Issue Archives
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Like the crowd that dutifully feigned enthusiasm over the emperor's non-existent suit, too many managers today latch on to the latest business buzz without stopping to truly understand it or assess its value.
We decided to bust some myths that have made headlines recently in order to help you prepare your tactics and assemble your team for 2010. [162-word article]
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September/October 2009If offered a choice between an assortment of name-brand merchandise for reaching a sales goal or the cash equivalent, Ally Gunther admits that, like any other hard-charging salesperson who's focused on the bottom line, her first instinct would be to take the dough.
That was before she experienced "the adrenaline rush of a lifetime" this summer [1500-word article]
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July/August 2009Simple Steps Bring the Best Results
The Blitz Experience was launched seven years ago by Andrea Sittig-Rolf, president and founder of Sittig Inc. Satisfied customers include Hewlett-Packard, Office Depot and ING Financial Services. It provides a productive way to add structure to the necessary (but often dreaded) task of cold calling. Once learned, the tactics of the Blitz Experience are as simple as they are effective. [632-word article]
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May/June 2009
8 Ways to Keep Sales Teams Focused and Fired Up...
The ONLY way to weather turbulent times is with the willing engagement of a focused, fired-up, capably led work force. Because lots of business owners and managers are all balled up worrying about the numbers, however, they take their eyes off their people, who are probably the best answer to getting the numbers back where they need to be.
Your only hope of surviving a weak economy is to have the willing - not reluctant and not half-hearted - engagement of everyone in your work force. Here are eight things every business owner and manager ought to be doing...
9 Tips to Boost Sales Now
There are a lot of ways to increase productivity in your sales force. Incentives are pretty simple - they are awards offered to someone who can earn them, contingent on that individual's performance against a specific set of rules - and unlike threats, they're measurable. Incentives are rewards over and above compensation and are usually used for specific, short-term initiatives.
These nine tips (4 bonus tips in this online version!) will help you make the most of your incentive investment and your people as you wade through the murky waters of this economic downturn...
Plus: Why Do Business People Speak Like Idiots?, Social Media Attracts a Crowd, But It's Not Right For Everyone, Management Lessons With A Proven Track Record - Literally, Employees Motivated to Help Their Companies Survive, Don't Stop Believing: 3 Tips for Strategic Planning in Tumultuous Times...and more. Also: Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
March/April 2009
Keep your best people...
If you believe the quality of your salespeople is central to building value, you'd better reconsider your "they have no place to go" retention strategy...
If You're Going To Celebrate, Do It Right
Coaches frequently tell their players that the effort they put forth in practice will directly reflect how they will play in games. Perhaps it's similarly true for sales managers that how they celebrate their team's success will impact how much success they continue to have...
I Want It All And I Want It Now
Companies haven't abandoned long-term sales objectives and processes, but the economic downturn has many sales managers emphasizing short-term accomplishments more so than they did even a year ago. To that end, they are using recognition strategies that provide a quicker payoff...
Plus: Find the customers that matter most, Leaders love to learn, Some questions should have been asked long ago, Your most important meetings are with yourself...and more. Also: Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
January/February 2009
The Perfect Storm
Whether you call it an economic crisis, a downturn, a credit crunch, or any of the other "hard times" terms the media has used interchangeably since before last summer, sales managers across a wide swath of business-to-business industries agree on one thing: It's been a pain in the ass to sell stuff lately...
No Time To Play It Safe
Conventional wisdom advises caution and control in this sort of economic climate - review your costs, tighten your approval criteria, narrow the business scope, and make sure everyone in the organization is as fully busy as possible. We offer these four steps to help your sales team become more spontaneous, innovative and reflexive...
3 Driving Principles for Selling in a Recession
In this selling environment, it's easy to lose focus on target customers, marketplace trends and what differentiates your offerings from those of your competitors. There are three driving principles that should guide the salesperson's behavior in a recession, says Ted Higgins, vice president of The Forum Corp...
Plus: A Downturn Is a Terrible Opportunity to Waste, Nix the Negativity, 5 Steps for Making a Powerful First Impression, Friendship and $4 Might Get You a Cup of Coffee, Management Lessons From the E.R....and more. Also: Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
November/December 2008
Off-Sites Are Down, But Not Out
"Did you know," asked the excited marketer of virtual meeting software and services who called me recently, "that we can create a hologram of a CEO so it actually looks like he's standing on the stage - at multiple locations, if necessary - even though he's back at corporate HQ?"...
What Do Your Meetings Look Like?
Your sales meetings are a great indication of the culture of your company. The warriors who fight the battles in the field have certain needs that must be met by sales meetings, but the purpose of having them often gets lost by companies and managers...
Plus: Stop Shooting, Prospect or True Sales Opportunity? Know the Difference, Stop Managing A Pipeline and Start Managing Your Team?...and more. Also: Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
September/October 2008
A Warehouse Of Motivation
Jordan Clark's Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah's, had just completed a three-month campaign aimed at getting the sales team to convince corporate clients to spend more on food and entertainment. Everyone involved was underwhelmed with the results-the customers, the salespeople who participated in the incentive program and, most important, Clark himself. Rather than abandon the concept altogether, however, Clark and his sales representative at BI, the Minneapolis-based business improvement company that created the incentive program, began to analyze what went wrong...
Making Memories So They'll Want to Make Quota Again
Diebold Inc., a global leader in providing integrated, self-service delivery and security systems, sponsors its Master's Circle Sales Incentive Program every year to recognize top salespeople who meet and exceed their goals.
In 2007, about 175 Diebold salespeople earned a spot on the Mexico trip, which occurred last spring. The program helped Diebold produce its highest revenue ever - $20 million higher than the previous year! Ultimately, it's not Mexico or any location that Diebold management ends up promoting when it launches each year's incentive program. The exclusivity of the experience, the camaraderie with other top salespeople, and the VIP treatment are what leave award winners raving about an incentive travel experience and committing to making next year's as well...
Plus: Fill Your Pipelines and Leave Pipe Dreams for Your Competitors To Chase, Who Needs 'Em?: Two types of customers you should send to the competition, What's The Point?: Why Quitting Can Be A Step In The Right Direction, Some Are O.K. With Waving the White Flag, Whose Line Is It?: How improv can help you hone your management skills...and more. Also: Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
July/August 2008
Question: Why Train Unmotivated Sales Reps?
Answer: Because the Motivated Ones Go With Them
Training is an investment that many companies short shrift in good times. It's no surprise, then, that it's nearly impossible to get adequate training dollars allotted during economic downturns. It's even tougher when many of those who receive the training don't provide a return on that investment.
Why spend the money on training if one-third of the reps are going to tune out?...
Beta Brigade: For many, today's electronics are sexier than sex itself! (interactive web feature)
Nearly half (47 percent) of British men surveyed earlier this year by a consumer electronics retailer stated that they would give up sex for six months in return for a 50-inch plasma TV. (One-third of women said they would do likewise.) Before you dismiss this as a wacky bunch of blokes who've lost their libido, know that MSNBC posed the same question on its Web site soon after the initial survey and 44 percent of the 10,185 responders, mostly Americans, (presumably both men and women) said, "Show me the plasma!"...
Plus: "What Works" articles in: Sales Management, Business Books, Sales training, Incentive Travel, Gift Cards...and more. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
May/June 2008
Sales Revival
There comes a time in every sales manager's career when nothing short of a sales salvation seems in order. Or perhaps an exorcism to drive out the demons of disenchantment that pervade everyone on your team except those perennial top producers. GoalQuest, a patented sales incentive strategy, has managers singing its praises for getting even ordinary performers to produce extraordinary results...
A Woman's Touch (interactive web feature)
Women succeed using their own selling styles. Why not manage and reward them just as uniquely? Your incentives may be manlier that you realize as well. This feature provides a few ideas that are more in tune with the women on your team...
Plus: Shop Smart for Gift Cards, Reps Must Be the Value-Add They're Trying To Sell, Are You Teaching Positive Attitudes?...and more. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
March/April 2008
Inside the Meeting Planner's War Room: A Field Guide for the rest of us
Many full-time managers and executive assistants charged with planning meetings are not professional meeting planners. In fact, they rarely have any meeting planning training. Instead, they learn on the job, oftentimes discovering shortcuts, cost-saving tactics and potholes to avoid (the next time around because it's too late for the current event) through trial and error...
The Part-Time Meeting Planner (interactive web feature)
What's the first rule of thumb for the do-it-yourself sales manager (or the blindsided assistant) forced to play part-time meeting planner? Don't look like one. Who knows this better than you? We surveyed our readers and 74 percent of you said you are the decision maker for meetings and the destinations. You average almost four meetings per year, with a typical head count around 45. So how do you get it right the first time?...
Plus: Another Failed Sales Process?, Behind Every Successful Sales Process, Don't Disregard the Power of Pocket-Sized Paper, Stop Slashing Price and Start Adding Value, Secret Weapon In A Downturn: Focus On People...and more. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
January/February 2008
Jump!
Discussions at the start of a new year often turn to risk and reward. You reassess investments, consider career moves and, too often, decide to do nothing. We want you to shake things up with your sales team in 2008, and have found five unconventional strategies to get you started...
A Woman's Touch (interactive web feature)
Women succeed using their own selling styles. Why not manage and reward them just as uniquely? Your incentives may be manlier that you realize as well. This feature provides a few ideas that are more in tune with the women on your team...
Plus: You Are Where You Sit, Determining Dwarf Type Is No Small Matter, Tough Questions Should Be Cushioned, Facts Won't Do What You Want Them To, Simple Ideas/Straightforward Solutions, Does Your Team Have A Flight Plan? and more. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
November/December 2007 Issue
What's Next?
