Chris is concerned about his sales team. They are active, they are selling, and sales are up but margins are way down. The business model allows reps to be flexible in the field and sell at the prices they feel appropriate. But something is missing, and Chris is unsure how to help his field reps get more margin. He doesn't want to kill the ability of his reps to set pricing in the field, but doesn't know what information they need in order to be better at the task.
Rob had enough of the constant scrambling he did last year, so he has decided that this coming year he will focus on the resolve, the commitment, and the consistency required to be the pro that he knows he can be. Besides his business plan, he needs a personal roadmap that will guide him to the results he wants in the New Year. This is driven by his dream, goal, and plan.
2020 vision, a term that meant something very positive as I was growing up, conjures up an entirely different thought as this year concludes. Normally 2020 vision means your eyesight is excellent with no need for corrective lenses or surgical procedures to see the world around you as it actually exists. After all that happened, I offer that 2020 vision is what we all should have developed as we endured the challenges of this year. All of us have been forced to keep our spirits high, our motivation positive and our commitment strong as the Covid 19 pandemic threw a fast ball, a curve ball, and a knuckleball at us this past March. 2020 gave us all a chance to see how tough you had to be when you had to be tough.
If you joined us on Friday, Dec. 11 or had something come up, thank you for your interest in our webinar "Kill It or Close It" presented with Turner Time Management. We are happy to partner with Steve Turner, owner of TTM, as he provides excellent technology time-saving tips and tricks to those he works with. Please be sure to visit his website and learn more about what Steve does.
The pandemic is not necessarily a negative impact event, particularly if you are looking for quality sales talent to add to or upgrade your sales team. With many employers downsizing or “smart-sizing” during the Covid impacted economy, there are quality professionals looking for new places to go to work. Bad things happen to good people, and that is particularly true as we head into the new year as some people have been caught in circumstances beyond their control and find themselves suddenly unemployed. Now just might be the right time to start hiring, but it is not the right time to hire poorly and just add bodies to the roster.
After a busy Monday morning, Corinne was getting hungry and decided to head to lunch. She and a couple of the other salespeople sat down at the diner close to the office and talked shop over their meals. When the check arrived, Corinne opened her wallet and discovered she was a few dollars short of her part of the tab and tip. Someone covered for her, but Corinne started thinking about how often she felt like her commission earnings left her struggling to pay her bills. On her first call that afternoon, the prospect sensed that Corinne was a bit desperate and took advantage of the situation by demanding a deep discount on the order he was dangling in front of her. All Corinne could think about was her experience at lunch a couple of hours earlier, so despite the fact that this sale wasn’t going to pay her very much, she caved in and accepted the deal. Getting a little commission sure beats getting no commission, she thought, and so throughout the rest of week, Corinne found herself accepting weak deals from anyone she tried to sell to. She knew her sales manager wanted better margins, but she was so afraid of not making rent that his message had no impact on her.
Yes, you read that right. Ditch the To Do List in 2021. Seriously, those anchors of personal productivity are more trouble than they are worth. The intentions are all good, and the trusty old To Do List is better than nothing, but honestly, they are not worth the hundreds of tablets you have them written on. Do yourself a favor and stop creating To Do Lists.
We know you know the end of 2020 is near. Just a few short weeks to close deals, win or lose, and set yourself up for a great start in 2021. Yet, what if you need some help with the steps to move those wavering decision makers and string-along accounts to a close?
Pierre’s first year in sales flew by faster than he realized. When he started in mid-January Pierre learned that sales success required more than a big smile, a firm handshake and a glossy brochure. What Pierre did not learn is what else he needed to learn to be consistently producing at the rate of the high performers in his company. What grew even more aggravating for Pierre was that now 10 years into his career he still had not learned what he needed to do to become a sales leader. Yes, Pierre was selling more, but no, Pierre still felt like there was lots more he could be selling with all his experience.
