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The USB-Stick is little, but suits in any bag and it is out of the question to do without in today world of electronic data: we are talking about the really modern and widely used USB Stick. As moveable volume it is hopeless to outclass and til now the existing is not too long ago. The storage stick wins over by its little size, the voluminous storage capability and the fact that it can be easy connected to almost any computer directly without much effort for data change. Unlike, for example, a CD or DVD, it can be used again and again and is far more stalwart and durable than its competitors.
On the contrary an moveable disc drive it needs no electrical energy and can be used wireless. And its storage size is rising up high: up to 64 GB-Sticks are already on the marketplace. That is more than a traditional computer from the beginning days of the laptop age provided.
In addition the USB Stick can be combined with even more practical functions. The most common ones are USB stick with an music player. But even really unusual designs such as integrated in a playpen, formed as a toilet or like a real wood block, are in favor of the users taste. Of course, a USB Stick can be made by individual own minds and any realizable designs.

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In this case other lines of business have found the USB-stick for their personal favor. As a promoting gifts the small data medium always shows of or performs well and stays in good memory for sure. Once the USB-Stick is branded with the logo of the company or an personalized touch, which can be produced very easily, the advertising result becomes perfect. Most of the dealers are offering USB flash drives with prints on or with engravings. Unlike a pencil as a promoting presents the USB Stick lasts much longer and is used more often. And as already mentioned the design versions are endless. Whether as a circle, a race car, a keychain - the multiplicity of shapes, colors and materials is huge. Let yourself just be inspired.

Affiliate marketing is very much like an auction web site. You push the merchandise on your internet site for this, you receive a cut from each purchase. There’s less work, very low operating costs, it sells twenty-four hours a day, and it is simple to pick up.

To start with, you must decide which merchandise or niche market you wish to specialize in. A method of doing this is, determine what specific solutions to a problem a particular group of individuals are looking for, and which solutions are available to assist them. One of the most effective ways to determine this speedily is finding groups of long tail keywords; by and large people search for these less, nevertheless more of these convert. These crucial keywords can be found by using applications like Micro Niche Finder. The data compiled from Micro Niche Finder or other programs and services results in a listing of associated terminology giving valuable information to gain top spot on internet searches. Additional info is also accessible from Micro Niche Finder, for example search frequency, the exact number of other sites using the particular word or phrase, even competitor details. Lastly, the data produced can help identify desirable domains, subject matter for your web site, and even identify the greatest sales opportunities. Constructing a web site is the next step; but it will take a bit more than just that. It is essential to fine-tune your site for the search engines. This is where Seo Elite information can help may help. This program automatically analyzes competitor’s web sites and helps you by telling you exactly what you must do to achieve a good ranking in the search engine results. With applications such as SEO Elite, info produced by the computer software tells you where to find links, the best keywords, and even a list of sites for submitting articles to refer to. Succinctly, the results created are similar to the information you might get from an experienced SEO specialist. Once you know which niche market you want to concentrate on, set up your advertising, and your internet site is finished, all you need to do is get your internet site up in the search results. Your profits will roll in on daily basis and wonder why you doubted that affiliate marketing would be successful for you!

Given that you are searching for a banner shop, there are many matters you ought to think about first. The printing house that you obtain your purchases from ought to be expending high-quality high-resolution printers. A banners colour does disappear over time, but if it is screened onto a high-grade vinyl textile, its possibility of existing more yearlong is immensly improved. When designing your custom vinyl banner, make it utilize the total full banner size that your banner printing shop grants in order to eliminate any excess vinyl.

Many standard publishing shops will provide a cost step-down to clients that use a whole yield of the banner materials.

A full dpi banner is very important for your advertising needs, as a banner that is really dull will not attract much visability to your business. Some banner printing workshops will greatly reduce the price of setting up a tailored vinyl banner print by marketing instantly to customers.

If you are getting from a localized workshop make surtain that they provide total color printing. Some banner companies offer only incomplete colour jobs. If a tiny printer is not able to offer the services you require then you will want to check out seeing a company online.

