1. 3 x 3. Know your customers at multiple levels. You will know about them and sell more. While sales reps have key relationships with their accounts, make sure there are multiple relationships between both organizations. This is critical when a sales rep leaves and you are at risk of losing the account because only the departing rep had a relationship with the customer.2. Plan a SELLING PROCESS for marketing campaigns. Sales and marketing are NOT the same. When your marketing message “hits the street” your sales team must perform specific sales actions within a time- table to compliment the marketing message. Supercharge marketing and selling by coupling them together.3. Market in BITE-SIZE CHUNKS. Never send more marketing and lead generation materials out than sales can follow-up on timely. Scale and stager the amount and timing of marketing blasts so sales has time to call prospects before they turn cold or ensure the new materials were seen and will be used! Too often companies send promotions or lead generation pieces without working through how and when sales will follow-up.4. Sales should NOT MAKE BUYING decisions. Sales people are often paid based upon the margin they make. Too often these reps have access to and decide where your business should buy the product at a “better price” so they make the highest margin. That’s not ok. Businesses often earn rebates and credits from suppliers that are invisible to sales people. When owners allow sales to direct buying they are, very likely, losing dollars.5. Develop good FARMERS. Businesses grow more prosperous when sales farmers cultivate and constantly grow existing account share. Good farmers are always asking: a. “What else can I sell here?” b. “Who else should I be talking with here?” c. “What changes are going on in this account that may impact me?” d. “What business value can I bring today? e. “What other companies will this account give me an introduction into? Good Farmers are more than order takers.6. Find good HUNTERS. Hunting is how sales people go get new accounts. Hunters and Farmers have different skill sets and styles. The DNA for good hunters includes: a. Enjoys meeting people b. Enthusiastic c. Loves to Win d. “No” is a challenge e. Quickly assesses personalities f. High energy Hunters grow bored by the repetition of maintaining accounts and may miss critical details.7. Do PERFORMANCE REVIEWS. Sales people ARE NOT completely self-motivated. Everyone needs feedback. Sales reps can always improve. Set sales targets and performance standards and hold them accountable for meeting them. Evaluate their: a. Sales target attainment b. New customer sign-ups c. Time management d. Prospect calls made e. Sales presentation quality f. Research before the sales plan g. Objection handling h. Interactions with inside staff? Feedback shows YOU CARE AND YOU ARE WATCHING.8. OWNERS MAKE SALES CALLS. No one will have the credibility you do when talking to customers or prospects. You have more knowledge and bring legitimacy no one else can. Customers will be honored that THE OWNER came to see them. You will be one of the few to do so and that’s an advantage. If you’re “not a sales type” go with your reps. and plan ahead of time. What are you going to talk about and what’s the rep going to say? Practice and then go. You will learn a lot, believe me. After all, you started the business with an idea to provide something others wanted. Find out how that idea is working.9. CSRs ARE NOT SALES PEOPLE. Tempting as it is, customer service reps usually don’t make good inside sales people. The skill set and personality are not the same for both roles. Good CSRs are “I’ll fix it for you” people. Ask them to sell and they freeze inside. You’ve moved them from “true helper” to “hocking stuff.” If you want to grow sales from inside, then hire an inside rep with the skills and personality for it.10. DO NOT GIVE ACCOUNTS TO SALES REPS. When owners lose a sales rep and spread the open customer base to remaining reps they give those sales people a pay raise they didn’t earn. First ask, “can I make this a house account and not risk

any business?’ If yes, do it. If no, then paying another rep to keep it is worth something but not necessarily what you paid the original rep to win it. If the customer grows with the new rep then pay commission on the growth of that account. Be careful that you don’t erode the drive to have your sales team beating the bushes instead of absorbing what someone else built.

How to Manage a Successful Sales TeamThere are certain styles of management that I've often found are a good fit for sales departments. Here are four tips for managing successful sales pros.Avoid rulemaking. Great salespeople generally want freedom. They want autonomy. Compliance doesn't work for these people. The better you're able to remove the obstacles and set them up to produce those results, the more successful they will be -- and you will be. Don't ever tell them what they can't do, because they will simply focus their creativity on finding ways to overcome your rules.Become a coach. That means asking, not telling your high performers what to do. Ask them to put themselves in your shoes over a particular issue, and discuss a variety of possible options. Let them own the solution to whatever obstacle is at hand.Let them do what they do best. In order to motivate and lead salespeople effectively, you want to think about what's important to them and what drives them. If you have employees who are not great at details and writing proposals but they're great at selling, then let them sell. Find someone else to compensate in some way to support them on the detail.Give them pats on the back. You need to recognize them. Especially with top-performing salespeople, money isn't often the main driver. It's really about being respected. It's achieving and getting those results.If you adapt your management style to meet their needs, and understand the behaviors needed to do it, you'll have a lot fewer headaches. And your salespeople will thrive.

