Many sales managers tell me that their salespeople don't meet their expectations. The sales manager pleads, begs and even threatens, but the salesperson just goes through the motions of selling and following through on proposals and sales calls. He or she never really engages in their jobs or careers. The sales manager simply doesn't inspire confidence, credibility or have a firm grip on the performance of their sales team.

I could give you a long list of reasons why sales managers lack respect from their sales team and why their credibility is shot. However, I want to focus on the one problem that I see quite often. The quickest way for a sales manager to lose credibility with their sales team members is their lack of taking decisive action when dealing with poor sales performers.

Too many sales managers, for myriad reasons, fail to address the issues associated with a poor sales performer. They talk about them with other people or managers. They listen to excuses month after month. The sales manager may think changing the salesperson's compensation plan might help or even providing a new territory or product will fix the problem.

Instead, what really happens is the salesperson in questions monopolizes the sales manager's time and energy while the other salespeople shake their heads and shrug their shoulders each night as they go home and download to their spouse. They can't figure out why their co-worker isn't pulling his or her own weight and why the sales manager isn't doing anything about it.

Allowing poor performers to hang out too long simply reinforces poor performance. If no accountability is in place, then why should the poor sales performer step up and make an effort? Empty promises and hollow threats from the sales manager don't mean a thing. The salesperson still collects a paycheck and the rest of the team gets more and more frustrated with the lack of decisive action.

If you have a salesperson that isn't performing, it's your responsibility to take action to find out why and work to resolve it.

Here are just a few reasons why your salesperson is not performing:

* Insufficient product training
* Lack of effective sales training
* Micromanaging sales manager
* Lack of leadership in the company
* Poor sales hire - they're not "wired" for the job
* You inherited a poor sales performer when you started as sales manager
* And many, many more...

I'm an advocate for always attempting to first find the source of the lackluster performance and fixing it, if possible. However, if you haven't discovered it through diligent analysis, then your options are reduced to either moving the salesperson to another position in the company or removing them completely.

In either case, your attention to this serious problem is desperately needed on the part of the sales team. It cannot function as a sales team unless you build the confidence of the members that you're right for the job. You must prove that you will make decisions that are in the best interest of the team and have a strong desire to create an environment of success for everyone.

Remember, the viability of your sales team rests on your shoulders. Don't let them down.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barrett_Riddleberger

Have you read all the articles predicting the end of the recession? The front cover of Newsweek announced the recession is over - but the recovery will be tough? Economist do believe the fundamentals of a deep recession are behind us. So what's next?

Everyone is anticipating the winners and losers just like the handicappers at the horse racing track. Which industries will rebound first, which ones are on the verge of failing forever? You could take the crystal ball approach and wish for things to turn for you or you could take steps to get out of the tunnel and back into the light. It is all about the perspective you have - half-full, or half-empty.

Right now your competitors and most businesses are tunnel visioned on today. Cut expenses further, hold off on hiring, perhaps still considering cutting staff to get through the storm with a skeleton crew. Making today's numbers is vital to your survival as a business but if you put all your eggs in "today's" basket, you'll lose tomorrow. Here are some simple reminders to make sure your fourth quarter and 2010 are brighter than they may appear today.

1. Dig Deeper - Review your active customer list from first quarter. What is your action plan to renew, up sell or get referrals from these clients? Have you done a gut check with them to see what's changed since they did business with you in the winter months? Given the current business climate I'll bet a lot has changed...don't wait for another vendor to get in there with fresh ideas.

2. Have a plan - have a plan for all - Develop a written sales plan for your team. Go off site or lock the door and have a meeting (make it interactive and fun not a lecture) and set goals, timelines and an achievable action plan to make your numbers through 2010 with input from your team. Include milestones you can check in on your progress and incentives to reward your team for their efforts. It is most critical to get their buy-in and participation in this process.

