Tuesday, 09 Feb 2010
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What was your sales organizations performance against sales goals for the 12 months of 2010?
 
Sales Focus International
Sales Strategy Mistakes to Avoid in 2010 PDF Print E-mail
“All sales failures result from executing the wrong strategy, or from executing the right strategy the wrong way."

 

It’s a point that is not hard to argue. And if the idea is unsettling, it’s because all of us are capable of making mistakes. Little mistakes are OK—we’ll recover. But big, fat, strategic mistakes—the kind that cost millions of dollars? No thanks. I'd rather not repeat an error.

There are many organizations who's sales strategies have not gone to plan in 2009 or were in fact the wrong plan and are now looking at 2010 with a degree of concern about whether they got it right this time. Even more alarming is the fact that many organizations do not actually have a sales strategy as they move into the new year; they will just continue to battle on the war front everyday overly reliant on product quality and service to pull them through.

The market is fluid and although tactical changes may have been made - is this really going to make the difference in the year ahead. 

In lessons learnt in sales strategy, what we do know is the problem can be split into two:
Last Updated on Thursday, 31 December 2009 13:19
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Smart Management: Is your Sales Strategy in Need of a Change? PDF Print E-mail

 

During the GFC there has been a significant sorting of players in the market and many companies have left the playing field for good. The ones that remain have endured radical behavior from their competitors with unrealistic price cuts, offers and acts of desperation as they attempt to hold sales in a collapsing market. Some of those competitors were unable to sustain the supply chain to their customers and have opened the door again for new suppliers to approach the customers. Others have won the customer on price and the focus of their team is all about price.

Customers have become very wise over the past 12-24 months. They have learnt to question sales people's representations, look deeper into offers and above all, not fall for the gimmicks and tactics that were used in the past during good times. They are looking across a much broader group of criteria when selecting suppliers and certainly that process has been applied to existing suppliers. Customers no longer have the luxury of surplus funds or decisions based on relationships. They seek hard business cases and facts to ensure they conduct business with the best supplier for their requirements.
Last Updated on Thursday, 31 December 2009 10:24
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12 Qualities of a Successful Sales Leader PDF Print E-mail

 

The 12 Qualities of a Successful Sales Leader

Recent research suggests that the average tenure of a Chief Sales Officer is about 24 months. Why the rapid turnover? In today’s tough market, CEOs demand a return to growth and change. If the sales leader can’t manage change, CEOs change management.

A good economy and business model make all sales leaders look very smart. But with success comes arrogance and reluctance to change. What many sales leaders fail to realize is that, while they run the engine in front of the train, there is a second engine in the back that is pushing the train forward. That second engine is the economy. In good times, the engine pushing in the back makes the leader look and feel good. Arrogant leaders often believe that it is their own steam that creates the forward momentum. When the economy shrinks or when the business model falters, the back engine quits pushing. That is the moment of truth in which the true sales leader will create more steam to move the train forward while poor sales leaders get stuck and get the boot.
Last Updated on Thursday, 14 January 2010 06:17
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