This type of marketing is similar to an auction. Your internet site promotes assorted products and for your time, you’ll have a percentage from each sale. It isn’t nearly as much work, very low operating costs, it works twenty four hours a day, and even better, it is comparatively simple to master.

At the start, you must determine just which niche market you want to work in. To accomplish this, find out what a unique customer profile is anticipating, and then discover how you can help them. One of the most effective ways to find this quickly is to find groups of extremely targeted words or phrases; there are fewer searches for these in general, yet more of these convert.

These lucrative keywords can be obtained by using Micro Niche Finder. The data gathered from this software or similar computer programs and services gives you a list of associated words and phrases that you may target in order to obtain a headstart in the rankings on an web based search engine. Further information is available by Micro Niche Finder, for to illustrate how many searches every one gets, the number of competing websites, and how successful that competitor is. Finally, Micro Niche Finder data can help find appropriate domains, subject matter for your site, and point out the best goods to trade.

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Constructing a website is next on the list; yet you’ll plainly have to do more than that. You’ll need to fine-tune your website for the search engines. This is where SEO Elite information can help may help. Your competitors’ websites are analyzed by the application which then offers suggestions on how to increase search results. In SEO Elite the info provided by the application tells you where to look for links, the best keywords, and even information on where to upload articles. Concisely, SEO Elite information is the same kind of information that a specialist in search engine optimization might offer. Once you know which target market you want to sell in, plan your product ads, and your internet site has been designed, then you are ready to get your web site up in the search results. Your profits will roll in on daily basis and question why you didn’t try affiliate marketing sooner!

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Remember those school exercises that started “Compare
and contrast….yada yada yada”. Well, here’s an exercise to
get your sales brains moving.

There are major differences between how you sell in a
Regular Sales Call versus at a Trade Show. In other words,
just because you can sell well, doesn’t mean you can sell
well in the trade show environment.

I’ve identified five major areas which cause concern for
professional sales staff who have booth duty. This has
nothing to do with the ability of the sales person, only that
they often have to do a 180 to accommodate their concerns.

Above all this - note that many trade shows are not hard sell
arenas but are marketing venues. If you make a sale, it’s
probably because of hard work before the show. The
purpose of a show is to advance the sales process, so plan
where the show fits into your sales cycle, and pass these
tips along to your sales staff.

Face-to-Face Time

Regular Sales Call -
You set the schedule. You and the prospect determine the
time necessary for you to explain and/or sell. It may be 30
minutes, an hour, a half-day or more, but you have control of
the presentation.

Trade Show -
Unless you’ve made appointments prior to the show, or the
prospect puts you on its short list of exhibits to visit, you’re
lucky to get three minutes on the show floor. Why? Time is
short, and you’re either an unknown or well-known.

Location

Regular Sales Call -
You may be lucky and have the prospect in your office or
factory. Or, you’re on his turf. Or in a favorite restaurant. In
any case, it’s a familiar surrounding and you feel
comfortable.

Trade Show -
Now you’re on neutral turf. You have your company’s image
around you - name badges, signs, brochures, handouts,
give-aways, etc. Should be good news - you’re in control.
Until the visitor leaves your booth and walks over to your
competitor. (Remember, that’s the essence of a trade show
- competitors coming together to build an industry.)

Who Initiates Contact?

Regular Sales Call -
Generally, you make the first contact, so you know the
prospect’s major details - name, address, how you can
solve his problem, time frame for the sale - maybe you’ve
even toted up your commission. And if the prospects calls
you first? Great, the sales cycle is moved along even faster.

Trade Show -
Oops, here comes a stranger. With a name you don’t know,
a company you’ve probably never heard of - or if you have,
probably not that department. Now your people skills come
into play. It’s faster and more professional than a cocktail
party, more demanding than an interview and more tiring
because you repeat it all day.

Prospect Information

Regular Sales Call -
In today’s fast changing sales environment, you have good
intelligence about your prospect. You can use the
buzzwords - enterprise, cybercorp, partnering - and you can
probably adapt your sales competencies to the prospect’s
requirements.

Trade Show -
Remember, unless you’ve set up appointments with
prospects or clients, you’ve probably got a stranger standing
in front of you. Now, not only your sales competencies come
into play but your knowledge and understanding of your
industry and marketplace are challenged.