It takes only a few minutes into a conversation with Watts Wacker to realize that you don't so much interview this noted futurist as give him cause to package up and present a portion of his knowledge.
To be sure, Wacker is knowledgeable. Before a recent telephone interview, we provided him with a profile of the SalesForceXP reader and asked him to focus on three business topics that are included on the laundry list of subjects he's prepared to speak on: leadership, strategy and people management...
Meeting Mr. Big
Sales reps say it's unrealistic and a waste of time. Coaches and consultants swear by it. What's a poor sales manager to do?
Plus: More Than The Meeting, Best Response For Cogitators: No Response at All, When Your Buyer Leaves the Company, STUMPED? Multiple options can cement customer relationship, and more. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
September/October 2007 Issue
Reflections on Rewards: The world's largest manufacturer of corrective lenses clearly sees the value of non-cash incentives
"It seems the first tendency for a firm, if employees are dissatisfied or unproductive, is to throw money at them. That's often not the best answer," says Scott Jeffrey, an assistant professor of Management Sciences at the University of Waterloo in Southern Ontario.
Jeffrey has done extensive research on goals, incentives and other aspects of employee performance management. His research has shown that non-cash incentives consistently produce better performance in workplace environments than cash...
The Trouble With Role Playing
Sales reps say it's unrealistic and a waste of time. Coaches and consultants swear by it. What's a poor sales manager to do?
Plus: Building a B.S. Detector, Slashing Prices? Get Something in Return, Life Is Busy, Sell Relief, Do your words mean business?, Get In Touch With Your 'Inner Customer', and more. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
July/August 2007 Issue
What Are Great Sales Managers Made Of?
The answer is as intangible as the definition of leadership itself
Leadership is defined so broadly that it's often up to each individual to decide what constitutes a good leader. The best leaders may be most easily identified by the performance of their teams.
The complexities of modern business make it difficult (some would say impossible) to encapsulate what great sales managers are made of. That didn't stop us from trying, however. In our opinion, there are no wrong answers and the "right ones" change as rapidly as the business arena itself...
What's It Cost To Improve Performance?
In general, the three elements of incentive program budgeting include number of participants, length of program and expected results. There are two types of award budgets - closed-ended, and open-ended. You must determine the maximum costs involved with a closed-ended program and an estimate of costs involved for an open-ended program...
Plus: What Will Impact Meeting Spending?, Train For More Productive Meetings, Obstacle Courses Are So 20th Century, Boutique Mystique, Teamwork For A Cause, Investing In Employees' Home Life While On The Road, and more. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
May/June 2007 Issue
A Woman's Place: Can you land - and keep - today's top saleswomen?
Ensuring that your company is a good fit for women may not have been a priority when you hit this site, but that may change by the time you leave. If not, you risk losing - or never landing - the next Mariann Judge.
Executives and frontline managers must assess whether their work environment is welcoming to women. The saleswomen we spoke with for this article range from frontline sales reps to C-level management at Fortune 500 companies. To a woman, each stressed that they are not looking for special treatment in the workplace. To the contrary, they appreciate companies that provide equal opportunity for men and women, respect each individual's knowledge and skill set, are mindful of how women want to be treated and aware that what motivates them frequently differs from what motivates their male counterparts...
Glub, Glub, Glub: The sales team is sinking in your guest speaker's muck
"If you really want to inspire a sales team to evolve - to rise above the competition and drive extraordinary results - the first place that management should look is in the mirror," says Dirk Beveridge, sales consultant, author and speaker...
Plus: No Sex Appeal Needed, Keeping Score, 3 Sales Drivers, Sales Lagging? Hire A Hotelier, and more. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
March/April 2007 Issue
The Accelerator: Workplace recognition can bridge the gap between where your team is now and where it can be.
It's a formula that's anything but secret. So why do some companies pull it off while others flounder and eventually fade away? What separates those businesses that field strong teams year after year from the ones that struggle to stay alive?
There are four basic management characteristics that create a foundation for business success: goal-setting, communication, trust and accountability. The secret ingredient, as much as there is one, is recognition, or what the authors call "carrots"...
Nike Case Study: A Brand Name That's Also In the Game
Like the hair club for men president who's also a client, Nike is not only a supplier of branded merchandise, it's a user of them as well. An employee incentive program that used a series of giveaways to bolster employee attendance was recognized with a 2007 Pyramid Award by the Promotional Products Association International...
Plus: Achieve More By Doing Less Of One Thing, Sales Management In the 21st Century: The Five-Headed Beast, Know Who Your Client Knows, and more. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
January/February 2007 Issue
Loving Las Vegas
What's easier: planning a three-day corporate event in Las Vegas for 150 top sales reps and their significant others, or escaping from a car that's hanging over the edge of a cliff? That may seem like an odd question, but if you're like most of our readers - do-it-yourselfers who hold plenty of off-sites, but who put them together without the services of a full-time, in-house professional meeting planner - you may need a few seconds to consider your answer...
Pablum-Free Guest Speaker Video Extra
Salespeople are fed a steady diet of motivational messages. Your guest speaker selection can make or break your event. We've assembled web-exclusive video previews of three performers who don't follow the standard award dinner approach. Click to view these unique motivational speaker video clips...
Plus: Rebounding From Rejection, The Value of the Activity, Getting To No, Show & Sell, It's Not What You Know, It's How You Use What You Know, Kicking The 'Hopeium Habit', and more. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
November/December 2006 Issue
Lets meet at Frank's:
Hanging with the Chairman of the Board
Twin Palms, the 4,500-square-foot "mini-mansion" where Frank Sinatra lived from 1947 until about 1954, is regularly rented out by companies for team retreats, corporate parties, even celebrations around new product introductions like one that Reebok recently staged there...
Meeting Makeovers
A creative setting for an off-site sales meeting won't make up for poor planning, but it can create a better buzz about what you hope to achieve. Unique Venues works with executive assistants who are not full-time meeting planners, helping them pin down meeting needs and appropriate venue options...
Twin Palms Video Extra
View an 8-minute video profile of a property with as much personality as The Chairman himself...
Plus: Your Customers' Fingerprints Should Be All Over Your Proposals?, The Art of the Negotiation, Deep Six The Discount, ABN - Always Be Negotiating, Early E-mailers Catch Executives' Eyes, Warning: Meetings May Be Bad For Your Health, Athletes Never Stop Competing. Also: Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
September/October 2006 Issue
The Money Trap
Research released within the past year continues to support the widely held belief that people who earn enough income to cover basic needs are happier than those who don't. Beyond that minimum level, however, those who are much richer aren't necessarily much happier...
You Can't Trust People To Treat Themselves
Good managers are great listeners, but when it comes to creating incentive programs, it may pay to tune out your sales team. That's because many salespeople promise to bust their humps for cash bonuses, only to leave managers wondering what went wrong when more than half repeatedly fall short...
Fear Factor! - Coach Your Salespeople Out of Their Comfort Zone
Does it feel like sales were soaring just yesterday, but now it's a struggle to even make the numbers? Are your client lists stagnant, with just enough additions to keep pace with the defections? Are your dedicated customers buying less - and less often - than they used to? Placing blame for this all-too common situation is easy...
Plus: Stemming the Brain Drain, What To Leave In and What To Leave Out, Integrity as a Sales Strategy, Sales Management: It's Not for Milquetoasts, Power Picnics. Also: Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
July/August 2006 Issue
Remarkable Rewards, Extraordinary Results!
Why does a $2,000 gas grill motivate a top-performing salesperson more than a $2,000 bonus? Two words: hedonic luxuries. People are hesitant to spend money on non-essentials even if they earn a substantial income. Behavioral economists have long known that consumers often experience an immediate "pain of paying," which can weaken the pleasure derived from consumption or discourage purchases altogether...
3 Things to Remember
A quick check-off list to consider when planning you next incentive program...
Medtronic Knows How To Pamper Its Stars
Count Medtronic, a world leader in medical technology, among those companies that prefer to reward top-performing, high-salaried salespeople with merchandise and travel rather than cash...
Four Remarkable Rewards
See examples of some world-class products with the horsepower to motivate your hard-to-impress sales stars...
Plus: Harnessing Customer Competence, Are Customers Failing You?: Customers' increasing role in the sales process requires "foolproofing" your system, Questions are the Answer, Talent Search, Turnover Trouble Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
May/June 2006 Issue
Las Vegas' Love Affair with Small Business Groups
A city known for its high rollers offers red-carpet treatment to businesses on a budget. But it helps to know a few tricks.
Thriving On Chaos
People make careers out of event planning, but your corporate penny-pinchers have asked you to once again handle everything in-house. If you're Las Vegas bound, no worries! The city's resorts are ready to win hearts with their extra hands...
Roll the Dice at the Craps Table
8 ways to increase your odds of staging a successful Las Vegas event...
Plus: Story Selling: Good Tales Produce More Sales, Why Stories Sell, That's Why They Call It Sales!, Be an expediter for your employees, Sealed With A Kiss?, Are YOU Over-Coaching? Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
March/April 2006 Issue
Learn to Earn
New York Life Insurance Co. invests in its future with an intensive sales training program. How does yours measure up?
Learn & Earn - Microsoft
Sales managers may feel that training is its own reward, but an investment could be wasted if that opinion isn't shared by the salespeople. Microsoft maintains its competitive advantage by keeping its business-to-business resellers up to speed on new products and updated versions of existing software....