6 Effective Sales Management TechniquesSalespeople are often independent, driven and confident. And because a salesperson's job is about convincing people to do what she wants, she'll probably see through any attempt to manipulate her. As a result, salespeople are especially difficult to manage. Difficult, but not impossible. Effective sales management requires a slightly different approach from management in other departments.1. Speak plainlyMany basic management techniques are about manipulating employees into cooperating with policies that they don't necessarily like. But these management techniques are very similar to sales techniques designed to prod prospects into buying. So most salespeople will see right through manipulation tactics, which means they'll backfire on the hapless manager. Not only will the sales team not do what you want, they'll be angry with you for trying to manipulate them. The best approach in sales management, therefore, is to be upfront and honest with the sales team. You may end up doing more arguing with your salespeople, but it's better than the alternative.2. Ask for inputIf you're contemplating a policy change or a new campaign, get your team together and ask for their input. Then make it clear that you take that input seriously! The best way to do so is by using the team's suggestions, but if that isn't a possibility, explain exactly why you can't use their ideas. Showing that you respect your sales team is the first step towards getting them to respect you.3. ExplainDon't tell your team about new policies or procedures and leave it at that. When you make a change that affects the sales team – whether it's a different compensation

structure or a new order form – explain why you're making the change and why you think the new approach will work better. You can defuse a lot of resentment by showing the sales team what they have to gain by doing things in a different way.4. Be a team playerSales managers are often in a middle management position, with salespeople reporting to them and other managers or executives above them in the corporate structure. In this situation, higher levels of management often pass down policy changes to the sales manager and expect the manager to report to them as to the performance of the sales team. As the person in the middle, your role is to act as an interpreter for both sides. When the CSO sets a new policy, find out why he's chosen a new approach and pass that information along to the team. And if your team is struggling, work with them to find the cause so that you can explain the problem fairly to the executive side.5. Treat all your salespeople equallyGiven that there are a limited number of hours in the day, many sales managers focus their coaching efforts on the best and worst salespeople on the team and let the ones in the middle do their own thing. Unfortunately, this approach doesn't exactly send a positive message to the neglected salespeople. Set aside time to meet with every member of the sales team regardless of their performance.6. Give positive feedbackSalespeople tend to have two top motivators: money and recognition. You may be limited in how much money you can shower on your salespeople but there's no limit to the recognition you can provide. If a salesperson is performing well, praise her both privately and in front of the team. Any time a salesperson's performance improves markedly – even if he's not doing much better than the rest of the team – make a point of showing him that you noticed that improvement. A little positive feedback can do wonders to boost your team's morale and get them performing at an even higher level.

How to manage and motivate a sales teamHow do you motivate your sales team? There are seven key skills. I was asked recently how to motivate sales people so they reach and exceed targets, initiate new business, and persist when it’s tough. I believe there are seven key skills:

Select the right people. Clarify expectations. Provide resources. Monitor performance. Develop skills. Reward and motivate. Provide support.

SELECT THE RIGHT PEOPLEWhether on the phone, or face-to-face work, and whether large or small sales, you need to look for these winning characteristics:

Highly motivated and enthusiastic. Good presentation skills, self-confident face-to-face/speaking/written (and a

match to your approach/strategy on phone, a face-to-face or education level). Great listening skills, always calm, open. Experience – sales or product or industry – will always be helpful. Eager to learn, develop skills and be challenged. Persistent – copes with rejection, or can handle a long sales cycle if required. Competitive. Attention to detail, accuracy.

So ask a range of questions, try a role play or simulated case study and always check references. Build in a trial of one to three months to ensure a good fit – for you and them.CLARIFY EXPECTATIONS

Sales people will always operate best when they know what is expected of them. Everyone needs performance standards and measures – objective and clear – both quantitative and qualitative (for example, well-defined behaviours, standards, ethics and so on). Involve the sales team in setting goals and quotas – break down overall corporate goals into annual, monthly, weekly and even daily goals for teams and individuals.