Time and Money

Regular Sales Call -

The internet has allowed companies to reduce drastically
the initial intelligence gathering costs and time frame. Make
sales proactive, not reactive. It still costs money. It still takes
time. And it’s still face-to-face.

Trade Show -
The key is follow-up. You can’t swipe a card, shake a hand
and wait for the prospect to call. People attend shows
because they’re in the same industry as you, and stopped at
your exhibit because they’re interested in your product.
Trade shows advance the sales cycle. This is a great
opportunity - don’t blow it!

When you understand that you make a 180 from your
regular job and comfort zone. then you will be more effective
at trade shows.

Julia O’Connor - Speaker, Author, Consultant - writes about
practical aspects of trade shows. As president of Trade
Show Training, inc,, now celebrating its 10th year, she
works with companies in a variety of industries to improve
their bottom line and marketing opportunities at trade
shows.

Julia is an expert in the psychology of the trade show
environment, and uses this expertise in sales training and
management seminars.

Executive Overview

Long before coaching became a recognized niche of and by itself, there was a long-standing belief in many sales organizations that coaching of employees was a fundamental management responsibility. Moreover, every professional sales trainer you spoke to, every textbook you read and every sales manager who had several years of experience would verify that coaching was a fundamental cog on the sales manager success wheel. But what has happened since?

Days of Yore

In the early years of my sales career it was a mandate from upper management to managers throughout their respective organizations to learn coaching skills and employ them regularly. It was a requirement that they share the wealth of experience and knowledge gained with those throughout their respective teams. In many cases, the ability to be an effective coach was an item in their own evaluation and used as a determining factor in promotion. As a by-product incredible loyalty to sales managers became a hallmark of sales teams where the managers themselves took an active and participative role in sales team skill set development.

The issue today, as I see it, is many sales managers who are baby boomers, Gen X and Y have not been exposed to the skills of coaching. The result oftentimes is a group or an entire sales organization functioning at less than peak performance. Additionally, sales people are left unclear how their performance is being evaluated. Little wonder sales force turnover is a reality among sales organizations.

One of the benchmarks in stabilizing a sales organization is for the sales managers to employ a set of coaching skills of their own. The problem of course is where can they get such training and coaching. The truth is every successful sales manager has learned the hard way - mostly by trial and error, often at the expense of sales effectiveness and productivity. Today’s sales manager may be of the mentality that all their role requires is to supervise sales team members based on a process. (The fact of the matter is that sales managers do not really manage sales, they really are supervising the activities of their sales team members so that sales are generated by the sales people themselves.) For several years coaching in this area has tended to be ensuring a methodical step-by-step approach was taken by sales team members so that the sales results could be achieved.

In my experience, the most significant difference in coaching a sales manager for personal improvement and enhanced performance is a combination of process and content coaching. Let me explain the difference between process and content from a sales managers point of view.

Process Defined

Webster defines process as the series of actions, operations, or motions involved in the accomplishment of an end. In the case of sales management, coaching a sales manager effectively must have a clearly identified starting point, which is a sales plan. A superb sales management coach knows this well in advance of any engagement because it offers a template from which to function during coaching sessions. Within the plan are the goals, objectives and activities of the sales team the sales manager will supervise. In other words, a clearly defined set of actions, operations and motions will guide the sales manager so that the goals themselves can be achieved. Without a sales plan or template of expectations, each will find it difficult to measure accomplishment because the “what to do” has not been established.

Similarly, a sales manager needs to have a process with their sales team members based on the individual business plans. If a mutually agreed upon business plan is generated by a sales person, then completion of objectives is the step by step monitoring the sales manager takes with each rep. The key here is that a formal and written “game” plan be developed from which the sale rep can follow and function and the sales manager can observe progress against each objective the sales person lists. This is the “what” will be done.

Content Defined

Webster’s definition of content is all that is contained in something; everything inside, the main substance or meaning. Here the coach can work with the sales manager in implementing the plan by providing the “how to do it”. Skill building opportunities are within the content portion of sales management coaching while working through certain personnel activities that the sales manager undertakes with his/her sales team on a continuous basis. The goal is to optimize and maximize the sales forces’ skill set to deliver the greatest sales and revenue for the group as a whole. The coach can provide valuable insight for the sales manager in how to approach, prepare and implement strategies and tactics not just for the customers and prospects, but also for the individuals within the sales group.