Salespeople Aren't Built In A Day
Few companies have the wherewithal to assemble a substantial in-house training program, but most businesses can strengthen their sales training without a dramatic increase in spending. It's a matter of dedicating time and resources as much as money, say the trainers we talked with...
Plus: Whad'Ya Know?, Look In The Mirror, Support The Local Library…And It Will Support You, Small Steps Can Improve E-Mail Efficiency, Attraction by Association, Who's Pushing the Price Button? Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
January/February 2006 Issue
Finding the 'R' In Off-Site ROI
Return on investment has always been a fuzzy concept with off-site meetings, but that's changing. Today's tight budgets result in every expense being scrutinized for value. Discover how others are getting the most bang for their off-site bucks and how you can do the same...
Off-Site ROI: The ROI Checklist
Run through these eight great to-do's to ensure your next off-site meeting or event delivers the return you expect...
Off-Site ROI: Finding the Right Fit
Off-site selection is more than a price issue. How do you decide where to hold your off-site meetings? Quality, price, proximity to participants, planned activities and past experience or referrals are the likely answers. Few sales managers factor their meeting objectives into site selection, but it may be the best place to start...
Plus: Sleeping - Or At Least Talking - With the Enemy, Customer-Friendly To a Fault, E-mail: You can dish it out, but are you good at taking it?, Why Hungry Salespeople Are Not Always Preferable, Client Contacts: How Deep Is Your Bench?, Sharing the Love Long-Distance. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
November/December 2005 Issue
Payday
For all of the changes the business world has seen over all of the years that companies have done business with other companies, little has changed about how salespeople are compensated. Businesses typically follow one of four models: salary-only, base salary plus commission, commission-only and commission plus a draw on future sales. Which system works best?
Payday: Bonus Interview with Paul Dorf
Paul Dorf is the Managing Director of Compensation Resources Inc., an Upper Saddle River, N.J., company that provides compensation and human resource consulting services, including executive compensation, sales compensation, salary administration, performance management and litigation support.
Payday: Bonus Interview with David J. Cichelli
David J. Cichelli is Senior Vice President of The Alexander Group Inc., a national sales effectiveness consulting firm. He specializes in designing effective sales compensation plans, and is the author of Compensating the Sales Force: A Practical Guide to Designing Winning Sales Compensation Plans (McGraw-Hill, 2003). We spoke with him by telephone in October 2005.
Plus: Can Customers Reach Your Salespeople?, The 8 Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus, Moving Up? Not So Fast... Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
September/October 2005 Issue
Why Cash Incentives Fail
Competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package are great recruitment and retention tools, but money is not effective in keeping employees motivated. New research reveals the value of allowing peak performers to "earn the right to indulge" using travel and merchandise rewards.
Lock In On Luxuries
Americans are often viewed as the embodiment of overindulgence, yet the truth is many of us loathe spending money on what we perceive to be nonessentials. Indeed, behavioral economists Drazen Prelec and George Loewenstein state that consumers making purchases often experience an immediate "pain of paying," which can weaken the pleasure derived from consumption or even discourage consumption altogether.
When Should You Push Top Performers?
Successful salespeople are typically self-driven, but even the best need encouragement and enticing occasionally. When is the best time to galvanize a salesperson or an entire sales team to achieve a predetermined goal?
Plus: Growth Without Growing, The Partnership Problem, The Trouble With Girls... Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
July/August 2005 Issue
Get In Step With Channel Partners
Whether in Australia or Alabama, whether selling high-tech tools or wholesale building supplies, everyone is looking for the same thing: A way to motivate reseller channels to faithfully serve as "the last three feet of the sale."
Merchandise Motivates Partners To Complete Training
Training is an effective means of strengthening distributor relationships. As prices achieve parity, product knowledge and customer service become a more important differentiator. Increased product knowledge empowers the reseller in two ways: winning more sales and increasing the amount of the sales order.
Make Meetings Matter: 4 ideas for perking up supplier sales meetings from the people who sit through them
The purpose of a sales meeting with a distributor is to get that sales staff ready to sell. All too often, however, sales meetings turn out to be uninspiring lectures and redundant time wasters. The key to a successful sales meeting is to make it interesting, useful and positive.
Plus: Customer Appreciation: It's More Than Lip Service, Dealing with Difficult Customers, Buying Into Benefits, Are Your Salespeople Creating Mini Conventions?... Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, Coach's Corner, plus much more!
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July/August 2005: SYNERGIES SUPPLEMENT
Corporate Apparel Discovers Its Softer Side
Suppliers realize that if they're not serving the women's market, they may not be in the men's market.
Usefulness: What A Concept!
Fashion is taking a back seat to functionality, but in most cases you can have it all.
2005 Trend Report
The return of the preppie, colors make a splash and new fabrics mean less wear, tear and care.
Doublestitch or Doublespeak?
A handy glossary of apparel terms.
Case Study: Fishery Products International
T-shirt Promotion Makes A Great First Compression
Plus Case Study from Fishery Products International - T-shirt Promotion Makes A Great First Compression
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May/June 2005 Issue
The Play's the Thing
When work is a play Managers are increasingly turning to theater-based training as a way to liven up meetings and deliver information that makes an impact and is retained long after the meeting itself. Plus, 10 off-site meeting trends and other ideas for making meetings worthwhile.
Top 10 Meeting Trends for 2005
Benchmark Hospitality International, which manages 28 upscale resorts, conference centers and hotels in the United States and Japan, releases an annual top 10 list of meeting industry trends as observed by its properties.
Measuring a Meeting's Success
Marketing, training, and membership growth and retention programs are all measured for success. It only makes sense that meetings are being asked to prove themselves as well. Key areas that must be measured to ascertain a meeting's return on investment...
Penny-Pinchers Beware: Trimming Expenses May Cut Results
Beware the pitfalls of frugality when planning an off-site sales meeting, experts warn. Every company must operate within a budget, of course, but cutting costs in key areas may cause more trouble than it's worth...
Plus: Are You Prospecting Or Just Cold Calling?, Swap Shop: A Web-based flea market of business contacts aims to revolutionize prospecting?, What's the Buzz? Your Salespeople Better Know, Dress for $uccess...Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, ReVerb, plus much more!
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March/April 2005 Issue
Is Your Sales Foundation Built With Bricks Or Sticks?
Lots of sales managers talk about the value of training for their troops, but few of them follow up in any meaningful way. In this month's cover feature, we talk with some who "walk the sales training walk" and hear how it has paid off. For those who are committed to investing in training, management consultant Allan Mackintosh describes how to avoid the No. 1 mistake -- failure to secure follow-up support, while authors Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden discuss setting training priorities.
Like a Virgin
What is it about Madonna Inc. that has allowed it to consistently reap profits for over 18 years on the trot? And is there something we in business can learn about branding from the chameleon of pop music?
The Pitfalls of Leadership
Consultant Robbie Baxter says leadership is worthless without a plan...
Incentive Product Focus: Cameras
Picturing sales jumps is easy with new cameras that make great incentives. (130K
Adobe Acrobat PDF document)
Plus: Are You Punishing With Rewards?: Thousands of companies are at risk from an IRS audit for rewarding incentives., When Dropping the Sale Trumps Dropping the Price: Do your salespeople have the courage and conviction to say "No"?, Study Uncovers Issues Impacting Personal Sales Effectiveness... Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, ReVerb, plus much more!
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March/April 2005: SYNERGIES SUPPLEMENT
The Incredibles!
New research reinforces some long-held beliefs about the impact, exposure and influence of promotional products
Is Your Business Gift A Proverbial
Tree Falling In the Forest? Select wisely or you're throwing good money after bad
Keeping Customers Satisfied
Customers who receive promotional products return sooner and spend more
Make A Name For Yourself
What does it tell you when one of the world's most recognizable brands starts shifting more dollars to promotional products?
Brand Identity
Selling your name without overstating it
Plus Case Studies from: DONALDSON COMPANY (Three-part mailing captures business for filter company), COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT (Courtyard by Marriott gets cooking for grand re-opening) and PRINT LOGICS (Printer puts products to work for open house).
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January/February 2005 Issue
Think Like Your Customers
Help your salespeople stay focused on the customer's reason for buying. It's what drives every buying decision. Investing in training and incentives is essential, but what too many sales managers overlook is the fact that if they change the way their salespeople think, their attitudes and behavior automatically change. These four "paradigm-busting truths" on how to approach every sale will help salespeople feel more comfortable focusing on the customer's buying process rather than their own sales process.
Leadership Is Plural
Providing the tools for a sales team to succeed is no small feat, but sales managers often are left to wonder if anyone notices their role in a team's success.
MYTHBUSTERS: How Major Sales Are Really Made
Generations of salespeople have been indoctrinated in the "common knowledge" of the profession - much of which we now know to be misguided or counterproductive. Can we rely on the traditional advice about how to sell? Research findings challenge the most cherished myths in our business.
Incentive Product Focus: Consumer Electronics
Few things can match the motivating power of the neatest and newest consumer electronics (180KB Adobe Acrobat PDF document).
Plus: Leaders Are Not Appointed, Survey Indicates Incentive Efforts Need Attention, Yikes! Three Out of Four Employees Are Looking for New Jobs, More Meetings On the Agenda, Stop Looking for Lightning Bolts, Dealer's choice: Individual incentive travel is an increasingly popular alternative to group trips. Also: SalesU, Incentive Product coverage, ReVerb, plus much more!
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E-NEWSLETTERARCHIVE
Volume 7, Number 21: December 16th, 2009
4 Resolutions That Good Sales Managers Keep
Solid year-end advice for all Sales Managers...
