Feed Editor Lite 17 Jul 2007 21:26:17 GMT Advice on hiring, terminating, managing, coaching, and training salespeople. http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles.shtml en When coaching your salespeople through the sales process, there are certain questions that you need to consistently ask them. They really need to have a guideline for their qualifying process. Reinforcing the importance of qualifying the buyer and how to do it over time will help them to ask better questions at the front end of the sales process and qualify more effectively. I’ve listed five questions that you should ask your salespeople about each new opportunity. The more you do this, the more they’ll know that they need to be prepared - because they know you’re going to ask. 16 May 2008 14:15:35 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_fivequalifyingquestions.shtml Salespeople must be held accountable for their results. This is a fact of Sales Management. 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. 15 May 2008 21:19:11 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_difficultconversations.shtml Part 6 of 6. The Pure Growth Sales Manager is a Sales Manager that is managing a growing productive sales team. This typically includes growing both sales volume and headcount. The ultimate goal is to add more salespeople to achieve consistently higher and higher sales quotas by selling into new or expanding markets and penetrating deeper into existing markets with new products. 14 May 2008 21:16:34 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_whatTypepart6.shtml Part 5 of 6. The Maintenance Sales Manager is one where the Sales Manager is in a support role of a mature sales force. On the surface, this can appear to be the easiest of the six types. In some ways, it is. The mature salespeople have established accounts with a solid customer base and sales quotas are consistently met. Usually new accounts arrive through an established presence by the company’s experienced reps that have far reaching personal networks. 13 May 2008 21:15:17 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_whatTypepart5.shtml Part 4 of 6. The Turnaround Sales Manager is one that is called in to rescue an organization that is about to go under due to a lack of sales. This is the most extreme form of the six Sales Management roles because the company will have to file bankruptcy if it is not fixed quickly. 12 May 2008 21:11:30 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_whatTypepart4.shtml Part 3 of 6. The Reconstruction Sales Manager is one that inherits a poor performing sales team and reforms it for success. They must reconstruct the sales team to make it function properly in order to meet the specific sales objectives. The existing processes and systems are outdated, ineffective or don’t exist. 9 May 2008 21:08:43 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_whatTypepart3.shtml Part 2 of 6. The Start-Up Sales Manager creates a new sales team from scratch at the beginning of a new company or division. There are no preexisting processes, resources, salespeople or sales culture. Everything must be created new. Don’t get this one confused with the Selling Sales Manager who must start-up a new sales office, sell and eventually manage others. 8 May 2008 21:06:58 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_whatType2.shtml To achieve better results from your salespeople, getting out in the field with them and observing them is critical. No NFL football coach would ever consider sending his team onto the field without his being right there on the sidelines – observing their every move. 30 Nov 2007 14:33:31 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_playing.shtml When coaching your salespeople through the sales process, there are certain questions that you need to consistently ask them. They really need to have a guideline for their qualifying process. Reinforcing the importance of qualifying the buyer and how to do it over time will help them to ask better questions at the front end of the sales process and qualify more effectively. 29 Nov 2007 15:07:05 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_fivequalifyingquestions.shtml Before I got married, the most consistent piece of advice for me and my fiancée was, “You must have trust”. Nobody told me how to get trust – only that I had to have it. They didn’t tell me why I needed trust – only that it was necessary to build a successful marriage. Sales leaders say the same about motivation: To be successful in sales, motivation must be present. 28 Nov 2007 14:35:38 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_motivated.shtml 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... 19 Nov 2007 19:45:48 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_erode.shtml The job of a sales manager is one of the toughest occupations in the world. Just as with any job, part of success is skill and knowledge and part of it is the internal components of the individual. Sales managers fail for many different reasons, and if you are a sales manager or VP, ask yourself if any of these issues have ever caused problems for you or others you know. 20 Nov 2007 19:12:38 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_top6.shtml There are over 1000 assessment devices on the market today. Most of the well-known tools, like Myers-Briggs for instance, provide an accurate picture of the test-taker's behavior. Some call it "personality." The problem that misleads decision makers is the fact that, while a behavior or personality profile may correctly assess whether someone is outgoing or shy, it doesn't describe that person's ability to perform. 21 Nov 2007 19:10:33 GMT How much compensation is too much? What is not enough? Here are several principles for creating a compensation plan. 22 Nov 2007 19:08:37 GMT Tactical salespeople go after the quick sale, usually low volume, low margin sales… the easy ones. Strategic salespeople go after the more complex sales: Those that can take longer, are more difficult to navigate through, but yield much greater results. 