A sales call today is costing your organisation between $150 - $500 every single time a sales person walks through a customer's/prospect's door. (These figures are based on numerous industry surveys conducted over the years.)

The answer to the above question is a resounding 'NO'.

Sales people simply cannot be vendors (order takers) or tourists ('just in the area, thought I would pop in') any more. Customers and prospects today are sharper, busier, more demanding and conscious of the value their suppliers (should) offer them.

Listed below are some of the key areas of the Planning Process, so your sales team will, in the words of ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky ... 'skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been'.

1. Look at the Relationship 'GAP'. How are you perceived by your customers today? How do you want to be perceived in 6 - 12 months? What specific actions do you have to do to get there? This is a great sales team exercise.
2. Analyse your current customer base. Look for growth and product penetration opportunities; seek creative ways to help your customers grow their business. Do your people have upsell, cross-sell and account penetration objectives for every customer?
3. Know what business you are in - are you a one stop shop? Fountain of knowledge for your customers? A profit-making machine - again, for your customers? Or, is your company on the lower end of a customer's wish list, due to poor service from a member of your team?
4. Know what your customers want and need and create REAL VALUE for them - assist them with marketing and promotion? Train their staff (your product sales will soar, if you do)? What can you do to add REAL VALUE??
5. If you know the answer to the above, benchmark your sales team - this will determine your critical factors necessary for success and allow you to measure your team's sales and service excellence. Seek feedback from your customers on your sales team's performance.
6. Squeeze the most out of your time each day. Make each day GOLD by prioritising and preparing, long term planning will inevitably fail if you don't look after the everyday business - this takes commitment to the task and the process. Are your people good time and resource managers?
7. Your people should have a PURPOSE for every single call they make - a primary purpose; a value-adding purpose; establish a call back purpose as well. Your people will only build relationships with their customers if they know why they are calling.
8. Develop a plan for New Business Acquisition and Lost Business Reactivation. Will this be 5% - 10% - 20% of time spent? A plan definitely needs to be factored in to your long term planning.
9. Use the telephone! Keep in touch calls to customers, follow up, gaining appointments and low yield sales are all important but do not require personal calls all the time. The telephone is a powerful sales and service tool.
10. Develop and utilise a data base. This will enable you and your team to save time, control the sales process and gain instant feedback on what is happening in your market. Sales f
    Leadership Matters - When Was The Last Time?
    When was the last time you received truly memorable customer service? If you’re like most people it’s hard to think of a time that stands out. You’re probably wondering why that is. So did I.It seemed like with most of the places I patronized, the situation was the same. Take, for instance, the bank that I used to go to. I realized that I had been banking in the same place for three years, yet no one seemed to recognize me. And,
    (should) offer them.

    Listed below are some of the key areas of the Planning Process, so your sales team will, in the words of ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky ... 'skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been'.