Volume 7, Number 20: December 15th, 2009
Tumi Corporate Gifts Update
Volume 7, Number 19: December 1st, 2009
Top 10 Stupid Gift Ideas (and some smart ones, too).
[Holiday
Business Gift Guide IV]
Volume 7, Number 18: November 30th, 2009
The Next New Thing for 2010
A vital part of management is finding the Next New Thing. Most managers don't develop these game-changers themselves. Rather, the objective is to remain vigilant enough to recognize important trends as they emerge and become an early adopter once you're convinced it will provide a competitive edge...
Volume 7, Number 17: November 17th, 2009
Why Santa's marketing works better than yours.
[Holiday
Business Gift Guide III]
Volume 7, Number 16: November 5th, 2009
Who will you gift this year? [Holiday Business Gift Guide II]
Volume 7, Number 15: October 29th, 2009
Should you gift this year? [Holiday Business Gift Guide I]
Volume 7, Number 14: October 21st, 2009
Lessons From A Real-Life 'Mad Man'
Several of us at SFXP HQ have been big fans of "Mad Men," since it premiered two years ago. The AMC Channel's popular drama set in a New York advertising agency in the 1960s is sexy and smart...
Volume 7, Number 13: October 6th, 2009
Numbers don't lie
The best business gifts are those that reveal the giver has a strong enough relationship with each recipient to know what he or she likes. Your client list likely will be loaded with diverse tastes, however, which is why a one-stop gift card supplier like Stoner Bunting Gift Card Group is a godsend. ...
Volume 7, Number 12: September 30th, 2009
Financing for Incentive Programs
Managers looking for money for incentive campaigns are hearing a lot of "Show Me"...
Volume 7, Number 11: September 16th, 2009
Sometimes size doesn't matter
As salespeople scramble to close large deals and hit year-end goals, smart sales managers should remind their troops about the secret of sequential requests, also known as the "foot-in-the-door" approach.
Volume 7, Number 10: August 19th, 2009
The Unexpected Impact of Unexpected Gifts
Sometimes an after-dinner mint is more than an after-dinner mint.
Volume 7, Number 9: July 28th, 2009
There's No Secret To Hard Work
"People are scrambling to find some secret that will help them be more successful," he recently blogged. "In fact, the best-selling book on the planet for the past two years is a book called The Secret. When it comes to this book, The Secret is a total load of crap!
Volume 7, Number 8: June 23rd, 2009
You've Instilled the Will, But Have You Provided the Way?
Even your most highly motivated salespeople need more than desire to produce results. The SalesForceXP eLearning Center offers an assortment of live seminars on topical skill sets from noted sales management experts. It's an affordable means of providing sales tactics that produce results...
Volume 7, Number 7: May 28th, 2009
Are You the Kind of Manager Who's Hard to Leave?
It's often said that employees don't leave companies, they leave managers. How you treat your team during tough times has a lot to do with how long they stay with you. Our collection of thoughts on mindful management can help you keep your best performers...
Volume 7, Number 6: May 12th, 2009
8 Ways to Keep Sales Teams Focused and Fired Up...
The ONLY way to weather turbulent times is with the willing engagement of a focused, fired-up, capably led work force. Because lots of business owners and managers are all balled up worrying about the numbers, however, they take their eyes off their people, who are probably the best answer to getting the numbers back where they need to be.
Volume 7, Number 5: April 21st, 2009
Cooler heads will prevail...
The stress from the economy and increased workloads associated with repetitive 'do more with less' reorganizing has put plenty of people on edge. As a manager, it can become a pretty serious cause for concern if you have to repeatedly apologize to your sales team for losing your cool.
Volume 7, Number 4: March 24th, 2009
Keep Your Head or You'll Lose Your Best Workers
Stress created by the economy and increased workloads has lots of people on edge, but it's cause for concern if you have to apologize more than once to your sales team for losing your cool. Besides controlling your own emotions, you must be on the lookout for increased irritation between co-workers and mediate before things spiral quickly out of control.
Volume 7, Number 3: March 10th, 2009
It's A Great Time To Be Looking for a Job
Author and TV personality Larry Winget sees the business world from a unique perspective. He's sort of an Andy Rooney for the 21st Century, so it's no surprise that he has friends who also see things interestingly...
Volume 7, Number 2: February 11th, 2009
A Perfect Storm? Really?!?
Whether you call it an economic crisis, a downturn, a credit crunch, or any of the other "hard times" terms the media has used interchangeably since before last summer, sales managers across a wide swath of business-to-business industries agree on one thing: It's been a pain in the ass to sell stuff lately...
Volume 7, Number 1: January 21st, 2009
The Top 12 of 2008
This edition of SalesForceXPress brings you the twelve most popular articles from last year's e-newsletters as determined by click-throughs from readers...
Volume 6, Number 19: December 17th, 2008
Can you survive a deep recession?
Asked on MSNBC's "Your Business" for his insights into surviving a recession, sales trainer Dave Anderson offered up this checklist...
Volume 6, Number 18: December 4th, 2008
7 Essentials of Holiday Business Gifts[Holiday Business Gift Guide IV]
Be sure to read these 7 Essentials of Holiday Business Gifts before you send a "tried and true" corporate gift. Wise gifters need to consider these seven essentials of buying business gifts...
Volume 6, Number 17: December 2nd, 2008
Tis the Season To Be...Networking[Holiday Business Gift Guide III]
The holidays are a great time to make networking connections that can ensure you get a strong start for your business or career in the New Year, says marketing services specialist Hank Blank. Here are his tips to maximize your networking effectiveness during this holiday season:...
Volume 6, Number 16: November 25th, 2008
Desperate times call for superior leadership
You hear a lot of talk about leadership these days. Sadly, much of the discussion focuses on the absence of it - in government as well as in some of the country's major corporate entities. Leadership - good and bad - is magnified at small and medium-sized businesses. And tumultuous times, says Tom Peters, "beg for bold initiatives to increase the odds of staying afloat." These also are times for great managers to get even better. Read more about the right way to challenge yourself and your sales team...
Volume 6, Number 15: November 18th, 2008
7 Essentials of Holiday Business Gifts[Holiday Business Gift Guide II]
Be sure to read these 7 Essentials of Holiday Business Gifts before you send a "tried and true" corporate gift. Wise gifters need to consider these seven essentials of buying business gifts...
Volume 6, Number 14: October 28th, 2008
Why Santa's Marketing Works Better Than Yours[Holiday Business Gift Guide I]
Santa doesn't have to use newfangled techniques when his simple marketing has stood the test of time. If you don't believe in Santa, you'd better change your mind, says Sean D'Souza, founder of Psychotactics Ltd., a New Zealand-based sales and marketing consultancy. The jolly man from the North Pole rocks on - and you can do the same if you stick to these basics...
Volume 6, Number 13: October 14th, 2008
Motivating During a Downturn
These are nervous times for all workers, but your salespeople are on the frontlines. They bring the bad news of customers' budget cuts back to the office. Keeping sales teams motivated in tough economic times is tough, but essential. We have eight great ways to get workers to invest more of themselves than they absolutely must...
Volume 6, Number 12: September 23rd, 2008
Identify your sales manager 'type'
At the core of every unhealthy working environment is the toxic boss, manager or supervisor that breeds it. All roads go back to the manager. And if the manager isn't willing to change, then it's a safe bet that in the end, nothing will.
We've identified seven types of managers. Using these as examples, identify the critical competencies necessary to become an effective coach. Which one best describes you or your boss?
Volume 6, Number 11: September 18th, 2008
Does A $241 to $1 ROI Sound Good to You?
If someone told you there is a sales strategy that has returned $241 for every $1 invested over two years, would you believe him? Jordan Clark of Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah's was dubious at first, too, but the Las Vegas hospitality provider is the one that has enjoyed that tremendous ROI. What's the secret? Steering clear of cash incentives is an important start...
Volume 6, Number 10: September 16th, 2008
How Great Sales Managers Motivate
Younger employees work out of loyalty to people, not to a company, says Cam Marston, a consultant who specializes in the differences in workplace expectations among different generations. Members of generations X and Y clearly take a different approach to carving out a career than their older counterpoints, but when it comes to loyalty in the workplace and how it's earned, not much divides the generations anymore. In fact, we believe you can remove the word "younger" from that first sentence...
Volume 6, Number 9: August 26th, 2008
Something To Turn You On
What's popular in consumer electronics constantly changes, which is one of the reasons people love them so much. Not long ago, BI, a Minneapolis-based business improvement company, offered about 40 different products in its inventory of consumer electronics available as incentives and rewards. Now, says purchaser Sandy Schrock, the company stocks more than 100 items in the category and updates them monthly if not more often...
Volume 6, Number 8: July 29th, 2008
5 Questions That Will Improve Any Sales Meeting
If you've been in sales for more than a week, you've no doubt been to a meeting that was...well, less than effective (to put it politely). Sales trainer Kevin Eikenberry says if you ask and answer just five questions before leading your next meeting, you'll get more out of it and so will your sales team...
Volume 6, Number 7: July 9th, 2008
Are Your Reps Projecting A Slimeball Image?
As if just selling wasn't difficult enough already, a new report shows from Development Dimensions International shows that buyers' poor perception of sales professionals creates hurdles for salespeople and their employers. There are effective ways to combat the snake oil salesman perception...
Volume 6, Number 6: June 17th, 2008
Why Hiring Gym Rats Makes Sense
Sales professionals are very similar to athletes, says sales trainer Drew Stevens. "They love the thrill of victory and abhor the agony of defeat." It's no coincidence that the characteristics coaches crave in athletes...
