Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header about About Home Profiles articles Tools forums inspirational quotes About facebook Twitter YouTube Blog

sales organizations Tagged Articles



Lead Generation & Marketing Automation How-To Guide
Lead Generation is the top priority for marketing directors in 2009. More importantly, marketers are being charged with defending their budgets and demonstrating real ROI for their marketing programs. Use this How-To Guide to learn how other world-class companies are developing lead generation infrastructures that automate key processes, measure results, and provide a steady flow of qualified leads their sales organizations.
Building Relationship Capital - Sustainable Sales Success
The most recent global recession has reminded businesses all over the world of some simple truths: - Customers have more choice than ever. - Customers will not continue to work with people they do not trust. - Customers can not be easily won back when they are lost (if at all). And yet, many sales organizations are still hiring people with the wrong skillset, and even worse, the wrong mindset! So, what factors are the most important in winning and retaining new business in the 21st Century?
Caliper and Selling Power Hit and Then Miss the Mark on Sales
My analysis of three predictive indicators of top sales performers put forward in a recent Selling Power article. I compared them with the data that has been collected by Objective Management Group in sales specific assessments.

Tale of Two Clients - Sales Training! :) versus Saaaales Training (:
Here's an interesting comparison for you. Two client companies are on the exact same sales development time line. (Same time line but separate from each other - they don't even know about each other) Both of their sales forces went through sales force evaluations at the exact same time. Both of their sales management teams were developed at the same time. Both of their sales organizations received sales infrastructure help (sales process, sales pipeline, metrics, sales recruiting process, etc).
Tale of Two Clients - Sales Training :) vs. SAAAALES TRAINING :(
You've heard it before. It flows down hill. Your organization can only be as effective as the weakest leadership link. When it comes to a sales development initiative, you must start out committed and remain committed to drive the process until the change you demand has been accomplished. Anything short of that is a formula for failure.
Game 7 - There is No Tomorrow with This Sales Opportunity
Don't turn opportunities where there IS a tomorrow into a desperate, "How much of a price concession do we have to make?", last ditch effort to close it today scenario, but do turn a customer/prospect-initiated deadline into a Game 7 scenario where you do whatever it takes to earn that business!
Game 7 - There is No Tomorrow with These Sales Opportunities
don't turn opportunities where there IS a tomorrow into a desperate, "How much of a price concession do we have to make?", last ditch effort to close it today scenario, but do turn a customer/prospect-initiated deadline into a Game 7 scenario where you do whatever it takes to earn that business!
The Ignorance Factor and Achieving Your Company's Revenue Goals
What do the 12 sales consultants and trainers and 4 new clients have in common with Michael Oher? They are ignorant too. Not about life or business as Oher was, but about sales forces.

Stop Hiding from Your Buyers
Could it be you're inadvertently ducking your customers? This thought-provoking article may open your eyes to how buyers view you.
Track Sales Calls with Call Accounting Software
Call accounting software allows managers to track sales calls, monitor employee productivity, decrease telecom expenses, and track marketing campaigns.
The Shadow Syndrome
Is a sales manager an essential component of a successful sales / marketing strategy?
3 Reason’s to Invest In Sales Management Training
If you want to thrive in difficult times here are 3 reasons why you should invest in sales management training. Your sales force is your company’s most expensive promotional resource. Yet too many sales organizations operate well below their potential. Your front line sales managers are the people who can unlock the potential in your sales organization
Recession Proofing Your Sales Force
As the leader of your organization, the next 6 months will prove to be more pressure-filled then you may have experienced in years. With decreasing prospects and the cost of doing business increasing, a squeeze on profits is inevitable.

What Is A Quality Sales Organization?
Are you interested in extracting the optimal results from your sales organization? Then focus on building an organization that has a healthy, high performance culture. A high quality organization will ultimately morph into a world class sales machine.
Sales Cycles and Time - Is it Running Out?
We are always focused on sales cycles. Are they optimized? Are they taking too long? Can they be improved? How many calls should they take? Are we doing things that make the sales cycle take longer than necessary? For example, the sales cycle can be shortened in direct proportion to how high your salespeople call in the company. If we are have begun a sales development program, you won't see results from top line revenue until 6 months plus the length of the sales cycle have passed. I have a couple of things to discuss today relative to sales cycle.
Is Your Networking Not Working?
Learn the 5 principles for effective networking that builds business and drives revenues.