    1. Look at the Relationship 'GAP'. How are you perceived by your customers today? How do you want to be perceived in 6 - 12 months? What specific actions do you have to do to get there? This is a great sales team exercise.
    2. Analyse your current customer base. Look for growth and product penetration opportunities; seek creative ways to help your customers grow their business. Do your people have upsell, cross-sell and account penetration objectives for every customer?
    3. Know what business you are in - are you a one stop shop? Fountain of knowledge for your customers? A profit-making machine - again, for your customers? Or, is your company on the lower end of a customer's wish list, due to poor service from a member of your team?
    4. Know what your customers want and need and create REAL VALUE for them - assist them with marketing and promotion? Train their staff (your product sales will soar, if you do)? What can you do to add REAL VALUE??
    5. If you know the answer to the above, benchmark your sales team - this will determine your critical factors necessary for success and allow you to measure your team's sales and service excellence. Seek feedback from your customers on your sales team's performance.
    6. Squeeze the most out of your time each day. Make each day GOLD by prioritising and preparing, long term planning will inevitably fail if you don't look after the everyday business - this takes commitment to the task and the process. Are your people good time and resource managers?
    7. Your people should have a PURPOSE for every single call they make - a primary purpose; a value-adding purpose; establish a call back purpose as well. Your people will only build relationships with their customers if they know why they are calling.
    8. Develop a plan for New Business Acquisition and Lost Business Reactivation. Will this be 5% - 10% - 20% of time spent? A plan definitely needs to be factored in to your long term planning.
    9. Use the telephone! Keep in touch calls to customers, follow up, gaining appointments and low yield sales are all important but do not require personal calls all the time. The telephone is a powerful sales and service tool.
    10. Develop and utilise a data base. This will enable you and your team to save time, control the sales process and gain instant feedback on what is happening in your market. Sales f
        Family Matters Can be Combined with Business
        My family is now grown and on their own so I don’t have much involvement with coaching their teams at this point in time. I do, however, take time to participate in some family activities. If you are lucky enough to have children at home, you will be able to help them grow through your involvement. Coaching a team or simply helping at a sports day can be extremely rewarding and you meet many other parents doing the same thing. They will
        account penetration objectives for every customer?
    11. Know what business you are in - are you a one stop shop? Fountain of knowledge for your customers? A profit-making machine - again, for your customers? Or, is your company on the lower end of a customer's wish list, due to poor service from a member of your team?
    12. Know what your customers want and need and create REAL VALUE for them - assist them with marketing and promotion? Train their staff (your product sales will soar, if you do)? What can you do to add REAL VALUE??
    13. If you know the answer to the above, benchmark your sales team - this will determine your critical factors necessary for success and allow you to measure your team's sales and service excellence. Seek feedback from your customers on your sales team's performance.
    14. Squeeze the most out of your time each day. Make each day GOLD by prioritising and preparing, long term planning will inevitably fail if you don't look after the everyday business - this takes commitment to the task and the process. Are your people good time and resource managers?
    15. Your people should have a PURPOSE for every single call they make - a primary purpose; a value-adding purpose; establish a call back purpose as well. Your people will only build relationships with their customers if they know why they are calling.
    16. Develop a plan for New Business Acquisition and Lost Business Reactivation. Will this be 5% - 10% - 20% of time spent? A plan definitely needs to be factored in to your long term planning.
    17. Use the telephone! Keep in touch calls to customers, follow up, gaining appointments and low yield sales are all important but do not require personal calls all the time. The telephone is a powerful sales and service tool.
    18. Develop and utilise a data base. This will enable you and your team to save time, control the sales process and gain instant feedback on what is happening in your market. Sales f
        The Number 1 Rule for Businesses - Be Professional
        Have you ever walked into a store and things looked sloppy? Stores should have nice neat displays, right? Normally, yes, but sometimes they get a bit messy on busy days and we all understand how that can happen.But what if you were to walk into a store as soon as it opened in the morning and the place looked liked it had been ransacked? What would you think?You'd probably think it wasn't very professional-looking. If a rack
        necessary for success and allow you to measure your team's sales and service excellence. Seek feedback from your customers on your sales team's performance.
    19. Squeeze the most out of your time each day. Make each day GOLD by prioritising and preparing, long term planning will inevitably fail if you don't look after the everyday business - this takes commitment to the task and the process. Are your people good time and resource managers?
    20. Your people should have a PURPOSE for every single call they make - a primary purpose; a value-adding purpose; establish a call back purpose as well. Your people will only build relationships with their customers if they know why they are calling.
    21. Develop a plan for New Business Acquisition and Lost Business Reactivation. Will this be 5% - 10% - 20% of time spent? A plan definitely needs to be factored in to your long term planning.
    22. Use the telephone! Keep in touch calls to customers, follow up, gaining appointments and low yield sales are all important but do not require personal calls all the time. The telephone is a powerful sales and service tool.
    23. Develop and utilise a data base. This will enable you and your team to save time, control the sales process and gain instant feedback on what is happening in your market. Sales f
        The Business Of Global Asset Management
        Global asset management gives you an active investment management platform for your business. Management of assets is for institutions, private clients, and intermediaries. Global asset management delivers outstanding results to you and your business by giving your clients access to great investment talent all over world.What All Can It Do For Me?Accurate and frequent management within funds is very important when using as
        stomers if they know why they are calling.
    24. Develop a plan for New Business Acquisition and Lost Business Reactivation. Will this be 5% - 10% - 20% of time spent? A plan definitely needs to be factored in to your long term planning.
    25. Use the telephone! Keep in touch calls to customers, follow up, gaining appointments and low yield sales are all important but do not require personal calls all the time. The telephone is a powerful sales and service tool.
    26. Develop and utilise a data base. This will enable you and your team to save time, control the sales process and gain instant feedback on what is happening in your market. Sales funnel development is also an essential sales tool.

    Work with your sales team to develop and build on the above strategies and you will ensure successful results … and increased bottom line profits.