Cinderella
Team Management & Sales
Posted 10:00 AM on 07/22/08 -
Reply to this postYour work is your livelihood-your means of support! If they're your friends, they should want to represent you the best they can. Create a competitive little sales contest that's tiered; reach certain goals and get incentives on the way to the prize. YOU are the boss so go with them on calls and work the deal for them. Give them your time w/out asking, and give them all a bone! There's nothing wrong with being friends with your employees; you need to mentor them at work though.
TF Sales Manager
Team Management and Sales
Posted 10:35 AM on 07/22/08 -
Reply to this postSounds to me like your team needs to get excited again about what they are doing. I think you need to start by building a plan. You need a sales plan that is built by you and your team and then you need to work your plan. If the sales plan is devised by you and your team then they have to follow it - they built it. Focus on your plan and you will get results. If you need to get some energy back into the team get them wound up with an outside motivator like Gitomer.
It's hard to be all things to all people - boss, coach, friend - you need to keep in mind that you are the leader to this team - back off on hanging out with them after hours on a regular basis. There's nothing wrong with the odd beer after work on Friday now and again but keep a bit of a barrier. This is really important if you have to dismiss any of the team members in the future.
rich
teamm maangement& sales
Posted 9:50 PM on 08/04/08 -
Reply to this post Get out of their way. They do not want the boss to go on calls with them. There is a reason for this. I know when my boss comes with me he is more trouble then it is worth . He will not keep his mouth shut,interferes and is never wrong usually the actions speak volumes of the opposite. You can't have two people in charge of the sale it never works.
Set goals for the company and each individual. Not all individuals are equal so the incentives need to be dealt on the same basis. Set guidelines,offer training without holding it over their heads.
Stop the negative meetings,morale is down due to all the reminders of how badly you are doing. The employtees are tired of hearing we need to make more money.They know this,they want to make more money also. The owner must find a way to become more profitable spread the news to the employees.
Become a better motivator.
HBK
Team Management & Sales Response
Posted 7:52 AM on 08/26/08 -
Reply to this postWhat have you done to individually adress performance? Have you gotten to the underlying issues with each person? Why is morale low? Have you identified activity levels with each representative and compared that to their results? Is their activity in the right place? Have you asked them what they believe their obstacles to be? Do they have weekly or monthly goals? Do they understand the objective for the team, and what crucial role each of them play in achieving the team objective? Do they understand what is in it for them, above and beyond the paycheck? Do you understand what truly motivates EACH one of them? Is the message they are being sent from corporate consistent with the message that you send them daily? Why are you allowing them to make the decision on whether or not you accompany them on their calls? I could go on much longer, but there are so many questions you should be asking
B.M. Sales Guy
dealing with distributors sales reps and pricing
Posted 5:33 PM on 07/17/08 -
Reply to this post
The product I sell is sold through distribution only, we do not sell direct. The issue I run into is after I have my sales meeting with the buyer at a particular business. I will make presentation, the buyer loves the product then asks for a price. I can't give an exact price, because the final price comes from the distributor. Days or weeks can go by before the customer gets final pricing. During this time there can be a disconnect between our product and its benefits and final pricing. Also I have to rely on the distributors sales rep to get them pricing and who knows what they are telling the client about my product. This is a big concern. Any one else deal with this? Any suggestions on how to deal with these issues?? Thanks!