Volume 6, Number 5: May 13th, 2008
Snuffing the Slimeball Image
As if making a sale wasn't difficult enough, a new report shows that buyers' poor perception of the sales profession creates hurdles for salespeople and their employers. There are effective ways to combat the snake oil salesman perception...
Volume 6, Number 4: April 8th, 2008
Get VIP Treatment in Vegas
It's no surprise that "21," the movie about a real-life team of MIT mathematicians who raked in millions counting cards in Las Vegas, has been the top-grossing film at theaters nationwide for the last two weeks. The world loves Las Vegas. Movies about Las Vegas are fun, but being there is even better. The business world loves Las Vegas, and no business group is too small to get VIP treatment...
Volume 6, Number 3: March 13th, 2008
Part-Time Meeting Planners Take Note
Some people are born to plan off-site meetings and others have off-sites thrust upon them. We admire the former and empathize with the latter, which is the impetus behind our March/April cover story, "Inside the Meeting Planner's War Room." We gathered some of the best tips from meeting planning professionals that executive assistants and managers can use when they're putting an off-site program together...
Volume 6, Number 2: February 12th, 2008
Lead, or Your Saleswomen Will Run You Over!
A woman running the White House? The next thing you know, members of the so-called softer sex will be showing up your top salesmen and staking claim to the seat next to you at the next President's Club awards banquet! Or maybe you have already passed that milestone. Are you paying attention to what makes the women on your sales team tick and how you can motivate them more effectively?
Volume 6, Number 1: January 23rd, 2008
Year in Review: The Top 7 of 2007
Of course, it never hurts to review what you've already learned, which is why this edition of SalesForceXPress brings you the seven most popular articles from last year's e-newsletters as determined by click-throughs from readers. Stick with us in 2008. Together, we can weather any economic storms that come our way.
Volume 5, Number 20: December 18th, 2007
The 8 Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus
How I deal with increasing demands, competing priorities and ever-growing performance expectations and still remain jolly. By Santa Claus.
Volume 5, Number 19: December 11th, 2007
Avoiding Holiday Gift Gaffes
Cecil Donahue, GQ magazine's columnist on office life, states in the December issue that "The surest way to commit career suicide is to be the drunk, horny loudmouth at the office holiday party."
Volume 5, Number 18: November 27th, 2007
Why Santa's Marketing Works Better Than Yours
Santa doesn't have to use newfangled techniques when his simple marketing has stood the test of time. If you don't believe in Santa, you'd better change your mind, says D'Souza. The fat man from the North Pole rocks on - and you can do the same if you stick to these basics:
Volume 5, Number 17: November 20th, 2007
Sometimes no means know
No product or service is objection-proof, but, says sales consultant Anne Miller, "you don't need to eliminate all objections, only the critical ones." One way to encourage sales reps to persevere through objections is to illustrate how a "no thanks" from a prospect provides an opportunity to explain and save the sale rather than lose it.
Volume 5, Number 16: November 13th, 2007
Why We Are Pro-Choice
Smart sales reps finish first, and the smart ones these days are presenting customers with plenty of options. Negotiation specialist Brian Dietmeyer explains why giving customers freedom of choice will keep both them and you happy.
Volume 5, Number 15: October 24th, 2007
A Management Strategy That's Scientifically Proven
Research involving 133 sales professionals shows that the more often an employee recalls receiving an incentive, the stronger that employee perceives he or she is supported by the employer. It's a strong argument supporting the use of merchandise incentives rather than cash.
Volume 5, Number 14: October 10th, 2007
5 Questions To Help You Assess Your Sales Training
If your company provides its salespeople training on a regular basis, pat yourself on the back. You're doing better than most, experts say. But if you can't answer "yes" to these 5 questions on sales training, you still have work to do...
Volume 5, Number 13: September 26th, 2007
Are You Keeping It Real?
Consultant Steve Finkel says some salespeople dislike role playing because it exposes weaknesses in their approach. More of them, however, blame a lack of reality. Good role playing helps salespeople go from knowing to doing, but if you're not simulating real-world sales situations, you're wasting the sales team's time.
Volume 5, Number 12: September 11th, 2007
Cash Can't Do What You Want It To
They may never admit it, but some of your salespeople make more than enough money to keep them happy. That helps explain why cash incentives often don't produce the increased performance that many sales managers expect they will.
Volume 5, Number 11: August 21st, 2007
What Gets Priority: Golf Swings or Sales Skills?
Sales performance company Miller Heiman recently reported that most sales organizations spend 50 percent more on entertainment than on training (3 percent of 2006 total sales was spent on entertainment vs. 2 percent that was designated for training). For a company with 200 sales reps and a $250 million annual sales objective, that breaks down to $660,000 spent on entertainment and $440,000 allotted for training - a difference of $220,000!
Volume 5, Number 10: August 7th, 2007
We Like Rabble-Rousers, How About You?
Any third-rate consultant can tell sales managers to make sure their reps keep their sales funnels full, focus on customer needs and play up added value aspects to avoid commoditization. We like contrarians like Robert Sutton, who argues that sales superstars are overrated and recommends creating smaller rather than larger pay differences between top performers and everyone else.
Volume 5, Number 9: July 11th, 2007
Is Rudy Giuliani A Leader?
The former mayor of New York wrote a book called "Leadership," but does that automatically qualify him as a leader? And are leadership traits transferable? That is, are the characteristics that make a person a strong political leader the same ones that make for strong leadership in the workplace?
Volume 5, Number 8: June 26th, 2007
Women Want Some "We" Time
Marriott recently announced and then scrapped plans to have an entire floor of a new Grand Rapids, Mich., hotel reserved for women only. The story stirred debates about whether providing women a refuge on the road is discrimination or a solid marketing concept.
Volume 5, Number 7: June 12th, 2007
Is Just Showing Up To Work Worthy of Praise?
"Uber-stroked kids are reaching adulthood and now their bosses have to deal with them," The Wall Street Journal stated recently in a story on the overly praised generation that is entering
the work force and how companies are kowtowing to their demands.
Volume 5, Number 6: May 16th, 2007
Simplify Your Sales Negotiations
Negotiating a sale has been made more complex than it needs to be. That's far worse than confusing, it's disempowering. When it comes right down to it, says Brian Dietmeyer, President of Chicago-based consultant Think! Inc., every sales negotiation ultimately hinges on only two elements.
Volume 5, Number 5: May 2nd, 2007
Why Can't A Woman Be More Like A Man?
Henry Higgins poses the question in "My Fair Lady." Eventually, of course, he realizes that it's the last thing he wants. If only some sales managers would recognize as much. Women may approach sales from an entirely different perspective than men, but one isn't necessarily better than the other.
Volume 5, Number 4: April 10th, 2007
Don't Jack With Sales Reps' Ka-Ching
We were talking with Milwaukee-based consultant Paul Chadwick on Monday for a story on women in sales and he tossed out a worthwhile (but unrelated) tip: "Do your best not to jack with your sales compensation plan."
Volume 5, Number 3: March 13th, 2007
Fueling Your Reps' Fires
When recognition is applied to the basics of solid sales management - goal setting, communication, trust and accountability - it serves as an accelerator of employee performance and engagement. There are essential ingredients to effective employee recognition, however.
Volume 5, Number 2: February 20th, 2007
Create Your Own All-Star Weekend
Couldn't make it to Las Vegas for this past weekend's NBA All-Star extravaganza? Consider yourself lucky. By all accounts, the influx of 50,000 tourists for the three-day event resulted in snarled traffic, packed casinos and long lines for everything from buffets to public bathrooms. Why not create your own All-Star Weekend instead? Bring your best performers to Sin City during a stretch when you don't have to be 7-feet-tall to get top-notch service.
Volume 5, Number 1: January 17th, 2007
A City On A Roll
Las Vegas is hotter than high school love, as evidenced by it being designated one of the top 10 brands for 2007 by Landor Associates, a world-renowned brand and design consulting firm. "Las Vegas has taken the cake as the destination for people of all ages and parts of the country," the Landor report states.
Volume 4, Number 18: December 13th, 2006
The 8 Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus (by Santa Claus)
Think your job is tough? Mine would definitely strain my sanity and drain my ego if I let it. Everyone wants a piece of me, yet many of the people I serve don't believe in me at all!
Volume 4, Number 17: November 28th, 2006
Holiday Business Gifts: It's As Easy As A-B-C
The truth is it's not so much the gift, but the personalized greeting that counts. And don't forget to say "Thank You!"
Volume 4, Number 16: November 14th, 2006
Don't Put Off 'Til Tomorrow What You Can Gift Today
Finding suitable holiday business gifts is nearly always a challenge, but procrastinating only leads to less-than-stellar results.
Volume 4, Number 15: October 31st, 2006
Are You On Target With Your Off-Site Meetings?
It all boils down to this: Do you measure return on investment of your off-site meetings? If you're still living in a world of fuzzy, feel-good returns, you're not making the most of off-site opportunities.
Volume 4, Number 14: October 19th, 2006
8 Steps to More Productive Off-Sites
Planning an important off-site meeting? Go into it with clear objectives and the realization that not all of them will be equally important.
Volume 4, Number 13: October 4th, 2006
Zone Defense
When an athlete plays at a superb level for an extended period, it's often referred to as being "in a zone." Salespeople hit zones too, but not all of them produce positive results. Many salespeople nestle into a comfort zone in terms of their sales process and stay there even when it's not working, say consultants Mark Shonka and Dan Kosch of Impax Corp.
