Enhancements make it easier to manage.
For example, a procedure that makes it easier for the salesperson to manage development of an order, and makes it easier for sales management to monitor order development, is an improvement – or enhancement. One such procedure is a sales process analysis specification. This enables precise order progress monitoring. Another is target account identification. This enables clear coverage monitoring.  Both are change management processes.

Enhancements improve order development reliability.
For example, process specification also assures comprehensive order development, by making sure all important order development steps are covered, and all buying influences have formed positive beliefs about your product and your company.  This is management of the sales process.

Enhancements improve sales productivity.
Productivity (return on time and resources invested) is improved when the order development process is completed efficiently, and the close ratio is high.  This is sales performance productivity improvement.
For a more detailed information, ask for Knotes & Comments 101C, “If you want better results . . . ,” and Knotes & Comments 102, “If you covered the territory . . . .”

Not why customers buy, but why prospects become customers

Prospects buy from your company because they establish a belief that your company offers the best value for their money. Customers buy from you for the same reason. But what key factors move a prospect with questions into customer with beliefs?   When you can identify these factors, you’ll get sales performance improvement.

Part of the answer is features and benefits. But what is it that finally moves the prospect from an awareness of the benefits you offer to a belief that he will receive those benefits from your company?  One benefit he must believe in is value, which includes price. Price is a stated fact. When you quote a price, that’s the price he will pay. But what little things (or big) will comprise the value you offer?

In addition to price, value includes strength or durability; it includes delivery or availability; it includes service or support, and it includes performance or facilitation. All these factors may be included in the sales presentation, but what makes them believable? Everyone has at least some testimonials. What is going to cause each buying influence to believe in your product and your company?  Determining these factors requires sales process analysis.  When you identify these factors, you will get productivity improvement.

Just to make your sales management job harder, each buying influence may have different factors that result in believability. And at least some of those factors will be hidden, or not obvious. It’s not a matter of just telling the truth, it’s a matter of what little things can go wrong – or will go right. It’s a matter of gaining confidence in your company, and its ability to deliver value. No supplier is perfect, so what are going to be your company’s imperfections?

What does your prospect know about your company when you walk in the door? What preconceived attitudes or beliefs does he have? What is it that is going to cause each buying influence to commit to your company? There’s a point at which every buying influence turns from negative or neutral to positive. There’s a point at which each buying influence believes that it will be worth the effort to exchange a known supplier for an unknown one.

Again, those factors may be different for each buying influence. What can you do to identify their concerns and reveal their decision criteria? The answer, is going to be different in almost every case. Thus, for effective sales management these questions must be asked, and then answered, in every case. For suggestions on how to answer these questions. ask for Knotes and Comments 201 (“Sales As A Production Process”) and 205 (“The Easiest Way To Increase Sales”).

How Much Promotional Support Is Enough, and What Kind Should Be Used?
Sales support is leverage for a sales presentation. It boosts productivity because it adds impact or retention value. You should have as many different types as your salespeople will use! You should probably have at least 6 sales support tools, and maybe 12, but 3 could be enough.
The function of promotional support is to aid memorability or leave a positive impression.
• Are you selling a large piece of equipment that is best illustrated by pictures or a movie?
• Or are you selling small parts that can be best shown with samples?
• Are you selling a process that can be illustrated, or services that can be endorsed by a testimonial letter?
• Is there reference information about product applications or capabilities that can enhance a sales presentation?

Each salesperson may use only two or three tools to support his/her presentation and selling efforts. but each salesperson will use a different selection, or combination. For example, one salesperson will use only or primarily literature to illustrate or support the information being communicated. Another may use primarily a flip chart or PowerPoint presentation.  You maximize sales productivity when you support every salesman’s performance

Whatever you provide, sales management’s  function is to help your salespeople communicate value and help the prospect remember that value.

For more about sales support leverage, plus a checklist and description of 14 sales support options, ask for Knotes & Comments 208.

Is To Make It Easier For Your Salespeople^* To Sell More

While Making It Easier For You To Manage Sales Development

*especially independent rep salespeople

If what you’re doing now isn’t producing the results you want, Review It and Revise It!  Extensive experience reveals that simply applying some basic sales development tactics can significantly improve sales results.  As an added benefit, implementing these tactics will make it easier to manage sales development.

1. Know To Whom You Want To Sell – Targeting

2. Know Why Prospects Will Buy From You – Positioning

3. Use Process Control to Guide Sales Progress – Process

Here’s where most sales management  falters.  You don’t want to give your sales  people a script to follow, but you do want to provide guidance.

4. Use Quality Assurance to Measure Sales Progress – Measurement

If you’ve identified the steps in the sales process, then the salesperson knows when each step has been completed.  Now  just identify or categorize the steps, and you have a measurable process, and improved sales productivity.

It’s true. very little in sales is black and white, it’s more often a shade of gray. But think how much easier it is to modify a process step with a comment than to try and describe the whole situation.

5. Use Quality Assurance When Sourcing Salespeople – Selection

Sure it’s more work, but considering the investment and expected return, it’s worth it to make sure.

To learn more about what you can do to make your life easier, ask for Knotes & Comments 205.

The Primary Mistakes That Prevent Getting The Reps and The Results You Want

And How To Solve Them

It takes significant time and effort to find and retain a high performance independent rep agency.  To maximize your return on sales management investment, you need to prepare a strong foundation.

To achieve reasonable sales productivity, there should be  at least $1 million or more in annual sales potential  in a territory with good potential.  To achieve  optimum sales performance requires a highly motivated rep agency plus good sales management practices.

A. Abdicated Management

It’s a prevalent attitude among sales management that sales development and marketing can be delegated.  For sales, manufacturers want to delegate it to independent manufacturers’ reps.

SOLUTION: You shouldn’t expect to delegate your company’s income.  You need a management system that will direct reps into the highest potential accounts and then help them get the expected results.

B. Obsessive Management

Asking salespeople, or reps, to submit subjective commentary status reports is counter productive.  You don’t want/need to know everything that happened on every sales call.

SOLUTION: You only want the facts, but you should help the rep gather them.  You need to determine each target account’s sales potential, and then help the rep to make a sale.  You also need to know each agency’s true earnings objective, and then help them reach it.

• Learn the four things you can do to increase your sales – and the rep’s earnings – while building your earnings.  Ask for  Knotes & Comments  206.