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Last year, a sales team at Rockwell Collins faced a rare sudden-death scenario. The aviation electronics supplier was bidding for a government contract to manufacture a particular kind of information […]

Many people associate outstanding achievement in warehousing with big-ticket technologies, such as automated storage and retrieval solutions or sophisticated warehouse management systems and the like. You won't find any high-tech, [...]

WANT TO HOLD ON TO YOUR BUDDING SUPERSTARS? Sure, you can pay'em more. Or shower them with perks galore. Or provide the motivation that makes them tick. These tactics will […]

Stepping off the elevator, you'd never know you were walking into the offices of a company that in the past two years has lost millions in revenue; reduced its head […]

It takes a lot for Ann Coombs to simply walk away from a prospect. As a corporate strategist and futurist, she makes her living by solving her clients' most vexing […]

AT OUR MONTHLY SALES MEETINGS WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THOSE who made their numbers--but even for those who didn't, we still acknowledge them for getting as close as they did. […]

When Shawn Riegsecker goes out on a sales call, he knows almost immediately whether a prospect is going to take him seriously. "I can see it in their eyes as […]

As our economy remains stagnate, businesses in every industry need loyal clients today more than ever before. Unfortunately, few business owners or managers know how to effectively attract and retain […]

Some entrepreneurs love to take matters into their own hands when it comes to selling face-to-face. Others choose to delegate selling authority--and in so doing, they cheat their businesses out [...]

How often have you taken part in or overheard conversations that touch on the weighty issue of loan officer productivity? This concern for both lenders and managers has not diminished [...]

Five important business routines--team meetings, weekly check-ins, joint calls, coaching, and strategic call plan and call report reviews--plus prospecting 'acquisition rhythms,' customer retention, and cross solving elevate a sales culture [...]

The sales of financial services is examined. The benefits of transactional and transformational sales management styles are evaluated.

The techniques utilized in social interaction between customers and service employees are more important than the time spent in social interaction to influence the return of the customer.

Linda Wallace had a training problem on her hands. As vice president of global learning for FileNet, an e-commerce service provider in Costa Mesa, California, she realized that the company's […]

This study investigates several proposed relationships between consulting-oriented sales force programs and long run growth of industrial organizations. To operationalize the proposed model, the work introduces twenty-two new measures of consulting-oriented sales programs. Relationships are tested using a sample of industrial sales managers and corresponding, longitudinal firm performance data. Initial consulting-oriented sales training is the strongest influence on firm performance. Evidence suggests combining this training with consulting-oriented ongoing training, evaluation, and compensation programs., Introduction As Cespedes (1995) notes, despite the intensifying rate of improvement on most manufacturing performance indices, overall competitiveness measures for manufacturing firms declined because key competitive factors are shifting into [...]

You're staring at your computer monitor as the online reverse auction begins promptly at 2 p.m. The first bid, from your incumbent private label vendor, is a little higher than […]

Are you having trouble motivating your salespeople? Maybe you are not practicing good sales management techniques. To help you get the best results from your salespeople, or yourself, here are […]

One of the most amazing small aircraft is the Lear Jet.It was created by Bill Lear who was an inventor, aviator and business leader. Lear held more than 150 patents, […]

There is a terrible, terrible thing going on in business today. It might even be happening to you, in your very organization. Unfortunately, it is well intentioned ... but far […]

All salespeople suffer losses, either through the loss of a ale or an entire account to a competitor. Four things can win back a customer. 1. Visit and investigate. Contact […]

Last fall (after September 11), the Instructional Systems Association isaconnection.org surveyed its members--150 leading learning and performance consulting suppliers--to determine the impact of the economy on their businesses. The results [...]

To do justice to this subject matter, one must make reference to Arthur Miller's legendary play entitled, 'The Death of a Salesman.' To refresh your memory, Miller won a Pulitzer […]

Within the literature of sales management, researchers have explored different configurations of job characteristics, organizational commitment and job satisfaction. In this paper, we offer a new configuration that includes interactive effects of job characteristics and organizational commitment on job satisfaction. Utilizing structural equation modeling, we test our proposed model against three alternative models among expatriate, guest worker, salespeople in Saudi Arabia. The proposed model produces the best fit. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed., Introduction Models relating the differing job characteristics of salespeople to the levels of both their organizational commitment and their job satisfaction are legion in sales, marketing and management literatures (e.g., [...]