Volume 4, Number 12: September 20th, 2006
Sex, Money and Motivation
Money is like sex, or so says Thomas Moore, a former Catholic monk and the author of the New York Times bestseller Care of the Soul. "Some people believe that the more sexual experiences they have, with as many different people as possible, the more fulfilled they will be. But even great quantities of money and sex may not satisfy the craving. The soul is nurtured by want as much as by plenty," Moore says.
Volume 4, Number 11: August 15th, 2006
The Internet: Irreplaceable Sales Tool or Top Time-waster?
Make sure your salespeople aren't getting caught in a "mouse" trap by wasting time on the Internet. Trainers Dan Kosch and Mark Shonka discuss how to turn the Web into a top sales tool.
Volume 4, Number 10: July 19th, 2006
How to Motivate High-Salaried Salespeople
While creating an incentive program from Barneys New York, Tim Houlihan was surprised to discover that much of the sales staff at the upscale department store is in the same economic stratosphere as their high-society clientele. After thinking it through, however, Houlihan says it made perfect sense - and supports his argument that cash isn't the best incentive for high-salaried salespeople.
Volume 4, Number 9: June 27th, 2006
Developing Distributors on Their Dime
How powerful a draw is Las Vegas? Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems turned Sin City into "Spin City" with a national sales meeting that draws 2,500 independent dealers who pay their own way...
Turnover Trouble
Companies are not only having trouble finding qualified salespeople, they're having trouble keeping them. Nearly one-fourth of the 2,176 sales executives who participated in Miller Heiman's 2006 Sales Performance Study reported that turnover had increased during the previous year.
Volume 4, Number 8: June 7th, 2006
Summer Sales Should Sizzle, Not Fizzle
Slow summer sales drift into autumn and before you know it, you're trying to figure out how to make up ground in 2007! Don't let it happen...
5 Sensible Sales and Marketing Goals No Matter Your Job Title
What does a chief marketing officer do? An article posted recently on MarketingProfs.com reported on metrics that can help CMOs be more effective. It seems to us that if you're involved in sales and/or marketing - CMO or not - these benchmarks will benefit your performance...
Volume 4, Number 7: May 24th, 2006
Develop Distributors on Their Dime
Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems, one of the best-known names in home heating and air conditioning, has discovered a way to strengthen its relationships with dealers and have them share the cost. The secret: Las Vegas...
ABC - Always Be Cautious (of Sales Tips)
Bad advice has a way of sticking around, says Bob Miller, co-founder of the sales training company Miller Heiman. We'd all be better off if sales managers gave a prompt and proper burial to time-worn tips such as "always be closing" or "the customer is always right." A few others he'd like to nip in the bud...
Volume 4, Number 6: May 4th, 2006
There's "Fun to Know" and "Need To Know" Regarding Las Vegas
Las Vegas averages 315 weddings per day; the Strip and downtown combined boasts a total of 15,000 miles of lighted neon tubing; and it takes a 33-member team to stage 30 to 40 dancing fountain shows each day at the Bellagio. These are fun but trivial facts about Las Vegas. More important to sales managers - and often equally unknown...
Beware the Good Times
The U.S. economy is strong, the stock market is up and businesses are reporting impressive if not record profits. But you'd be wise to develop a daily does of paranoia that prevents you from becoming too comfortable, writes sales trainer Dave Anderson in his book If You Don't Make Waves You'll Drown (2006, John Wiley & Sons). "Realize that the seeds of your next rut are often planted in the good times. It's when things are rolling along that you're most prone to get sloppy and lazy," Anderson states...
Volume 4, Number 5: April 18th, 2006
Sealed With A Kiss?
A kiss on the cheek is making a comeback as an acceptable social greeting, according to a recent New York Times report, and it's migrating into the world of sales. The social kiss may have roots dating back to the Romans, but its popularity has waxed and waned. While the handshake still holds sway in big corporations, the kiss can denote a warm relationship, says Barbara Pachter, who heads an etiquette training firm New Jersey. In the sales world, it can encourage buying, but figuring out where the limits are can present problems...
Smarter Salespeople Aren't Built In A Day
Todd Youngblood, a sales and training consultant who works with business-to-business sales teams, cringes when he admits that a significant chunk of his income comes from one- and two-day seminars. Results from these one-shot seminars are a far cry from what you get from continuous training...
Volume 4, Number 4: March 28th, 2006
Build A Brand, Don't Force-Feed A Logo
Companies are rethinking how they use imprinted promotional products. In fact, as the line continues to blur between high-end, name-brand promotional products and corporate business gifts, many companies are deciding not to imprint their giveaways at all. Promotional products users usually fall into one of two camps, says Vilia Johnson, national sales manager for A.T. Cross Business Gifts...
Is The Enjoyment Greater Than The Effort?
Often, people get trapped doing what they are very good at but not passionate about. Although these efforts may bring rewards, they do not bring enjoyment or significant growth over the long term, write Dan Sullivan and Catherine Nomura in their new book The Laws of Lifetime Growth (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2006). "People may get marginally better at activities for which they have no passion, but they will never be motivated to grow in these areas the way they are when they do the things they truly love to do," the authors state...
Volume 4, Number 3: March 15th, 2006
How Do You Treat Training?
Do you view sales training as an expense or an investment? It's a question that's akin to your dentist asking whether you're flossing regularly: You know the right answer and you know the honest answer, and too often they are not the same...
Who's Watching You... And What Do They See?
If you're digging for information on your competitors, chances are they're doing the same. One way that a company can help itself is to understand what it looks like to a skilled outsider...
Volume 4, Number 2: February 8th, 2006
Inspiration From A Gentle Genius
With the Super Bowl behind us and March Madness around the corner, it's an opportune time to share a slice of brilliance from former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden...
Tired of Price Being the Deal Maker?
Your only defense against commoditization is developing relationships with those who make investment decisions based on how their business will benefit, not on how much money they will save...
Volume 4, Number 1: January 19th, 2006
Are You On Target With Your Off-Site Meetings?
It all boils down to this: Do you measure return on investment of your off-site meetings? If you're still living in a world of fuzzy, feel-good returns, you're not making the most of off-site opportunities...
More Armor Against Bargain Hunters
Prospects and customers like a lot of other things besides low price, and many of them can be more persuasive as a low price in getting your customer to buy. Lawrence L. Steinmetz and William T. Brooks, authors of How To Sell At Higher Margins Than Your Competitors (Wiley, 2005), review the components within the sales process that often trump price...
Volume 3, Number 18: December 6th, 2005
The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus
Tired of dealing with increasing demands, competing priorities and ever-growing performance expectations? You're not alone...
Do Your Salespeople Make Too Much?
Overpaying salespeople happens more often than you'd think, says Dave Kahle, a Michigan-based consultant and business-to-business sales coach. Calculating the cost of sales productivity is one of many compensation pointers that Kahle and other experts discuss...
Volume 3, Number 17: November 22nd, 2005
Holiday Business Gifts: It's As Easy As A-B-C
SPECIAL ISSUE: Holiday gift-giving tips by the letter...
Volume 3, Number 16: November 15th, 2005
If the Sales Thing Doesn't Work Out, Maybe You Can Be GM for the Red Sox
When Theo Epstein, the wunderkind general manager of the Boston Red Sox, announced earlier this month that he was leaving the organization only one year after leading the team to a World Series title, many baseball fans were surprised to discover that Epstein earned $350,000. That's an impressive paycheck by Joe Average standards...
So You've Got A Solution… So What?
Everybody claims to offer not just products and services, but solutions. Do you ever get an uneasy feeling that the "solutions" you bring to the marketplace aren't all that special or different anymore?
Volume 3, Number 15: October 25th, 2005
E-Prospecting Made Simple
Leveraging e-mail as an account entry strategy will never replace the phone, but it may be more effective for reaching certain prospects, says sales consultant Jill Konrath. In her forthcoming book, Selling To Big Companies (Dearborn Trade Publishing), Konrath provides some tips for using e-mail effectively in pursuit of a sale...
Holiday Gifts: Business Before Pleasure
You have some time to decide what to get loved ones for the holidays this year, but you need to get your business gift strategy in place. The more time you build into planning business gifts, the more likely it is going to be money well spent.
Volume 3, Number 14: October 11th, 2005
Take a Bite Out of Business-Travel Expenses
The high cost of fuel is hitting corporate business travel's pocketbook in more ways than one, according to Runzheimer International, a Wisconsin-based management consulting firm specializing in travel management information. Runzheimer's business travel cost forecast predicts overall travel costs will increase 12% in 2006.
Fishing for More Sales Leads?
Growing faster at lower cost is a top challenge that keeps sales and marketing leaders up at night. At the same time, these managers rate lead generation as their top critical growth barrier. The problem is...
Volume 3, Number 13: September 27th, 2005
The Spirit of New Orleans… 900 Miles North
In the battle for your business meeting and incentive travel dollars, New Orleans normally holds its own against the likes of the Singapore Shangri-La and the Costa Rica Tourist Board at the annual Motivation Show (IT&ME to old-timers), which opened today and runs through Thursday at Chicago's McCormick Place. These are not normal times for New Orleans, however, which is why we were curious to see what the mood would be at the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau exhibit.
Why Good Salespeople Behave Badly
Why are some salespeople so productive and others not? John Jack, Senior Vice President of BI, a Minneapolis-based performance improvement company, discusses several key aspects of the psychology behind personal motivation.
Volume 3, Number 12: September 15th, 2005
Why Cash Incentives Fail
Cash is spent on necessities and quickly forgotten. What's more, it's been proven that cash incentives quickly become part of expected compensation. Can you really afford to continue down that slippery slope?
