A Sales Compass – A Blog by B2B Sales Connections

Although there are many out there who promise they have found it, there really is no magic bullet for lead generation.  When you get right down to it, the best marketing automation tools are the ones that put you in the right place at the right time, that being when the prospect is most likely to buy. 

Studies have shown that 2 of 3 sales are made to prospects who have said “no” not once, but 5 times!  In fact, someone has to hear your company name at least 3 times before it even registers.  One very successful sales rep stated he must leave an average of seven to ten voice mails before his messages are returned. (more…)

Great question!  In fact, this subject has been debated among sales managers for years, and will continue to be for many years to come.  The reason is that there are as many ways to distribute B2B sales assignments as there are sales managers!

The best way to distribute your b2b sales assignments is situation specific.  It really depends on the products or services that your company sells, the geography that you cover, the type of customer base you have, and the job description of your sales representatives. (more…)

Many sales managers often ask themselves what they should do with their non producing sales respresentatives.  Is it time to sever the employer – employee relationship and let them go?

To answer that question you first need to ask yourself if the non performing sales rep knows what needs to be done to be successful.  Does he really know how many calls it takes to make quota?  If not, have him download our Goal Setting and Action Planning Tool from the B2B Sales Connections Free Download Centre.

If the answer is yes, they know what to do, then the second question you need to ask is if they know how.  If they don’t know the proper way to make a sales call, show them.  That’s your job as sales manager!

However, if they do know how to sell, and you know that because you have witnessed their skills first hand, then ask yourself one last question.  Do they want to?  Simply put, are they willing to do what it takes to be a successful sales person at your company?  If you get to this last question and the answer is no, there is not much more you can do.

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A task.fm website visitor recently asked me to how can you increase the productivity of your sales team.  As it is a question I receive regularly, I thought I would share my answer here.

The best thing a sales manager can do to increase the sales productivity of their sales team is to show them the difference between being busy and being effective.  Just making more sales calls will not make a sales representative more productive, but making more of the right type of calls at the right time will.  It may be an old cliché, but you just need to teach your team to work smarter, not harder.

For example, I was working with a sales representative who was a cold calling buzz saw.  From morning until night, he would bang on doors, rarely stopping to even eat.  Was he busy?  You bet!  Effective?  Not even close!  In fact, this sales rep was on the verge of dismissal for lack of sales production.  (more…)

I was recently asked by task.fm to answer a question received by one of their website visitors.  The question was:  Can eliminating sales quotas increase profits?  It’s an excellent question, so I thought I would share my answer here.

Can eliminating sales quotas increase profits? 

Absolutely not!   It simply won’t work in a performance based career.  In fact, eliminating quotas would have the exact opposite effect on profits, in much the same way that guaranteeing a sales person a job for life without asking them to produce any sales would be.      (more…)

Successful sales managers understand they will be more successful when they work through and with other people, namely their sales team. They are confident with their personal selling abilities, but they also know that they will be more successful if they teach their team to sell and make them feel good about themselves while doing so. 

In order to do this, as the sales manager, you need to check your ego at the door. You have to put your own need for recognition aside, and spend your efforts building up you team instead. (more…)

Whether you are dealing with customers or managing a sales team, if you keep saying yes to exceptions, they will become expectations.

Aim Higher!

Susan A. Enns, B2B Sales Coach from B2B Sales Connections

www.linkedin.com/in/susanenns, www.facebook.com/B2BSalesConnections, or www.twitter.com/SusanEnns

Do you spend most of your time working with the sales representatives on your team who produce the least amount of sales? If you can’t remember the last time you did a joint sales call with your top performer, you need to make some changes. (more…)

I used to work in an industry where the summer was a dead time for the sales team. The customers would shut their production down for a week or two. Contacts were on vacation and nothing moved. Then late August and early September would come and sales would start happening. This resulted in the sales people moving too fast and mistakes happening.  I effected both the sales person and the customer.

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When it comes to sales contests, it is important to communicate a sales representative’s progress towards winning. The more excitement you can generate, the better. In fact, many managers believe that the communication about the contest is more important than the prize itself. (more…)