3. Tune It Up - Freshen up your sales materials and presentations. If you are using the same template and ideas from three years ago...guess what...you WILL be outsold in this "new economy". Adapt, consolidate. Find out what works for retaining and up selling your best customers and use these best practices to win over new customers or those you haven't engaged in awhile.

4. Get Visable - be known - Get out in the field. Set aggressive benchmarks for your sellers and management to see your top customers and your active target accounts. Nothing beats a face to face meeting with a client to uncover objections, finding out what your competitors, are doing identify new opportunities , and how to complete the sale that may be "stuck". Things are changing too fast for a quick e-mail or phone call "to touch base" to count as a true customer interaction.

5. Go Richer - Go deeper - set a goal to improve the number and level of contacts in your customer's organization. This is preventative insurance against an aggressive competitor, pricing wars and sales turnover. If three or more individuals in your organization are actively engaged with three or more at your customer's you have a much greater chance or retaining and growing that client.

6. Be Ahead of the Game -Budget season - everyone is gulping and getting ready to fire up Excel and engage their advisors on planning for 2010. Get in front of your customers and ask for feedback on what they are expecting and how it will impact your working relationship. Don't wait some companies are already well underway in their planning for next year.

7. Be In Touch - Non-"ask for the sale" contacts. Time and time again companies may do business with a seller but not have "a connection". The theme I hear over and over is "they only call to ask for business or when they have a special offer to sell me". Businesses want value...they want a relationship...they want a partner to help them through what is likely the toughest selling environment they have EVER seen. Birthdays, anniversaries, thank you cards, holiday gifts count. These little touch points let your customer know you care about them not just the order.

8. Be Focused on your "hedgehog" - Cut your losses....too many businesses in an effort to make up sales are expanding their offerings, bundles in a "paintball approach" to winning over clients. If something is unprofitable and not a core business for you - get out. Focus your precious time and resources where you can be #1 or #2 and make every waking moment count towards that. Focus wins every time and the good news is it might be easier than you think as your competition is reeling and distracted trying to make "today". Doing what you are best at doing - and doing it over and over again - is mining your hedgehog.

So if you feel like the darkness is closing in and the light is slipping further away...step away from the daily billing goals, this week's leads, the % you are behind last year and focus on these steps to not only impact today's business by tomorrow's , next month and next year.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Austin

I received a call from a Sales Director recently who told me that his Sales Managers fail to hold their salespeople accountable. He said: "My Sales Managers are too soft on their salespeople 95% of the time and too hard on them 5% of the time." He went on to explain that when attempting to hold their salespeople accountable, the Sales Managers "soft sell" the conversation.

They don't firmly communicate the facts about the salespersons actions or the reality of the pending consequences. On the other hand, when the Sales Manager lets the poor performance go on too long, they allow their emotions to build up, eventually exploding and then losing control in front of the salesperson. Neither scenario is effective.

Fear has a nasty way of controlling even the most well intentioned Sales Managers. Although many may not want to admit it, fear of not being liked, rejection, or being talked about behind their backs by their sales team is a fate worth avoiding at all costs.

How does a Sales Manager effectively hold salespeople accountable? Here are five things you can do to aid you in having difficult conversations focused on accountability.

Clearly Define Expectations - You cannot hold someone accountable unless they know and understand the expectations by which they will be measured. Defining expectations means the salesperson knows what it means to be successful or not. When they know what's expected of them, then you simply point to the expectations as the standard when they fail. This way, you remove the emotion from the situation and can stick to the facts. This removes the fear of "attacking" someone. Instead, it measures their performance against a pre-set standard.

Focus on the Issue - You may be fearful of coming across as too harsh or overbearing. Here's an easy tips: Be easy on the person but firm on the issue. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in an emotionally charged situation or feel you must defend your position. Just stick to the issue - failure to meet quota, lack of prospecting effort, poorly qualified pipeline, insufficient follow-up, etc. Don't be afraid of what they might say - just focus on their activities and how you can help them redirect their actions toward more productive means.