Hire Smart - Training Will Take Your Sales Improvement Efforts Only So Far
The most important step to developing a world-class sales force is to focus on who makes the team in the first place. While that may sound obvious, too many organizations lower their hiring expectations and then attempt to train average reps to greatness, says Benson Smith, a consultant on sales force effectiveness for the Gallup Organization.
Volume 3, Number 11: August 17th, 2005
Working Vacation
You can run, but you can't hide from work-related reading. While vacationing in Boston recently, Paul Nolan checked into the Hotel @ MIT and found a copy of MIT Sloan Management Review alongside the Where magazine in his room. A featured story entitled "The Dark Side of Close Relationships" was especially interesting since the recent July/August cover story looked at strategies for strengthening manufacturer/distributor relationships.
You Could Skip the Sales Presentation Altogether
Consultant Jeff Thull argues that a sales presentation is one of the least effective methods for getting prospects to buy. Most salespeople hate to hear this because the presentation is their security blanket and they loath giving it up.
Volume 3, Number 10: July 19th, 2005
Can You Make Difficult Customers Be Reasonable?
It's difficult - indeed, nearly impossible - to follow a value-added sales approach when a prospect refuses to acknowledge the value that you're adding. Some difficult customers are simply irrational. The majority, however, adopt an irrational stance as part of their "hard bargaining" approach.
Stop Wasting Money on Employee Orientations
Organizations in the United States spend millions of dollars annually on orientation and they don't know why. "People join organizations to do a job, and during their first day on the job all we want to talk about is the rules and reasons we may use for terminating them!
Volume 3, Number 9: June 21st, 2005
Neglect Distributor Relationships at Your Own Risk
Strong relationships with independent distributors are the lifeblood of many manufacturers. How can you get these resellers to pitch your product or service over a competitor's?
Measuring A Meeting's Success
When a sales meeting is adjourned, there may be as many different opinions about its usefulness as there were people in attendance. Managers should be measuring the effectiveness of meetings as much as they measure sales themselves.
Volume 3, Number 8: June 8th, 2005
Liar Liar
An item from last week's "What's Online" column in the New York Times reminds us to remind you to never try to be something you're not with your customers.
Quiet Confidence
Speaking of not trying to be something you're not, sales managers and business leaders across the board should take note of comments made by Time Warner Chairman and Chief Executive Richard D. Parsons in "The Boss" column in last Sunday's New York Times.
Volume 3, Number 7: May 25th, 2005
Fix Up A Conference Room and Put On A Show!
In every great salesperson there is a little showboat. It only makes sense, then, that sales meetings have a touch of Broadway as well.
Beach Balls Are For Wimps
Today's younger sales force wants more than sun and sand from their incentive travel, experts say. Programs that really motivate feature once-in-a-lifetime adventures that participants aren't likely to experience on their own.
Volume 3, Number 6: May 12th, 2005
Sales and Profits Are Two Different Things
Everyone talks about holding steady on price, but is anyone really doing it?
You've Got Leadership Skills, Now What About A Plan?
Speaking of two different things, leadership qualities will get you nowhere without a solid business plan.
Volume 3, Number 5: April 6th, 2005
Promotion Incredibles!
We sympathize with your search for new areas to cut expenses, but think twice before you erase the budget for branded business gifts and giveaways.
Direct Marketers Reach a New Low
As if the circus surrounding the fight to save Terri Schiavo wasn't enough, a direct mailing firm's announcement last week that it had collected the names of donors to Ms. Schiavo's parents and plans to rent it to other conservative groups proved that some direct marketers will not be fenced in by moral or ethical boundaries.
Volume 3, Number 4: March 23rd, 2005
Are Your Business Gifts Like Trees Falling in the Forest?
If your business gifts aren't appreciated then they're wasted investments.
Why Pay for Training If You Don't Implement It?
Speaking of investments without a return, too many companies send their salespeople through training that is heavier on theory than practice and contains no follow-up.
Volume 3, Number 3: March 8th, 2005
Is Your Sales and Marketing Approach As Fresh As Madonna's?
Call it what you want, but few pop stars and fewer businesses have understood the intricacies of Madonna's genius of reinvention and the inevitable end of the business cycle.
Addition Can't Always Be By Subtraction
Despite business leaders' bullish statements, many companies continue to search every nook and cranny of their business model in search of additional cost-cutting opportunities.
Volume 3, Number 2: February 8th, 2005
Why isn't self-confidence the key to effective leadership?
The most essential quality of leaders is confidence in other people, says Harvard Business School Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter. "When leaders believe in other people, confidence grows, and winning becomes more attainable." Is leadership plural in your department?
Have sales managers given up on patience and training?
I thought I had connections in the sales office of my favorite basketball team, then he got fired. SalesForceXP Editor Paul Nolan wonders whether patience and training are in sales managers' dictionaries.
Volume 3, Number 1: January 12th, 2005
See the Customer… Be the Customer
Nobody wants to buy what you sell. What they want are the business results they can achieve by utilizing what you sell to pursue their own goals and objectives.
Do Your Customers Use Your Products?
As odd as that sounds, you need to verify on a regular basis that your customers are actually using the products they buy from you, says Sean D'Souza, a New Zealand-based marketing consultant. Too many customers purchase a product and fail to consume it, leaving suppliers scratching their heads over why they can't convert more existing clients into repeat business.
Volume 2, Number 13: December 8th, 2004
Overburdened? It May Be Your Own Fault!
Most managers realize that a key part of their job is to help subordinates develop professionally, including honing their problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Experiences Trump Stuff in "Happiness Quotient"
Recent scientific research shows that people get a greater sense of happiness from experiential purchases than from material purchases, which explains why companies are relying on incentive travel to drive performance and retain top salespeople.
Volume 2, Number 12: November 9th, 2004
Exploding 5 Myths of Performance Improvement
A new SalesForceXP Special Report investigates commonly held beliefs about incentives and exposes five misconceptions as mere myths.
Red Sox Nation Provides Business Inspiration
The never-say-die attitude that brought the Boston Red Sox from the brink of elimination against the New York Yankees to a four-game sweep vs. St. Louis in the World Series is providing inspiration in boardrooms across the country.
Volume 2, Number 11: October 19th, 2004
Banks Toss Toasters In Favor of Flat-Screens and Cars
Citicorp and J.P. Morgan Chase didn't become Wall Street behemoths by following half-baked marketing strategies. What do they know about the power of merchandise incentives that you don't?
Focus On Talent - Let The Economy Take Care of Itself
No matter where you fall in determining the strength of the current economy, the reality is that employers must continue to focus on talent. Indeed, the survival of their business depends on it.
Volume 2, Number 10: September 29th, 2004
Intergalactic Incentives
Thousands of business executives have convened this week at The Motivation Show in Chicago to discuss new methods to motivate employees and reward stellar performance.
The Power of Pampering
You don't have to send top salespeople to the moon to make an impression that's stronger than cash incentives. Your salespeople may say cash motivates them, but research shows they'll work harder for tangible incentives.
Volume 2, Number 9: September 8th, 2004
Right Answer, Wrong Question
Ask your salespeople what motivates them and they'll tell you cash. It's the right answer, but the wrong question, say workplace performance specialists. Instead, ask yourself, what motivates employees to work harder? Research shows that intangibles - merchandise and travel - outperform cash.
Gatekeeper Schmatekeeper
Success in sales requires reaching decision makers, but that's no simple task. Many executives who make final purchasing decisions have a fortress of "helpers" around them that's akin to the president's secret service protection. Consultants Dan Kosch and Mark Shonka say it's imperative to instill a sense of "unblockability" in your salespeople.
Volume 2, Number 8: August 24th, 2004
50,000,000 Tom Peters fans can't be wrong… Can they?
By his own admission, Tom Peters says if his fans followed his advice on leading change in the workplace, they were probably less than thrilled with the results. Now he thinks he has it figure out.
Personalize, Don't Vandalize, High-End Gifts
Speaking of gifts and increasing employee morale, companies almost automatically personalize the products they use to launch new sales incentive campaigns or present at off-site meetings. Imprinting the company name and logo on lime green pens and battery-powered hand-held fans is great, but be selective about how you personalize more expensive gifts such as leather goods, clocks and watches, and high-end apparel.
Volume 2, Number 7: July 28th, 2004
Stop Selling Your Product (Or You May Stop Selling Altogether)
Surviving in the business-to-business sales environment has never been more challenging. Customers feel there is minimal difference between your product or service and your competitors', and more of them are too busy to sit through a sales presentation in which your salespeople could convince them otherwise.
10 Ways To Become A Better Sales Coach
Research shows that salespeople lose 87 percent of the knowledge they gain from training within 30 days. Kevin Kearns, President and CEO of Huthwaite, a research and sales training firm in Sterling, Va., has some ideas on how to reverse this troubling trend.
Volume 2, Number 6: June 2nd, 2004
What do meeting and incentive travel planners have in common with George Clooney?
Group travel planners are migrating to the Internet, where shorter lead times for flights and hotels are de rigueur. Timothy Brooks, president of The Austin Group, a Chicago-based travel management consulting firm, says it's not uncommon to piece together group events with less than 90 days' notice.
Turning customers into coaches
Even top sales managers need help coaching sales teams how to improve performance. Mark Shonka and Dan Kosch of Minneapolis-based sales consulting firm IMPAX Corp., say managers should encourage salespeople to look within their customers' companies for potential coaches.
Volume 2, Number 5: May 5th, 2004
Are your incentive efforts built to succeed?