Encapsulated in the content portion is coaching where the coach assists the sales manager in completion of each objective. The coach may assist in determining if the sales manager can execute the objective alone because of successful prior experience or if other assistance is required. In the later case, this can be accomplished through role-playing exercises built on real world scenarios the sales manager is currently facing with the sales team. If so the coach can model the skills that will be used by the sales manager so that in the future they can perform on his or her own.

No matter what tactic, technique or strategy agreed upon by the coach and sales manager, the sales manager must be aware that accomplishing the objective is more vital than how well it was done. Simply stated this means substance over style. Once this is accomplished a sales manager can call on the sales management coach to develop a more effective style- one where communications is bridged in a more pleasing way. Every encounter between a sales manager and a sales person calls for a defined method of communication where the sales manager determines which management style to use based on the need to communicate with each rep in order to effect the needed behavioral changes. Just as everyone is different, so will be the sales management style employed with each team member to improve his or her personal performance depending on the matter at hand. This is a definite superior sales management skill, one that can be developed in coordination with a superior sales management coach.

The coaching then a sales manager coach does is at two levels - the process (sales plan) and the content (skill building, or how to do it). The how to do it part may take role playing, where the sales management coach acts the part of the sales manager while the sales manager takes on the role of sales person. Then the roles get reversed. A few attempts set in an educational and trial and error framework make the enhancing of the style portion of objective completion possible. The sales management coach gives supportive encouraging feedback in these sessions to build sales manager self esteem. Otherwise the sales manager will never feel comfortable enough to try for them self and will be constantly asking the sales management coach for assistance for the same task. The style portion of coaching, the how to do it, will bear fruit when the sales manager becomes more confident in their ability to communicate effectively with sales team members. The sales managers need to be equally effective with their sales staff in the area of content coaching too and that’s a huge differentiator when it comes to being an average sales manager and a superior one.

The Caveat

The sales manager must be a confidant individual and able to coach a sales person during role-playing sessions. The worst scenario happens when the sales manager intentionally avoids assisting the sales person. Certainly this is not the positive behavior change sales management coaching intends to improve. The salesperson must see the sales manager as interested in helping to be able to do things for themselves. The intention naturally is that with time and practice the skill set of the sales person is enhanced resulting in more effectiveness in the customer setting. Where the effectiveness increases so will individual sales person productivity. Where productivity increases, so will sales, margins and profits.

Human Capital Investment

Key: the sales manager must make an investment in the sales staff. This investment will vary based on the experience, capability and competency of each sales team member. The real issue at stake is in coaching each and every one of them depends on individual needs. It is the function of the sales manager coach to assist the sales manager in understanding which style to employ with each sales person and under what conditions. Frankly, each is situationally dependent just as every person on this planet is different.

While some would argue that the sales person modifies their style in communication with the sales manager, I would maintain that is the responsibility of the sales manager to determine which communication and management style to use with the intention of effecting the needed behavioral changes.
The professional sales manager coach can help identify which area, if not both process and content need assistance. If it is in the area of process, the sales manager coach can lead the coachee through a series of steps that ensures process gets developed and the sales manager is comfortable implementing said process.

If it is determined assistance is required in the area of content, then the coach can work toward improving the sales manager skills so those in turn can be successfully employed with sales team members.

Crucial in coaching sales managers is the degree of trust and confidence that is built and maintained between coach and coachee. Having spent one-half of my career in corporate America in various sales management capacities, I believe that a sales manager will pay particular close attention and take the counsel of their coach when they recognize the coach has the years of experience in a sales management role. Once the coaches’ credentials are established, trust and confidence get developed.