Ever wonder about closing? I mean really wonder about it? Where it came from, what makes it so important, or why it seems so hard to master? The answers might [...]

Sales management control in European organizations is evaluated. Future research issues are also provided.

YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT DOES. OUR EXCLUSIVE SURVEY REVEALS THAT HOW SALESPEOPLE LOOK--AND ACT--IS AS IMPORTANT AS EVER. HERE'S HOW TO MAKE SURE REPS AREN'T SENDING THE WRONG MESSAGE AS […]

New salespeople need some more hand-holding than veterans. Here's how to quickly turn them into top sellers Sales is a cutthroat profession. The strong make or exceed their quotas and […]

The integration of the internet into the operation of call centres is discussed. The increased use of the internet to provide customer support, the size and number of call centres and their impact on real estate business are examined.

A study focuses on the impact of the organizational level on the importance of rewards to sales managers. Little impact is identified, but six rewards that are considered important to sales managers are described.

A discussion of sales strategy for selling systems and modules is presented. Topics include an explanation of systems and modules, labor costs, packaging, selecting which systems and modules to offer, design and markup practices.

For the sales force there is a link between performance goals and pay. Quotas are an important part of this and poor quota setting can have an effect on the sales force.

Sales management is defined simply as helping direct sales representatives (DSRs) succeed. However, it is in the handling of DSRs where most of the problems occur. There is increasing agreement on the need for strong management training because, as companies have come to realize, not all good DSRs turn out to be good managers. The current approach to sales management, 'coaching,' is significant in that it implies an approach that is centered on individuals and the development of sales talent., It boils down to a simple three word challenge: helping reps succeed. But that's where the simplicity ends. A 40-ish sales rep waiting out a flight delay with colleagues over [...]

Merchandising is as important in home selling as market research, ratio calculations, planning, budgeting, advertising and promotions. Home developers have only one opportunity to make a good first impression on buyers, and and this is when customers first contact their brand, be it a sign, logo or company name. Logos, signs or company names communicate visual and mental impressions. Thus, they should all work together to create positive emotional responses from the buyer., Planning and preparation are key to successful selling. Welcome back to the fourth lesson in the Sales and Marketing series. Up to this point, we have focused our attention on [...]

Effective sales management requires that you: * Know what YOU want your salespeople to do. * Make sure THEY know what you want them to do. * TRAIN them how […]

Sales theory indicates there are only four easy steps from the beginning to the close of a sale' ATTENTION, INTEREST, DESIRE and ACTION. Each step is taken in its correct […]

One of the most difficult businesses to market is the sales agency. However, there are several things to consider that will increase what buyers would be willing to pay for. These include business planning which should be well prepared and should identify strategic buyers. Balance and diversity of customers is also important. It is also helpful to enhance contracts with principals and to make sure that modifications are properly documented.

Salesforce forecasting can be partly improved by keeping salespeople's forecasts focused on those that can make significant contribution to the firm's overall forecasting effectiveness. Such can be achieved by asking the salespeople to concentrate on customer and product combinations that need to be forecast accurately. Reducing game playing and making forecasting part of salespeople's responsibilities also help in improving salesforce forecasting.

Sales agency managers must not be afraid of making mistakes, which are an almost inevitable part of any undertaking. What managers need to endeavor to do is to gain from these mistakes by taking to heart the lessons they impart. While recklessness is not encouraged, managers must not avoid risks in the thought that this will keep them from committing mistakes. They have to continue taking risks but need to immediately recognize a mistake and try to profit from it. Once a mistake has been done and the reasons behind its occurrence understood, managers must implement corrective action to ensure that it does not recur and affect the agency's operations.

A very interesting topic for salespeople in the manufactured housing industry could be how to handle objections. This is because the ability of a salesperson to handle objections is fundamental to their success. One way of improving this ability is changing the concept of the word 'objection.' A proven process of doing this starts by listening closely to customers' comments. The second step is rephrasing negative remarks as questions.

Recognition programs don't have to be costly. The key is to be timely, creative and consistent. Have you ever received a round of applause? Or can you recall the last [...]