How effective was your last sales incentive program in achieving the goals you set before it launched? Performance improvement specialist Ed Robbins told incentive program planners at the Incentive Show on Tuesday that it's astounding how many managers cannot report on the effectiveness of incentive programs they run because they do not build in measurement capabilities.
Treating Salespeople Like Movie Stars
In the current issue of Fast Company Magazine, business writer Scott Kirsner tosses out an idea for improved internal communication that is pure genius. Inspired by his feature on Industrial Light & Magic, a movie special effects firm in San Rafael, Calif., Kirsner suggests that other industries adopt the movie production tradition of reviewing each day's work as a team before heading home.
Volume 2, Number 4: April 7th, 2004
How to "Bag" The Competition
Have you looked on while your share-of-market has shrunk or disappeared altogether to an upstart that has customers swooning about its unique qualities and competitive pricing? Take a lesson from the brown paper bag, which as recently as 10 years ago seemed headed for extinction.
How You And Nokia Can Fight Back
Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker, announced weak 1st quarter sales. You can bet that the innovative cellular phone maker won't sit pat, however, nor should you if your first quarter didn't finish as strongly as you would have liked.
Volume 2, Number 3: March 11th, 2004
What Would Buddha Do?
Some of the most cutting-edge ideas in business today stem from 2,500 years ago, in the time of Buddha, says Jim Schaffer, a Newton, Mass.-based sales trainer.
Training Day Returns
How long has it been since you've invested in top-notch, formal training for your salespeople? The $51.3 billion that U.S. organizations spent on training in 2003 is the lowest total in more than five years.
Volume 2, Number 2: February 3rd, 2004
Choose your incentives wisely
We were all set to prattle on about how the most surprising - and inexpensive - incentives can motivate a team after reading in the New York Times early last month that Byron Scott, head coach of the struggling New Jersey Nets, rolled out a rewards program that provided small perks for his multimillionaire players.
Female persuasion
Girls may just want to have fun, but women know how to listen, multitask, pay attention to detail and stay focused on a "to do" list. In fact, many executives argue that women have innate characteristics that make them superior salespeople.
Volume 2, Number 1: January 14th, 2004
Gadget Play
Once a year, gadget fanatics from around the world gather at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to get a glimpse of the new products that have been developed for the rest of us to play with. SalesForceXP was on the scene and discovered that the emphasis continues to be on bigger, louder and thinner - all in high-definition, with digital sound and preferably without wires.
What Women Really Want
Speaking of what makes women in sales happy, SalesForceXP talked with high-level female sales executives and frontline female sales reps about what they want out of careers and how managers - male or female - can best assist them.
Volume 1, Number 12: December 10th, 2003
Would Your Customers Cut Off Their Toes For You?
To what extreme will your customers go just to be able to use your product or service?
I'll Drive, You Fly
Road trips to out-of-town functions are more common as business travelers try to avoid crowded airplanes and long delays resulting from increased security. 91 percent of workers in a study said they don't want to ride with the boss and a whopping 99 percent are unwilling to ride with a client.
Volume 1, Number 11: November 18th, 2003
Ready, Set, GOALS!
If a goal is a dream with a deadline, and a dream is a wish that your heart makes, what's a goal that you dream up for your sales team? A nightmare if sales reps aren't asked to participate in setting it.
Books That Are Worth The Paper They're Printed On
Some 4,700 business books will be published this year, according to booksinprint.com, but many business executives at whom they are aimed say the vast majority aren't worth reading. Wall Street Journal columnist Carol Hymowitz recently asked business executives what they have read that ended up being a good investment of their time - titles that "inspired their thinking and enabled them to perform better."
Volume 1, Number 10: October 22nd, 2003
Warm up to cold calling
Chris Yeh, a partner at Porthos Consulting, a Maryland-based sales and marketing consultancy, has 8 simple tips for developing cold calling scripts that will make a big difference in the power of your sales team's performance.
Sales management Soprano style
Could TV's Tony Soprano out-manage the likes of Jack Welch and IBM head honcho Louis Gerstner? Deborrah Himsel, vice president of organizational effectiveness for Avon Products Inc., thinks he might.
Volume 1, Number
9: September 17th, 2003 [Motivation Show Edition]
What is your dog trying to tell you?
Turns out that Lassie wasn't trying to warn that little Timmy
was in trouble after all, but instead was expressing that she was
feeling emotionally fragile and in need of special attention. Too
bad the Bow-Lingual Dog Translator didn't exist back when the canine
superhero was saving lives and spreading good will with a few
pointed barks. A prejudice for pride
The best workers are proud of what they do. It may sound like a
simple concept, but it's also one that not enough managers pay
attention to. Author and consultant Jon Katzenbach talks about
building pride in sales forces in the current issue of SalesForceXP.
Read the full interview online. Volume 1, Number
8: September 3rd, 2003
As Web advertising heats up, it's time to
inventory your online marketing efforts.
Once left for dead, Internet advertising appears to be rising
from the ashes, increasing more than 11 percent in the first quarter
of the this year compared to one year ago. In a report compiled by
consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers for the Interactive
Advertising Bureau, online ad sellers posted on estimated $1.69
billion in advertising revenue for the first quarter, marking the
first quarterly increase in two years. Did you say bonus pay or bogus pay?
Sales manager: "To charge you up, anyone who hits their sales goal
for the quarter receives bonus pay." Sales team (all
together): "Whatever…" Having trouble getting your sales team
enthused about finishing the year strong? Your problems may start
with your incentive offer. Volume 1, Number
7: August 5th, 2003
You can't buy your salespeople job satisfaction
Most everyone frets about how to devise schemes that will keep the
troops revved up. Conventional wisdom - or at least the practice at
most companies - often centers on money as the primary motivating
force. Some rely on intimidation. Both of these are short-term
solutions, says Jon Katzenbach, author of "Why Pride Matters More
Than Money" (Crown Business, 2003). Go through with the job interview or set your
hair on fire? Hmmm…
Let's face it: job interviews leave everyone a little uneasy. Don't
make it twice as difficult by arriving unprepared to find out what
your job candidates bring to the table. Volume 1, Number
6: July 9th, 2003
Your Competition Can Be an Asset
Did that headline just say "asset?" Before you drop the last two
letters of that descriptor, check out what renowned consultant and
business book author Nido Qubein's "Seven Strategies for Selling
Against the Competition" has to say. Watch Out!
Clocks and watches as rewards are, well, timeless. And with good
reason. They are an effective and elegant means of thanking someone
for a job well done. Look over the latest styles from name-brand
manufacturers and call the contacts to find out more about how you
can turn these timepieces into sales driving tools. Volume 1, Number
5: June 18th, 2003
Forget Jack Welch! Take note of the business
sense of Pearl Jam
How can you use Pearl Jam's business sense in your company? Read how
this innovative rock-and-roll band is winning a sales game that
others are losing. Is your training off target?
Where did the last sale that your team lose break down? Sales often
are made and lost for reasons that are far removed from the sales
team itself. Mike Clary has a theory why some of the most critical
people in the sales process are left out of targeted training - and
he offers an easy fix. Volume 1, Number
4: June 4th, 2003
Gorilla Incentive Initiatives!
Don't have time today to commit to a full blown incentive program to
boost performance? Use "gorilla incentive" initiatives to boost
tomorrow's sales, this week's prospecting, push a product line or
empty a warehouse by the end of the month. Customers won't flash a dime, much less get off
it!
What's a salesperson to do when businesses put purchase decisions on
indefinite hold? Wait for the economy to bounce back? Sure, and you
can also wait for poultry to fly out of your posterior. The sales
process doesn't stop just because customers aren't spending. Read
about important steps that salespeople can take during downtime. Volume 1, Number
3: May 13th, 2003
Make your partnerships more profitable
Distribution channels - or "channel partners" - are vital to success
in today's marketplace. A product manufacturer or service supplier
can do everything right internally, but if the outside distributors
or resellers aren't in synch with overall marketing plan, you'll
lose your competitive edge. Cool Tool
Do you have a great concept - or maybe a half-dozen - in your head
that you can't seem to get on paper? Or perhaps they are on paper,
but in the form of a mishmash of hastily scribbled notes stuffed
into a folder. A computer program called MindManager that is
designed to organize anyone's thinking on almost any topic into a
compelling, visual "mind map" on the computer screen. Volume 1, Number
2: April 9th, 2003
Is your online customer service off track?
If any portion of your customer interaction is done online,
you'll want to read about the common mistakes that even the largest
corporations make and how the Customer Respect Group rates online
customer service. New York Incentive Show wraps up Wednesday
The halls of the Jacob Javits Convention Center were abuzz with
the power of using merchandise and travel to motivate employees.
Attendees at the New York Incentive Show, saw the latest new
products for driving results in the workplace. Many of the
SalesForceXP Founding Partners were exhibiting, and we've got new
product information from all of them that can help recharge your
troops. Volume 1, Number
1: March 25th, 2003
Selling is everyone's job
Few companies are looking to add people to the payroll these
days, but there is a way to increase the size of your sales team
without making a single hire. See how telecommunications giants
BellSouth and Qwest have recently brought their service technicians
into the sales fold with carefully planned and orchestrated referral
programs. Cool tool for Sales Managers
Conference calls made free and easy!
Bringing a sales team that's spread out across the country together
for a team-building meeting just got a whole lot easier and cheaper.
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The First Step To Designing A Winning Sales Compensation Plan |
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Is your sales compensation plan helping you get the most from your sales people? Listen to this episode of the Sales Management Minute to learn the first question to ask yourself when designing an effective sales compensation plan.
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Audio. 60 sec. - 09/01/2010 |
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