Free Advice

Ignite your sale now! The most common excuse business owners with stagnant growth give is “We’re not very good at sales and marketing.” Now is the time to fix those problems. Start with the sales department. Don’t hit the road blindfolded; research, plan and get it done.

Know what you’ve done

Do your research and find out why customers buy from you in the quantities they do. What exactly is your value proposition? Are you strong on price, service or quality? Remember the old saying, you can have two of these things, but never all three.

Before you can make plans to improve you need to know the facts. And the facts are not necessarily your opinion or feelings about why your customers buy.

Plan for sales

Goals and planning are the most important part of this equation. Set goals for your sales department and for each sales person. Make them reachable, but a stretch. Compensation should be tied into performance, your margin and a balance between the long-term and short-term (don’t ignore customer retention or just worry about “this quarter” like so many big firms do).

There are two parts to any plan. The strate gic part is your vision. This is where the big picture is addressed. What markets should we go after, how do we approach them, what else can we offer, etc.

The key to igniting sales is a dynamic tactical plan. Define exactly what every sales rep is supposed to do. There’s a reason why sales managers have always preached, “make one more call.” Those extra 250 calls a year pay off.

The tactical plan should break down to the smallest level possible exactly what every salesperson is to do. Who should they call on, how often, by what means, when, etc. There should be a program for follow-up, staying in touch, what happens after the sale and more.

Every week your sales staff should know how many telephone calls they are to make and to what type of customer, how many in person calls, the number of mailings, how many proposals they’re to present, etc.

Monitor

All of the above is for naught if you don’t monitor all the activity. Keep statistics on calls dialed through orders taken. Break down activity to its lowest form so you know exactly what someone needs to do to make a sale. Then you’ll know what they’re doing wrong if they don’t meet the numbers. 

A well run, organized sales department means growth on your terms and that is what produces profits.

© Copyright John Martinka 2003. All rights reserved.