiness development initiatives. What went well and what went badly in theprior quarter? What can we do in the next quarter to be even better?
 
Annual Sales Meeting.
This is the big macro review to conduct each year. Thisincludes a full detailed review of prior year. It includes setting or tabling of thefollowing financial year's sales targets and marketing plans. This meeting is oftendone off site with a structured agenda.
 
Communication In-Person Communication
. Define your expectations in regard topersonal grooming and dress code for client meetings. Have a consistency andprofessionalism in the way you present your sales force in person.
Email Communication.
Review your email etiquette. I recommend a standardgreeting and close. Ensure a consistent e-signature is used on all emailcorrespondence. Advise the team what "should and shouldn't be said" in emails.The casualness and ignorance surrounding email communication can pose agenuine business risk. Work on minimising this risk.
Written Communication.
Develop a solid knowledge bank of standard lettersand proposal/sales precedents. This not only creates consistency and bestpractice but delivers massive sales productivity gains.
Phone Communication.
Appraise your telephone communication. Who answersthe phone and in how many rings? How often do you need to transfer calls? Whatdoes the customer hear on hold? What's your standard greeting? How friendlyand helpful are staff in taking calls? If your answers to these questions aren'tsolid, hold an internal session on telephone communication.
Customers Marketing Materials.
Have hard-copy and soft-copy versions easily availableto the sales team so that they can quickly prepare correspondence and get backto prospects and customers. Examples include product/service brochures, productspecifications, samples, FAQ sheets and quote/proposal templates.
Customer Feedback.
Develop systems and processes for capturing customerfeedback and report this in your internal sales meetings.
Customer & Prospect Response Times.
Have clear expected response times tocustomers. How quickly do you respond to prospect enquiry or customer contact?Educate staff on these maximum response times and advise your customers.Measure and manage expectations.
Sales Process.
Is your business' sales process clearly documented, understoodand followed by the sales team? Do you effectively educate your customers onthat process and manage their expectations?
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