RH Sales Manager
Distributors and Manufacturers
Posted 9:55 PM on 07/22/08 -
Reply to this postI understand your pain, but I actually am on the distribution side. I would partner up with one or two of your distributors. You first need to sell the distributors on your products, ideas, company, and the value you can bring to the end user. Try to attend meetings that your distributors sales teams have, put on presentations to those sales reps, because they need to be on the same page as you. They are actually your customers too! If they believe in you and your company, trust me they will be pushing your product without you even having to. Also be up-front with your distributors that you need their cooperation as well to close these sales. I work for a distributor now, and we try to build great relationships with our manufacturer reps, because nothing looks more impressive to a customer when we bring in YOU the expert on the product! I have some manufacturer reps that call me constantly, and guess what? We push their product because they support the distribution channel. Hope this insight was helpful!
sbest
dealing with distributors sales reps and pricing
Posted 9:51 AM on 07/23/08 -
Reply to this postWhen I had a distributor rep who was slow to respond to leads, I would quote the customer with the understanding that you didn't set the final price, but should be about $_____. I always took the average margin for that product, added a few points to it, and quoted the customer. That way, the rep makes a bit more than normal, and he can always come down if necessary (as opposed to trying to raise the price). If the rep got upset, I would pass the lead to another distributor or another rep. You can't wait for slow reps, you have to sell your products....
B.M. Sales Guy
Distributors and Manufacturers
Posted 9:16 PM on 07/23/08 -
Reply to this postThank you both for your responses. I am working more towards having a better relationship with the distributors sales reps. As a matter of fact I have just set up times to take one out for coffee and another out to lunch. You are right, they have to be on your side. I do find them to be the best way to get new leads too! Thanks!
scott
pricing
Posted 4:04 PM on 04/23/09 -
Reply to this postI am in a similar situation, however if pricing becomes part of the conversation I simply quote Retail or MSRP and explain that working with a local dealer/distributor/integrator the customer should expect to see a discount from the quoted price. This way they have in their mind a "not to exceed price" for product and can factor this into their budget.
B.M. Sales Guy
work from home = distraction!
Posted 3:45 PM on 07/15/08 -
Reply to this post
I'm new to sales. I've worked for my company for 8 months now. My office is based out of my home and I travel a lot to see clients. The amount of time spent away from my office depends on how many prospects I can get, which is for another time. My question is for those who work from home. How do you stay focused and be productive with so many distractions in a setting such as a home office? What are some of the strategies you have applied to be more productive and get more prospects and more work done? Thanks.
David in Dayton
work from home = distraction!
Posted 6:31 AM on 07/18/08 -
Reply to this postIt may sound very simple, but when I was working from home a few years ago, I would close the door to my home office and put a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door. My wife and son understood the importance of letting me work while "At Work". I also scheduled my non-client tasks to happen in the late evening when my son was in bed so as not to take away from his time. I still do some consulting work from home and it still works well for me.
TF Sales Manager
Home Office
Posted 10:22 AM on 07/22/08 -
Reply to this postYou have to treat your home office in the same way you would an office in your corporate headquarters. It needs to be removed from the area of the home where regular day to day living goes on and it needs to have a door on it so that you can have your separate space. This not only gives others in the house the idea that you are away from them but also keeps you from being distracted by things going on. You also need to make sure that you keep regular hours just as if you were going into a corporate office. Even when I am working in my home office for the day I get up and dress the same as I would if I were spending the day in my corporate office.
Hope these ideas help.
Steve Chav
Speech Stumbles
Posted 12:21 PM on 07/15/08 -
Reply to this post
Does anybody else have this problem? Let me explain my situation first; I work as a Mortgage Planner and I am a trust worthy guy, good looking, and I always get the job done which are very good qualities to have and people recognize it once they start working with me, but my problem lies with my speech. It's very difficult to get new clients because when I start to present my product I always start to stutter, say ugh too much, pause, etc... and it comes off like i'm uneducated. I started reading more, at least a book a month but I just cant get the confidence I need to give good presentations. What should I do?
Jordan Thieme
Toastmasters
Posted 9:19 AM on 07/17/08 -
Reply to this postThe best thing that you can do to help yourself is to go to your local toastmasters. I am sure that there is one in your area. This will put you into an environment where there are people just like you that can help you to become a MUCH better speaker. I am in it myself and have noticed a huge difference in my confidence and quality of my speaking. Go to toastmasters.org and search for a nearby location.