Connect Behaviors with Outcomes - Sometimes, the salesperson may not know that they are engaged in unproductive activities. Help the salesperson see the "effect" of their actions. Good behaviors drive positive results, and bad behaviors drive negative results. Your salespeople need their sales coach to open their perceptions to the impact their actions make on their performance as well as the teams. For example, If they continually fail to qualify buyers, then help them connect that to why they have low closing ratios and unproductive sales calls.

Control Personal Neediness - As a Sales Manager, you must control your impulse to be liked. Stay conscious and "mentally present". You must have that conversation with yourself that keeps you focused on speaking truth, staying in control and managing your emotions. Don't let negative thoughts permeate your mind and erode your responsibility to maintain performance within your sales team. Remember, you control your mind - not the other way around.

Do Your Job - In the end, it's your job responsibility to meet a sales quota. If your salespeople are not meeting their individual quotas, it's ultimately your fault - whether it was a bad hire, ineffective training, or poor management. The buck stops with you. If you inherited a poor performer, then you have to exercise your authority to either attempt to fix the situation through development or terminate them. Again, either way, it's your job.

Salespeople must be held accountable for their results. This is a fact of Sales Management. Ideally, you'd like for them to do it themselves... absolving you of that unenviable responsibility. In a perfect world, that would be an option. However, that's not reality. What helps is hiring good salespeople with good products and services to sell. Also, managing and leading them well is an asset. In the end, how you handle that difficult conversation is entirely up to you. Hopefully, you'll see that you can do it and can garner even more respect when you do it well.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barrett_Riddleberger

Keeping your sales force motivated is one of the biggest challenges facing sales managers today. This is becoming even more difficult as more corporations push their sales people to stay in the field longer, often times working from their mobile office, i.e. the car. Here are 5 quick tips to help you keep your people motivated while they're out on the road.

1.) Offer an incentive which helps keep them focuses, while helping you monitor production. One idea that works well is to hold an ongoing short term (2-3 weeks) contest. Ask your sales reps to grab a business card at every client's office they visit. Have them write their name on the back of the card and then toss all the cards into a large fishbowl back at the office. Pick a winner based on the highest number of new cards, and reward the winner with a new mobile office tool. Such as a new laptop bag, laser mouse, portable laptop desk, or anything that will make their life easier and more productive while on the road.

2.) Ask for frequent group communication in the form of telephone "huddles". A big de-motivator for mobile sales people is the lack of feedback and communication from their peers. A regularly scheduled group huddle is a great time for them to share stories on what's working, recent sales, and also a great time for you to communicate anything needed from management. Keep these calls to 15-20 minutes at the most, or you'll create tension by taking them away from an already hectic schedule.

3.) Ride with your reps on a scheduled basis. Managers seem to love the "surprise pop-in", while sales people loath it. And that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't working as hard, it just means they want the respect of a scheduled appointment, just as they offer to their clients. Invite yourself to ride with a rep at least two days in advance, and let them know that you're intentions are to just catch up and see how things are going in the field. Make this a positive interaction, and you'll be invited back as a wing-man sooner than you'd think.

4.) Answer your cell phone, enthusiastically. You would not believe how motivating that can actually be. With a mobile sales force they often don't call unless they need something. And when they need it, they're typically in a hurry. Try to answer their calls, provide quick solutions to what they're asking about, and be very mindful to never act as though they're interrupting you. This may seem like Management 101, but this is a problem area for many sales managers.

5.) Offer information to help your team become more successful while working from their car. The mobile office can be a challenging environment on many fronts. Cluttered seats, stiff back, dead batteries, and spilled coffee; the perils are endless for the mobile pro. Help your team adapt to the environment by providing them the essential tools, along with the tips needed to make the most of their day. The last thing you want is them driving from one coffee shop to another, just trying to find a comfortable chair!



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Litzkow