Sales Leadership Excellence: How to Recruit & Retain More High-Producing Sales Leaders
As work becomes less about muscle and more about intellect, sales leadership styles need to change. Know what causes a worker to enjoy their work and motivate them to become high producing sales leaders...

Sales Performance: Choosing the Right Tools
What really helps a sales team to improve its performance? Out of the many disciplines, practices, processes and automated reporting tools, which ones should sales managers emphasize? Which tools are best? Which ones contribute most to desirable outcomes? As it turns out, the sales leaders we interviewed say it has less to do with the tools themselves, and more to do with the way those tools are selected, designed and implemented.

Sales force productivity: Eight Practices to Ensure Your Sales Success
We have never needed to improve sales productivity more than we do in this dreadful economy. For decades, businesses have embraced productivity and cost controls in operational functions like manufacturing and distribution; programs like Total Quality Management (TQM), Six Sigma and LEAN are thriving all over the map. Except in the sales department. We suggest that sales organizations can benefit dramatically from adopting some basic principles of productivity management, simple business techniques that lower costs, improve customer profitability and retention, and reduce sales-person turnover. This article explores the eight key practices that contribute to productivity. If the practice is in place in your usiness, it will contribute to productivity. But if it is not, it will actually inhibit productivity and drive up costs.
Increase Sales by Becoming the Maytag Repairman of Your Niche Market
Have you ever considered that being the Maytag Repairman in sales is potentially a good thing? Learn why you may want to adopt this philosophy.
Thrashing: The Productivity and Company Killer
Every company struggles balancing long term strategy with achieving short term goals. But many companies easily fall into the trap of taking on too many short term projects. Taken too far, it can paralyze a company and keep you from achieving your goals. Learn to recognize signs of thrashing and how to keep it from draining the life out of your company.
Closing the Sale
Selling and closing are two different arts. I have been doing sales and closing workshops for almost 25 years teaching sales organizations how to be more effective at selling, negotiating and closing transactions. Many people confuse these two. Do you know the difference?

Is Your Sales Team a Winner or on the Way Out?
Think your sales team is in good shape because your customers rank them either good or very good? Think again. Nearly 80 percent of all supplier deserters rate their previous supplier as "good" to "very good," so the outlook for anything less than world-class excellence is not only disappointing but potentially career threatening. A 15-year study on world-class sales by The HR Chally Group determined that only 21 of 7,300 sales forces evaluated by 80,000 customer decision-makers were categorized as “world-class” by their customers. Benchmarking research within these same 17 "world-class" sales organizations, found that they all shared at least six of the following eight best practices: see article

Does Changing Compensation Increase Sales?
A conference attendee asked how she could change the compensation for her highly paid, salaried producers, in order to provide the incentive to sell more. Read this article to learn the answer to this question.
Learning from Experience: Implementing After Action Reviews in Your Sales Force
The problem with many sales organizations is not laziness, lack of selling skills or the myriad of other issues CEOs point to when sales are down. The problem with most sales organizations is the inability to learn from experience.er Action Reviews are now used by many companies in a number of ways. When conducted properly, the AAR serves as a post-event debrief that generates specific actionable recommendations (SARs) for immediate use. It also creates an environment in which sales people can identify real mistakes, learn from them, and make immediate adjustments, rather than get bogged down in blaming the market, the prospect, or the competition.

Peer 2 Peer Mentoring
While many companies look to outsource their soft skills training a few have taken the idea that excellence is closer than they first thought. Taking the lead from some of the most innovative thinkers peer 2 peer mentoring is not only cost effective but has hidden psychological advantages in-built. Take a closer look at what you may be missing right before your eyes.
The Changing Face of Sales
Over the past few years the sales environment has changed in a number of ways. The reasons are vast but typically relate to the changes in our society, economy, business models, technology and more. When it comes right down to the actual selling environment, there are a few distinct attributes that stand out today that didn’t seem to be as noticeable, or even a factor, just five or six years ago. The key for all sales organizations and individual sales professionals alike is to understand and adapt to these changes. Few organizations today still live through the experience of the ‘90s where prospects would actually call them and buy something without having to work hard at finding and acquiring these leads. Back then, even poor sales performance was rewarded with revenue and quota achievement, in spite of a lack of skills and hard work.

