Many sales meetings are boring and a waste of salespeople's time Ugo Amadi Camo Jersey , say the majority of salespeople I interview. A review of what's going on in the market is good to know, but to be effective, sales meetings need to be a lot more than that venues for quick market updates.
Inviting a vendor's sales representation to present a product training program never hurts Phil Haynes Camo Jersey , but if product knowledge were the criteria for success in sales, about 90% of the fledgling salespeople in North America who are about to lose their jobs would be top performers. While product knowledge is important, it won't turn a mediocre performer into a top producer.
What's missing in most of the salespeople I meet is a general lack of sales skill. But rarely do I see sales meetings focus on teaching salespeople how to sell more products to existing customers or how to penetrate a prospect who is giving the lion's share of his purchases to the competition.
Here are several ideas that will allow your sales force to leave their next sales meeting with enough ammunition to improve their performance:
1. Ask two or three of your top salespeople to join the manager or sales manager on a panel. Give the sales force enough advance notice to identify several sales obstacles they are facing and jot each of them down on a separate piece of paper. At the sales meeting Gary Jennings Jr Camo Jersey , call out the question and allow the panel to respond with their most effective ideas.
2. Invite three loyal customers to attend your next sales meeting and answer questions from the sales force about what services they most appreciate from a salesperson and what it is about your company that makes them such loyal customers.
3. Invite each salesperson draw a number out of a hat to determine the order each salesperson will present a 15-to-20-minute sales presentation on a key product line that the company is emphasizing. What makes this approach especially effective is to capture each presentation on video. When the presentations are over, replay the video and ask the audience to critique each presentation.
4. Ask each salesperson to present to the sales force background and details on one of his or her key prospects. Invite the sales force to make suggestions as to what the salesperson might do differently to penetrate this account.
5. Buy a copy of the One-Minute Salesperson for each salesperson to read, then at the sales meeting Cody Barton Camo Jersey , go around the room and ask the salespeople to tell the group what they plan to do differently after reading this little book.
6. Announce a sales contest that will reward the sales force with a weekend getaway if they achieve a measurable goal over a measurable time frame. Goals could include:
? Bring in five new credit-approved customers who purchase a minimum of $10,000 over the next 120 days.
? Identify each salesperson's year-to-date gross margin. Improve individual gross margin by one percentage point over the next 120 days.
? Achieve a sales goal on an emphasis product line over the next 120 days.
7. Identify specific problems your company's typical customers frequently face and brainstorm specific techniques to help your customers overcome them.
8. Brainstorm what your company has to offer customers in your industry that your individual competitors cannot match. What sets your company apart from each of your key competitors?
Set a personal goal to make your company's sales meetings more fun and more effective in 2005.
Bill Lee is author of Gross Margin: 26 Factors Affecting Your Bottom Line. $29.95 plus $5 S&H. All credit cards accepted. or email blee@ Obstinate habits related to health take a significant toll on life. To survive a healthy life balanced diet and exercises should be on the top of your every day鈥檚 schedule. Here鈥檚 a list that explains the reasons & solutions of weight gain due to bad habits: Everything Health 1Racing Through the Meal Have you ever noticed your eating speed? It may sound trivial, however D.K. Metcalf Camo Jersey , eating too fast poses the vulnerability of taking too many calories even before you realize that you鈥檝e overeaten. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, people who gallop food are more likely to become obese in comparison to the diners who eat slowly. Solution- Eat slowly and mindfully because only then you鈥檒l be able to realize your brain鈥檚 signal of fullness. Take approx. Twenty minutes to finish one meal. Don鈥檛 swallow the food and try to chew the food until it's broken down into minute bites. 2. Busy Enough for Exercise Eating healthy is a mandate, but above all physical activities in the form of exercises Marquise Blair Camo Jersey , sports, or athletics are the lifeline. Stick to this thumb rule, burn extra calories every day through physical workout else someday or other you鈥檒l face severe complications with your health. Solution- Hit the gym or start practicing yoga aerobics or any other form of physical workout. Dancing or playing sports can also pull you out of your lazy comfort zone. of Enough Sleep Do you know L.J. Collier Camo Jersey , if you suffer sleep loss too frequently, then you are likely to feel hungry even if you are full. This is because sleep loss affects the secretion of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is responsible for regulating appetite. Studies suggest that sleep loss augments fat storage in the body. you treat yourself with bar snacks Chris Carson Camo Jersey , and this becomes another reason for your increased weight. Solution- Stopping or reducing drinking often go hand in hand with weight loss.