A sales manager will need to know that the sales management coach has walked the walk and talked the talk. After the sales manager acknowledges the coach has the experience base and can provide objective feedback significant improvements can take place. The reason, simply put, is respect. Personally, I know of no other word that determines the success of a coach and coachee relationship better than respect. In the case of the sales manager being coached, that respect given to the sales manager coach comes from having ‘walked the walk and talked the talk’. And sales managers pick up on that very quickly. They have a keen sense of awareness and intuitive instinct that they call upon when evaluating another into their world. Net: it is best to have an experienced sales management coach in both process and content or the engagement could unravel very quickly.

The Bottom Line

Whereas in most other areas of the coaching profession advanced degrees and certifications are required for acknowledgement within the coaching community, sales management coaching pedigrees are built by having been in the trenches as a successful sales manager oneself. A superb sales management coach has ‘been there, done that’ and their experience is without question the most significant factor in the coaches’ ability to move the coachee to higher levels of personal effectiveness with their sales team members.

The sales management coach therefore can assist the sales manager on two levels. Getting the “what to do” formulated (the process) and then guiding the sales manager through the steps of the “how to do it” (content) with finesse. The result is an effective sales manager who understands the individuals in the sales team so well that the appropriate management style and proper technique are used under any one of a myriad of different situations that may arise as a by-product of making the enterprise revenue goals.

Don McNamara is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and is President of Heritage Associates, Inc. http://www.heritage-associates.net

Heritage Associates is a full service sales management consulting, training and coaching company. Don also speaks and writes on the art and science of superior sales management and top sales performance. He is the author of “Visionary Sales Leadership.”

With over 30 years sales experience from the field level to executive sales management, in his career he has been an individual contributor, corporate sales training manager, regional manager, national sales manager and vice president of sales. Don is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants, where he serves as Professional Development Chair for the southern California chapter, and the National Speakers Association.

For a free e-newsletter contact Don McNamara at djmcn@heritage-associates.net or by phone (949) 230-4363.

“How come you charge so much?” Kinda feels like a kick to the stomach, huh? This is a classic “objection” during a sales conversation with a prospective customer, and it’s no fun at all.

Customer objections can be painful and intimidating to deal with. And it doesn’t have to be about price. It could be about anything: “Do you really know what you are doing?” “Does this thing really work?” “How do I know you’ll follow through?”

Wish you never had to hear them again? You don’t.

Sacred spiritual traditions, like the High Holy Days and the month-long fasting of Ramadan, are meant to not only leave you empty, but to drain you of all of your certainty. In the center of deep spiritual practice, you are left with many sincere questions in your heart.

Who am I? What is the silent, longing call that I hear in the middle of the night? Where do I really owe my allegiance? What is my heart crying out for? Profound questions that, when approached sincerely, can transform your life. When the time comes for these questions, you have to let go of your beliefs. If you don’t, they become your prison.

The asking of these questions, dropping all of your defenses about what is right or wrong, what you want or don’t want, is the doorway to freedom. You are no longer trying to force an outcome, but merely seeking the truth.
How you ask the questions in your heart is critical. Are you a journalist, sniffing for scandal, sure you will find the dirt? Or are you a true seeker, allowing yourself to love the questions, because you love the truth more than anything?

A customer only raises objections when they feel at risk. At risk of losing money. At risk of losing time. At risk of looking foolish. At risk of any number of things.

Instead of answers, bring sincere, delighted questions to your prospect, devoid of any attachment to what the answers might be. Be curious and in love to learn more about what they are facing, their hopes and fears and desires in their situation. If you do this, they will feel seen. They will safe.

And they will never object. If they are the very best kind of prospects, they will have questions of their own. That’s what you want, someone who cares enough to question you, so the two of you can form a true collaboration, whether you are selling a simple product that brings more enjoyment to their life, or if you are providing complicated, custom services that transform huge organizations.

Questions: After connection, it’s the second step in a successful sales conversation.

What questions are you asking, and what’s the most important one? Practical steps below in Keys to the Questioning

Keys to Questions

• When you start out a conversation with a prospect, start by asking lots of questions. You want to find out all about their situation. If you help people in pain to feel better, then ask all the questions you can: has this happened before? How did it happen? Have you had it a long time? What’s the pain like? How do you normally deal with the pain.

And, go beyond treating them like a problem. Find the place in your heart that cares about them, and ask larger questions: Tell me about how this pain is affecting your life, your work, your relationships.

