MANAGEMENT Tips

Be a leader

LISTEN rather than LECTURE
ENCOURAGE rather than REPRESS
STIMULATE rather than DICTATE

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Getting the whole company to sell

Selling is not just for salespeople. It belongs to every employee in a company. Selling is simply a fullfillment of a customer's needs, wants or desires and that is exactly what an entire company team does each time someone buys a product or service. Since customers are the livelihood of all businesses, it is important for every employee to know the art of customer service. It doesn't matter if it is the receptionist or the person who distributes the mail, team trained companies that understand the value and courtesy of customer relationships, produce better products and service.

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Effective Leadership

To be an effective leader you need to train your people in practical techniques of organization and planning. You also need to constantly develop your own leadership qualities and ability to motivate others. Be able to give insight into the problems and needs of your sales team.

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Change

Many times we're called together for a meeting to announce new changes. Most of the time, you will hear people complain about change. Why? Mostly because of fear. What does this mean? What's next? Is this good or bad?
Once you accept the fact that everything will change at one time or another, you'll be able to handle change better. The one thing that I've learned is this: Every time something ‘changes' we grow. It may take getting used to; however, more times than not change will result in something better.

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You lead people

"You don't manage people; you manage things. You lead people." -Admiral Grace Hooper

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Who should be recognized?

There is nothing so demotivating as to have someone else take credit for the work you do. I've seen top sales people actually quit their job because their manager took the credit for their work. The key to motivating sales people to do their best is to give them credit for their successes, ideas, improvements, etc. Recognize other people for their contributions. When you copy someone else's words, strategies, actions, etc., to become more successful yourself, be sure to give credit where credit is due by recognizing the person you have learned from.

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Paperwork

Ah, we all complain about paperwork; however, let's say this out loud: “Paperwork is good.”
Why? What is paperwork? Paper work is what we do in order to manage our sales process. In the beginning we plan our strategy ‘on paper'. In the end, we sometimes turn in our orders ‘on paper'. Paperwork is record-keeping. It will show the company how much commission you've earned. When we get a commission check, we know that someone did some ‘paperwork' to get it right.

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Incentive Program

Developing sales incentives programs will give direction and inspiration to your sales force. They will work as teams, and individually, to achieve goals. When sales are down, develop some incentives. People will work harder for recognition than for money.

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Hiring Super Stars

To hire the best people for your sales position, begin by defining the skills and qualities needed to perform the job. Then design a simulation to test for these specific skills and qualities; along with a defined measurement system. Once you can measure to what extent candidates have the specific skills and qualities needed to perform, you will have a better way to evaluate and hire the people who will make the difference in your bottom line results.

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Cost of a sales call

On average, it costs $113.25 to send a representative on a sales call, according to a recent (2001)Sales & Marketing Magazine survey.

In 1988, the Wall Street Journal published an article that stated the cost of a sales call was $229.70, based upon data from the Laboratory of Advertising Performance, a division of McGraw-Hill Research.

So, as you can see, while technology may be reducing the cost of a sales call, travel to distant markets will increase the amount. Regardless, you can see that for every sales call you make, the cost is substantial. Spend your time wisely, and qualify your prospects thoroughly.

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Mentors

Many companies are beginning to use a `mentoring` process; whereby, those with more experience step up to the plate to share their knowledge and experience with others. When this is handled in a professional manner, it can be very beneficial and rewarding to several people: the person being mentored - the person mentoring - and the person who`s getting their team `tutored`! If mentoring is not handled properly though; it can generate resentment and drain morale.

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