Upping the Numbers

During challenging times, you can expect the competition to be targeting your good customers. So it is important that you take the necessary steps to super-charge your sales team. “This is the time for companies and their salespeople to re-evaluate everything that they are doing, to get rid of fat, and to take care of their key customers,” says John Treace, business turnaround specialist and author of Nuts and Bolts Sales Management: How to Build a High Velocity Sales Organization (Emerald Book Co.; $19.95).

He further notes that what we are going through now is really no different than what the country was going through in the ’70s, although it has lasted longer. “When there is an economic downturn, it forces marginal producers, those people who really aren’t that good, to find another job,” say Treace. “High performers will continue to work hard.”

There are several strategies managers can employ without increasing the expense budget, such as making sure your sales team is well-read. Effective salespeople are constantly reading at least one good sales book a year, he says. “For every good book they read they will pick up at least one good tip or concept to use for the rest of their careers.” Here are five other suggested plays that aren’t always obvious.

Review your sales process.

This is everything from the samples and presentation a salesperson uses to the way the company processes and delivers the end product or service. “The first thing a company can do to impact its bottom line is to review the whole sales process from A-to-Z and to make sure that it is streamlined.”

Relieve unnecessary paperwork.
Eliminate paperwork and tasks that don’t directly contribute to a sale. “For instance, at one company I ran, salespeople were required to collect past due accounts,” explains Treace. “Upon review, I discovered that they spent 10% of their time on this task instead of selling, so I hired outside people to handle accounts receivable.” The increase in sales far offset the additional cost of the three new hires, he adds.

(Continued on next page)

Align compensation with company goals.
For salespeople, the sky should be the limit on their earnings income. The compensation package should be a set percent of sales, whether it is $10 or $1 million. Don’t let envy get in the way. “The president of the company should not be concerned if a salesperson makes more money than him or her,” says Treace.

Hold powerful sales meetings.
It’s not important to have a rah-rah sales meeting. The goal is to provide information that

will help produce sales. “High-performing salespeople will be sitting there thinking, ‘Is this making me money or is this wasting my time?’” Treace explains. Be sure to write a strategic statement of intent for each meeting. Treace also highly recommends bringing in customers to explain to your sales force why a particular product is great compared to its competitors.

Implement a strong rewards program.
For it to be effective the award criteria should be announced early in the year. The criteria should be perceived by the sales force as reachable and there cannot be favoritism (family or friends) injected into it.