• When do you stop asking questions? When you can fully see the future they want, and you can see how what you do can get them there, or how what you do is not right for them at all.

• At this point of clarity, you need to ask the most important question: the pivot question. Some people think that the pivot question shifts the focus from the prospect to you and your business. Not true. The pivot question shifts the focus from the present situation your prospect is facing, to the future where this problem is resolved.

“I can sure see how troubling this pain has been for you- it sounds miserable! (pivot ->) What brought you to talk to me about this? How did you see what I do fitting in with what you want to do about your pain?”

The pivot is an important step, because it elicits an invitation from your prospect that gives you permission to talk about how your business works, and how you can help them. Without that invitation and permission, you are trespassing. With the invitation, you are collaborating.

• They will naturally have questions, too, because they will want to see the same future you are seeing. In general, they will want to be clear on exactly what it looks like to work with you, how much it costs, what exactly their commitment is, and how long it takes.

Questions are second nature to your heart, and the key to a successful sale.

Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your Business: How money, marketing and sales can deepen your heart, heal the world, and still add to your bottom line. He has helped hundreds of people in small business succeed without losing their heart, through integrating1500 years of spiritual tradition with down-to-earth business practices. Get his free workbook, Getting to the Core of Your Business, online: http://www.heartofbusiness.com

A conversation:

The Salesperson: “I don’t cold callI want to build relationships.”

Wendy: “Huh?”

Recently I’ve had a number of conversations with sales professionals and entrepreneurs who tell me they do not cold call because they want to build relationships with prospects.

I’m confused.

Who says the two are mutually exclusive?

Every relationship whether business or personal begins somewhere. Everyone whom you currently know, your significant other, your colleagues at work, your friends, or your neighbors were unknown to you at one time. Then, somehow, you met and over time formed a relationship. It takes time.

In sales there are many ways to contact and reach out to new prospects. There’s direct mail, networking, referrals, trade shows, the internet, public speaking and writing articles. And yes, there is calling prospects on the telephone. These are all ways to introduce yourself, your company and your product or service to potential customers.

The telephone introduction is incredibly direct, easy, efficient and inexpensive. First you target your market and then you introduce yourself to the decision-maker. That’s one of the reasons I prefer the term “introductory calling” to “cold calling.” The call is an introduction. It is not a sale or a relationship.

However you initially meet a prospect, after that introduction, you still must take all of the necessary steps to build a relationship. With every prospect that you encounter, however you first encounter them, at some point you will have to pick up the telephone and call them. If at that point you do not represent yourself effectively and articulately, you will not move to the next step. This means that even if you are calling a prospect who did not originate with a phone call, you will need to do all of the same preparation that you would do if that prospect were a total stranger and you were calling for the first time! You would still have to determine how you want to represent yourself, what points you want to make and what is the goal of your conversation.

Every sale has a cycle with four steps. The cycle could be longer or shorter depending on the product or service, the market and/or your skill level, but you must go through every step of your sales cycle. Most sales cycles go something like this: The first step is always the introduction. This could be a phone call, it could be a letter or an e-mail, but somehow the prospect must become aware of you. Usually the next step is a meeting (or sometimes a series of meetings) or an extended conversation (or a series of conversations.) You personally introduce yourself and whatever you are selling to your prospect and you learn more about the prospect company. From there, if all goes well, you move to the proposal step. This proposal can be verbal and as simple as explaining your services and fees or it could be a more complex written proposal. The last step of this particular cycle is the close, when your prospect accepts your proposal. This process could happen in a dayor it could take a year, but however long it takes you will never skip any of the steps.

The mistake most people make is in not understanding the steps of the sales cycle and that you must pass through each step to get to the next. The introductory call does not lead directly to the close. What that introductory call does is easily and quickly get you directly in front of your prospect to begin your sales cycle. You will still have to put in all of the work to show your prospect how you can help. And you will still have to put in all of the work to build a relationship with that prospect.

Many people do a lot of time-consuming, expensive things to first meet prospects so that they can later follow up with a phone call. My suggestion: Simply call. It saves time and it saves money.