Other sales organizations Related Articles

The Changing Face of Sales
Over the past few years the sales environment has changed in a number of ways. The reasons are vast but typically relate to the changes in our society, economy, business models, technology and more. When it comes right down to the actual selling environment, there are a few distinct attributes that stand out today that didn’t seem to be as noticeable, or even a factor, just five or six years ago. The key for all sales organizations and individual sales professionals alike is to understand and adapt to these changes. Few organizations today still live through the experience of the ‘90s where prospects would actually call them and buy something without having to work hard at finding and acquiring these leads. Back then, even poor sales performance was rewarded with revenue and quota achievement, in spite of a lack of skills and hard work.
Organizational "Strange Actractors"
We have for the most part looked at organizations in a traditional linear view and constantly put people, teams, departments, divisions and organizations in general into boxes often connected with lines. This is fine when trying to show where individuals reside within the context of organizations; however, it is not how organizations work.
Learning from Experience: Implementing After Action Reviews in Your Sales Force
The problem with many sales organizations is not laziness, lack of selling skills or the myriad of other issues CEOs point to when sales are down. The problem with most sales organizations is the inability to learn from experience.er Action Reviews are now used by many companies in a number of ways. When conducted properly, the AAR serves as a post-event debrief that generates specific actionable recommendations (SARs) for immediate use. It also creates an environment in which sales people can identify real mistakes, learn from them, and make immediate adjustments, rather than get bogged down in blaming the market, the prospect, or the competition.

Selling in Bad Economic Times!
When the economy goes bad, it is easy for sales people to blame their lack of results on this, and I would not pretend that it is possible for every company to make their planned sales targets when this happens. However, after working with many sales organizations in 5 countries, and as a result of a survey of some 4,000 sales people, I found some very simple opportunities for improved sales effectiveness, which, if identified and seized, can produce some amazing increases in results even in tough times. Its just a matter of focus and discipline; things many sales people are averse to!
7 Key Simple Points to Turn Ineffective Sales Scripts to Effective Ones to Increase Sales
In the rush to increase sales, some organizations are returning to the old tried and true sales scripts. Yet, these well intended business owners to sales managers have forgotten several key points and one very critical key aspect when using a sales script.

3 Reason’s to Invest In Sales Management Training
If you want to thrive in difficult times here are 3 reasons why you should invest in sales management training. Your sales force is your company’s most expensive promotional resource. Yet too many sales organizations operate well below their potential. Your front line sales managers are the people who can unlock the potential in your sales organization
Tale of Two Clients - Sales Training! :) versus Saaaales Training (:
Here's an interesting comparison for you. Two client companies are on the exact same sales development time line. (Same time line but separate from each other - they don't even know about each other) Both of their sales forces went through sales force evaluations at the exact same time. Both of their sales management teams were developed at the same time. Both of their sales organizations received sales infrastructure help (sales process, sales pipeline, metrics, sales recruiting process, etc).
How to Increase Sales Even in Tough Times!
Times have changed in the business world. Connie tells readers how sales teams should adjust to these changes in order to increase sales. She also discusses what organizations need to look for when it comes to hiring the right sales speaker.
Thoughts For Incentives
Incentives are one of the greatest challenges most sales organizations face. While many start with the age old adage that "incentives drive behavior," they still find it difficult achieving a plan that drives business. One of the core challenges is that many organizations do not clearly define the behavior that they are truly trying to drive. While it is easy enough to say you want your incentive plan to drive sales, sales are not a behavior, they are an outcome.

How to Shorten Your Sales Cycle?
Shortening the sales cycle is a key objective for most sales organizations and sales professionals. How to do that continues to be a challenge. There are a number of proven ways, this article discusses one approach. As with any though, you do have to apply discipline and effort to make it work.

Featured Article

Bottom Footer



Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

Work at Home Moms and Their Bad Rap?

What To Do With a Troublemaker?

Are You Reaching Out?
Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.