Set realistic goals that are achievable, and improve on past performance. Daily and weekly goals help provide a sense of accomplishment.

Be clear about accounts/territories/products – allocate to particular sales people.

Have regular team meetings to communicate expectations and gain feedback. Agree on objectives for the week.

Talk to each person 1:1 – get to know them better – go out for coffee, or have lunch – uninterrupted. Clarify expectations and link their personal goals to their work goals.

Put expectations in writing – for individuals and the team.PROVIDE RESOURCESGive people the right tools and equipment to focus on their jobs, so they don’t get frustrated:

Provide promotional material – price lists/ads/displays/ brochures/website/slides/info/samples. Product and service information.

Features and benefits breakdown. Testimonials, FAQ list. Allow sales person to trial item/service – if appropriate. Sample proposals, templates, contracts, quote forms, letters etc. Scripts for presentation or telesales. Data/records management. Good database – up-to-date, de-duped. 

MONITOR PERFORMANCETrack results and/or observe the performance, and relate it to the agreed performance measures – and give feedback. Listen – monitor calls, or accompany them, question their approach, and note positives and improvements needed.

Display results – charts, stats, visuals. Use a board/graph – update daily, share information and data – open for all to see everyone’s performance.

Test strategies – for example, alternative scripts for cold calling – what results?

Get feedback from customers – on the performance of the sales people – even as part of a 360-degree evaluation.

Encourage feedback from your sales staff – regarding products and services, and insight into customer comments and complaints. They know best what customers want, like and dislike.

DEVELEOP SKILLSKnow each person in the team – strengths and skills to be developed, and adapt to their style/language. Give feedback when performance is not good – immediate constructive feedback (not aggressive or punishing), and be specific, provide examples, and make suggestions for improvements.

Use skill breakdowns, sales presentations, prepare scripts, AV resources, checklists, and role models (sales managers should be able to demonstrate these).

Bring new ideas and speakers, and use visualisation – of achieving the goal, as a rehearsal of the sale, of achieving their own personal goals.

Discuss the pain, don’t ignore it (of not reaching target, or losing a sale).Learn from failures and mistakes, share failures, and self disclose. Each failure is a step closer to the sale. Don’t let them get demoralised by a setback, or carry on with contagious negative beliefs, such as generalising, approval or comfort seeking.

Study and analyse best sales people – as a group – then mirror and match.

And if their performance does not improve, coach them, pair them with a good person, or help to find alternative role/job.REWARD AND MOTIVATESalespeople vary in age, family responsibilities, and education – so understand their needs and what motivates them.They have different needs at different times of their lives – when younger and newer, they require reassurance and encouragement. As they get older they have more commitments, and have a strong need to be successful, want higher rewards, promotions, recognition.You will need incentives to keep the best sales people satisfied. As they reach their late 30s and 40s, they crave status and formal recognition, respect of peers and superiors, and often have a high need for rewards or status symbols – car, entertainment allowance, etc. As they head towards retirement age they may want to make less effort, work less hours and also have less commitments.

Payment and rewards should be simple, clear, and consistent, with easy formulae to calculate commission – not on hours but on defined results. High salary will suit the security conscious, but reps like commission. Bonuses are best based on gross not net – as net profit can have hidden costs, such as overhead.

Use team bonus as well as individual, for example, an extra $10,000 for whole team – and get them to decide on an even split or a percentage proportional to effort and results (they soon manage each other).

Sales people are very motivated by recognition – so give lots of praise. Celebrate wins as they happen – give mini rewards like movie tickets, dinner, surprise gift, cash. Celebrate a big win, or end of a project.Offer opportunities for growth. Give challenges – additional tasks, new areas, training.

Plan social events for the team – relax together. Break from the grind. Keep the energy up – sports/trivia challenges. For

seated sales people – get them standing and stretching. Balance or minimise pressure tactics. Motivating through fear may only be

useful for short term results. Don’t reward underperformance.

PROVIDE SUPPORTProtect them from attacks from other parts of the business. Provide support for your team – and collaborate with other departments such as production, marketing, administration – so it is all made easy for the sales people.

Deliver on all promises. Build trust. Do their job, at least once a week – so you stay in touch, and can

demonstrate the skills. Show passion, confidence and persistence – model these behaviours.

Care about their lives outside. Be supportive, understand the pressures, including customer rejection.