sales-growth.net

Growing expectations - CEO Forum Group

“Strategy also starts and stops at the CEOs desk. There are a lot of
inputs into that process, of course - from the board, senior
management, and even the market - but at the end of the day, the CEO
needs to be driving that.

I have a very strong view that,
once the growth strategy has been developed, the CEO also needs to be a
Chief Sales Officer, that is communicating the message to people inside
and outside the organisation. This is not just about the fact that ‘we
are planning to grow’ - after all, everyone says that! It also has to
be about why - what’s the strategic rationale, be it diversification,
economies of scale or whatever else - and how - what are the specifics
we need to do to achieve our goals. It’s got to the point now, for
instance, that, whenever I am talking with people in our business, they
will ask me ‘what are we buying next?’ There is a very strong
expectation that we will keep growing, and the CEO is critical to
creating those expectations. Of course, all the strategies and visions
are useless if you don’t execute, so this has to be your absolute focus
as CEO.”

Wiser words were never spoken.

CEO Forum Group

Growing expectations CEO Forum Group, Australia - 9 hours ago I have a very strong view that, once the growth strategy has been developed, the CEO also needs to be a Chief Sales Officer, that is communicating the …

technorati tags:sales, process, strategy

Growing expectations - CEO Forum Group

“Strategy also starts and stops at the CEOs desk. There are a lot of
inputs into that process, of course - from the board, senior
management, and even the market - but at the end of the day, the CEO
needs to be driving that.

I have a very strong view that,
once the growth strategy has been developed, the CEO also needs to be a
Chief Sales Officer, that is communicating the message to people inside
and outside the organisation. This is not just about the fact that ‘we
are planning to grow’ - after all, everyone says that! It also has to
be about why - what’s the strategic rationale, be it diversification,
economies of scale or whatever else - and how - what are the specifics
we need to do to achieve our goals. It’s got to the point now, for
instance, that, whenever I am talking with people in our business, they
will ask me ‘what are we buying next?’ There is a very strong
expectation that we will keep growing, and the CEO is critical to
creating those expectations. Of course, all the strategies and visions
are useless if you don’t execute, so this has to be your absolute focus
as CEO.”

Wiser words were never spoken.

CEO Forum Group

Growing expectations CEO Forum Group, Australia - 9 hours ago I have a very strong view that, once the growth strategy has been developed, the CEO also needs to be a Chief Sales Officer, that is communicating the …

technorati tags:sales, process, strategy

Sales And Marketing The Six Sigma Way - WebProNews

This consultant points out an effective way to improve the sales process is to apply six sigma and lean techniques - first, map the process.  If the process can be quantified, it can be managed.

technorati tags:sales, process, value, stream, mapping, lean, six, sigma

Sales Training: Is It Worth Your While? - New York Law Journal

Sales training for lawyers.  How about that?

Even if you’re in the services business, you have to learn to sell.  And it works.

technorati tags:sales, training, lawyers

Scotland chided for its failure to build culture of salesmanship - The Herald

A lack of skilled
salesmen is stifling Scotland’s ability to reach its full
entrepreneurial potential, according to international research into new
business growth. And the
historic failure of Scotland’s education system to deliver
sales-focused education courses and training is conspiring with a
cultural failure to understand the opportunities entrepreneurship
offers.

The findings come
from the 2005 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), published
yesterday by the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at Strathclyde
University.

Just another example of how sales is skill that can be taught.

technorati tags:sales, training, scotland

Double Your Success in Sales: 10 Ways To Find More Prospects - Metro France

Have you ever wondered why some people in sales are always over quota while others seem to be always behind plan? Why are some people highly successful in sales while others aren‟t? There are plenty training programs and books on “How to close the sale”, “Negotiate to Win”, etc. So why do we see such wide variations in people‟s success in sales today? Are some sales people just naturally better closers than others? Yes, maybe. But I believe that there is something much more important going on here. In fact over the last 25 years working in sales I have seen something very different which I believe is the foundation of success in sales.

Always be Prospecting

Here’s the complete article:

Double your success

technorati tags:sales, process, lead, generation

Bryan McNamara and I are having a good conversation on how to increase sales of a commodity product here: http://toctalk.net/showthread.php?p=448&posted=1#post448

I’m working with a client that sells a commodity product - wood flooring.  It’s sold primarily through distributors to contractors.

We are working on developing a unique selling proposition, but everyone else is saying very generic things about their products - basically, we have it. It’s good stuff. We’re good people. You need to buy it!

10 Tips To Help New Reps Increase Sales - CIO Today

It sounds simplistic, and in many ways, it
is: create a digital version of a scrap of paper and have those notes
feed right into the CRM system. “You’re looking for ways to streamline
functionality and increase productivity,” says Gartner analyst Michael
Maoz. It’s particularly important to save time and ensure that the
right information is captured.

How to use that software to get the most out of your salespeople.  Good stuff.

technorati tags:Sales, process, CRM

Assessing a Competitive Sales Opportunity - Best Syndication

Best Syndication

Assessing a Competitive Sales Opportunity Best Syndication, CA - 10 hours ago … can lead to a lost opportunity, you can greatly improve your odds of closing a sale if you consistently address these five areas throughout your sales process. … Increasing Your Company’s Competitive Intelligence Best Syndication all 2 news articles

Short article on the basics of sales - evaluating a lost opportuntiy. 

Generally, it’s one of five things:

1. Did you uncover a true pain for the customer?
   
2. Did you uncover a reasonable budget for your product or service?
3. Did you really talk with the proper decision makers?
4. Was the timeframe realistic?
5. Did you establish an agreed upon value analysis?

Making a sale is not magic, but it does require preparation and work.

technorati tags:sales, process

Commission-Based Jobs: Candy for the Self-Motivated - Oak Brook Business Ledger

Man, I love this stuff.  Horatio Alger and all that.

Seriously.  If you can sell, the real money is in commission sales.

I loved the story about the retired sales guy telling his grandkid that he sold 2,250 printers to Dow Chemical.  We love to tell those kinds of stories. It’s true! 

technorati tags:sales, jobs