23 Nov 2007 18:57:56 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_tactical_vs_strategic.shtml Part 1 of 6. Knowing the different types of Sales Management roles and identifying which type you are can significantly enhance your performance as well as focus your daily activities on achieving specific sales team objectives. Part 1 deals with Selling sales managers. 26 Nov 2007 18:54:40 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_whatType.shtml How many times have you hired a salesperson and they didn’t perform to your expectations? You thought you were hiring a "Million-Dollar Producer" and what you actually hired was a non-performer who couldn’t meet their sales quota. Be aware that poor performers come in all shapes and sizes and typically look great during the interview phase. Here are a few "Million-Dollar Producers" to watch out for... 24 Oct 2007 22:22:04 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_myth.shtml Just like doctors evaluate and analyze a patient’s symptoms before giving a diagnosis, sales leaders must evaluate the underlying issues causing the performance problem before making a termination decision. Here are a few questions to ask yourself if you believe termination is the only way out. 24 Oct 2007 22:18:34 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_wontSell.shtml For every individual poor performer, there is a reason. The source of the problem may not be what you think it is. There are three basic sources for poor performance. Without knowing which one it is, you may end up making the wrong decision when it comes to termination. 24 Oct 2007 22:03:11 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_SalvagePI.shtml Part II covers one of most often overlooked reasons for a salesperson’s outward display of lackluster activity: The Sales Manager. As a sales manager, you play a vital role in your sales team’s success — namely how you create the right environment for them. 16 Oct 2007 21:42:38 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_SalvagePII.shtml The sales organization itself can be the source of the salesperson’s lack of motivation. How is that possible? The culture may not facilitate the opportunity for salespeople to perform well. 9 Oct 2007 22:05:44 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_SalvagePIII.shtml There are many factors to consider before terminating a poorly performing salesperson. Ask yourself these questions before letting a salesperson go. 2 Oct 2007 21:40:41 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_6questions.shtml It appears that the talent pool in sales is shrinking and at the same time the demand for good salespeople is growing. Therefore, just as good salespeople must continually prospect for more customers; good companies must continually prospect for good salespeople. 25 Sep 2007 20:58:04 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_prospectingforSalespeople.shtml 97DF26AF-4E37-47F1-9638-5C123D0DD93A As a sales manager, you follow a similar pattern to a couple really not suited for each other. After sifting through endless stacks of sales resumes, you find a promising solution. You interview the sales candidate who has high energy, strong personality, excellent prospecting and closing skills. You fall in love. 18 Sep 2007 20:52:02 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_FallinLove.shtml 02E735BF-FFD5-4AE3-9FAB-CD4293CD55EB What happens if you find a sales candidate who has an excellent résumé, great sales experience and interviews very well; yet they see the attributes most Sales Managers consider to be important with the same level of clarity and focus you saw your worst subject in high school? Yes, they will probably fail. 11 Sep 2007 20:44:55 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_cantsee.shtml 81F95A78-4F1E-4499-AE65-4FDAC1778D0F Unfortunately, the interview process is stacked in the favor of the sales candidate. When you ask a question, you set the stage for the sales candidate to provide the best possible picture of himself. To counter this, sales leaders need a way to stack the hiring deck in their favor. 4 Sep 2007 20:24:14 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_Beyond.shtml A6B07E18-DA6A-4A3F-AE36-F03537019F8F OK, you find a sales candidate and then it happens: You decide this is the one. Don’t laugh, but you really do fall in love with their warm, charismatic personality, engaging smile and poised, direct demeanor. Everything about them is just what you want. 6 months later... 28 Aug 2007 20:17:10 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_LoveStinks.shtml F2D0DEDD-4FD3-400B-A68D-CB0919A55646 Shouldn’t hiring a recruiter save you time, money, and energy? Shouldn’t the risk of a candidate’s failure decrease? Shouldn’t the process be more objective and less guesswork? 21 Aug 2007 21:39:41 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_oldschool.shtml 409A8469-D7A1-4DB0-A6BD-F4C34447E712 People call me everyday looking for the silver-bullet for hiring good salespeople. However, they fail to realize the specific nature of the sales role for which they are hiring. A salesperson may perform exceedingly well in one type of sales role and fail miserably in another. 14 Aug 2007 21:38:52 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_notthesame.shtml E97331C2-A241-4E6E-87A7-7F0430417990 When I began my career as a sales consultant, my clients would have four or five qualified candidates for one sales job. We would assess all of them and help our client pick the best one. Today, the scenario is reversed. I typically see one top candidate with five job offers. Times have changed. If you think you can sit back and wait for premium sales talent to come begging at your door for a job – think again. 7 Aug 2007 21:36:09 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_changingtimes.shtml 3AE60E1B-FF1B-49CB-A093-B3C7A438143F After working with hundreds of sales managers over the years, I’ve found that many of them have rather vague ideas about what they want in a salesperson. They’re not entirely clear on the specific requirements necessary to be successful in a sales role in their organization. Many times this prevents them from hiring the right sales candidate. To fix this problem, you can perform some simple due diligence before you begin the hiring process. 17 Jul 2007 21:26:17 GMT http://www.resolutionsystemsinc.com/articles_clarify.shtml