© 2004 Wendy Weiss

Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success, is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. She is the author of Cold Calling for Women and the recently released Cold Calling College. Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.

Here are seven additional factors to consider as you define the parameters that produce success in your company’s sales job. If you are a salesperson, you can also benefit from considering these questions, as they can help you identify target prospects and further refine your sales approach.

9. Administration

• Which sales job functions require attention to detail? (Examples include making accurate forecasts, providing timely updates to the corporate CRM system, analyzing customer records to determine sales strategies, and ensuring regulatory compliance.)

Some companies have support personnel that perform administrative tasks on their salespeople’s behalf. Other companies expect their salespeople to deal with a certain amount of administration. If a tolerance for process, detail and administration is necessary for success in your company’s sales job, some amount of Tolerance for Administration is desirable in your salespeople.

10. Communication

• How important are verbal and written communication skills to sales success in your company?
• Are your salespeople required to make presentations?

• Are they required to compose letters or proposals?

Sales roles that rely heavily on high quality verbal and written communications require salespeople that have healthy doses of the attributes Communication Skills and Reasoning Ability.

11. Pre-Sales Support

• What support resources are available to help your salespeople manage specific steps of the sales cycle?
• How effective must your salespeople be when managing these resources?

The availability of support resources has a significant impact on the attributes required for sales success. If your salespeople have access to quality internal (employed by your company) or external (employed by suppliers or partners) technical resources, they don’t need to invest a lot of time learning technical details. This frees them to focus more time and energy on prospecting and opportunity qualification. By the same token, if your company employs technical writers who can assist salespeople with large proposals and bid responses, there may be less need for your salespeople to have strong Communication Skills.

12. Post-Sales Support

• Are your salespeople expected to provide technical or operational support to customers, or do other personnel provide this support?

If your salespeople are required to deliver post-sales support, it would be desirable for them to have a lower Sales Drive, be less Competitive, and have a higher Service Drive.

13. Training

• What kinds of training does your company provide to salespeople?
• How much training does your company provide?

Companies that provide a lot of training may have the luxury of being able to hire inexperienced sales candidates and “train them up from scratch”. This is extremely valuable in markets where highly qualified sales candidates are scarce and/or prohibitively expensive. However, if your company is going to employ this approach, you should seek candidates with strong Learning Rates.

14. Sales Manager’s Style

• What are your sales managers’ styles?
• Do they lean in the direction of being Field Generals (who prefer selling to coaching) or Administrators (who excel at mentoring and administrative duties)?

The desired levels of the attributes Sales Drive, Service Drive, Assertiveness, Competitiveness, Independence and Tolerance for Administration will differ based upon each sales manager’s style.

15. Career Path

• What is the career path for your sales position?
• From small ticket item sales to big ticket item sales?
• From sales to management?

If your sales team is a source of candidates for other positions in your company, you may want to consider whether your salespeople and sales candidates have the attributes required to be successful in those other positions. Why? Because the attributes required to succeed in those other positions may not be the same as the attributes required for sales success!

Consider this example: Most small ticket item sales cycles are shorter than big ticket item sales cycles. Per Question #7, the desired amount of Sales Drive differs based upon the frequency of opportunities for presentation and persuasion. A successful salesperson in small ticket item sales is likely to have a strong Sales Drive. Will they become frustrated by the reduction in opportunities to present and persuade that could result from a “promotion” to big ticket item sales?

Similarly, the attributes required to be an effective manager are often quite different from the attributes required to be an effective salesperson. Success in management can require more attention to detail and the willingness to delegate and mentor. These requirements impact the target ranges for the attributes of Sales Drive, Service Drive, Assertiveness, Competitiveness, Independence and Tolerance for Administration.

If you keep the fifteen questions discussed in this two-part article in mind, you will be able to more accurately define the parameters that will lead to success in YOUR company’s sales job(s).

Copyright 2005 — Alan Rigg

Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople Don’t Perform and What to Do About It. His company, 80/20 Sales Performance, helps business owners, executives, and managers DOUBLE sales by implementing The Right Formula for building top-performing sales teams. For more information and more FREE sales and sales management tips, visit http://www.8020salesperformance.com.