Managing a Sales Team

Managing a Sales Team

It is great when you have more than one person selling for your business.  You can grow exponentially.  Once you have a team you need to manage them.

- set goals together - when the goals are set without their input then some salespeople will get frustrated and say that you set the goals too high
- give them what they need - do they need marketing materials in order to present your business professionally?
- train them - make sure they know the product / service - inside out and backwards (if it is a product that they can test  - personal training - then have them test it)
- review the marketing plan with them so they know what messages are being delivered to the prospects
- review the production / delivery of your product / service so that the sales team can make realistic promises ( it is bad when they promise delivery in 2 weeks and you always need 4 weeks)
- monitor / manage them - everyone should give daily / weekly / monthly reports to someone
- reports - some reports could be visible on the wall if everyone works from the same office
- rewards - talk to them to determine what rewards they want and what rewards will make them work to their best potential
- appreciate them - be sure to stop and talk to them and thank them (every day if possible)

To set up systems to manage your sales team, call Cheryl Rankin at Fit For Business 647-287-0320, info@fitforbusiness.ca.

Sales Training DVD - purchase this excellent tool as part of your training program for your sales team. "Shape Up Your Sales"

Fit For Business newsletter - send us an email and get our business tips sent directly to you.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca

More sales!

$$$$$

Every business wants more sales - more money!


Back up a bit -- what do you need in order to get more sales?


- what is the last step before you get a sale?  Do you send a proposal / have a coffee meeting / the prospect tries on your product?


1 - identify what your prospect needs to do before they will buy from you?
2 - how many prospects do you need to get to this stage for every one sale?
If you say "every person that tries on my product - buys from me" then I would say - not enough people are trying on your product or they are making their decision before they get to this stage.
3 - how do you motivate people to get to this critical stage in your sales process?
* test drive our car and be entered to win one
* visit our store and get the autograph of a baseball player
* complete our survey and we will donate to a charity
* take a tour of our fitness facility and get one month free (no strings attached)
* try on our shoes and get a free shoe freshener
* enjoy this drink and take the glass home
* try our treadmill at this tradeshow and get a free t-shirt
* buy the large bottle of shampoo and get a free hair gel
* try our product for free
* buy this product / try it  / send in the coupon for your money back even if you like it
* have a free lunch and listen to our financial advisor's lunch and learn
4 - get more prospects in the pipeline so that more people will get to this critical step in your sales process
* make more phone calls
* send your e-newsletter on a regular basis
* attend networking meetings
* be pro-active


The bottom-line is that you need more people in the pipeline and figure out how to move them along the pipeline so you get them to that last step.


PS - do not forget to focus on your target market


To get more sales for your business - call Cheryl to schedule a one on one training session or ask to be on the notification list for the upcoming sales DVD "Shape Up Your Sales".


Cheryl Rankin
Business Consultant
Mississauga, Ontario
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca

Summer Sales / Not Slow Sales

Summer Sales

Summer sales for your business do not have to be slow sales.  Many small business owners can be heard saying "summer is always quiet".

What can you do to prevent slow sales?
What can you do to create sales?

1 - review your target market notes to confirm what problem you solve for your prospects
2 - have a sale - a discount can attract certain types of prospects
3 - team up with someone else who sells to the same target market and create a package to sell for a limited time period.
4 - try a new marketing delivery system to see if you can get your prospects' attention
5 - make personal phone calls and invite them to a meeting (depending on your prospects - phone meetings, coffee meetings, lunch meetings)
6 - go back through your sales for the last two years and see if anyone is ready to buy again
7 - call current clients and check-in, ask for a referral while you have them on the phone

Why sit back and get a tan when you can get some sales and boost your business?  Be pro-active!

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca
647-287-0320

Stressless Sales

Stressless Sales -

Sales calls and closing sales tend to be very stressful for most people.  Follow these guidelines and decrease your sales stress, while increasing your closing ratio.

1 - confirm that your price is appropriate based on your costs; competition and your experience
2 - be 100% confident that you have the correct price -- can you hold out your hand and ask for the price without hesitation?  If not then go back to step 1
3 - identify what your hot lead / absolutely perfect prospect looks like
4 - screen your prospects so that the only prospects that get large amounts of your time or the expensive marketing materials and the hot leads.  Prospects coule be sorted into hot leads, future leads, new contacts, possible referral sources and great resources.
5 - rank your hot leads by readiness to buy
* do they need your product or service within 45 days?
* do they have enough money to pay for your product or service?
* do they know they need your product or service?
* do they know about your company yet?
6 - Make a minimum of 15 outgoing calls / personal emails a day
* 5 calls are to people in the hot leads category
* 5 calls are to people in the future leads category
* 5 calls are to people in the new contacts, possible referral sources and great resources categories
7 - track all calls
8 - take notes for any and all conversations that you have
9 - make a note of when to call that person again
* 1 week / 1 month / 3 months / 6 months or even one year
* your conversation will give you the best guideance on when to call again

Calls
- identify what problem you can solve
- tell them about a success story that problably matches their story
- confirm their need
- confirm you can solve their problem
- give them timelines on when the problem will be solved

Meeting
- repeat the steps noted for calls but in more detail
- be sure to create a connection with your client (chit chat can be personal or business in order to create the connection and start the business relationship)

Ask for the sale

Get a signed agreement or send an email to confirm the agreement
Get a deposit if necessary

To improve your closing ratios for sales calls and to decrease your stress, call for a one on one meeting with Cheryl Rankin, Fit For Business or sign up for the next "Shape Up Your Sales" workshop.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
www.fitforbusiness.ca
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca

Do not Sell Anything!

Help your clients buy!

How do you help your client buy? What else can you do to help them buy?
- hours of operation
- price
- coupon for 1st time sale
- statistics
- references
- give them a taste / sample of your product or service
- guarantee
- package price so people know the final price
- testimonials
- comparison charts of the competition
- go to their place of business / home
- teach them how to use your services (google calendar, shoe box to off-site bookkeeper, checklist for an accountant)
- answer all questions
- tell them what questions they need to be asking
- payment plan
- accept creditcard payments
- fast service
- confidentiality guarantee

Small business sales training should actually focus on how to help the client buy. If you are having trouble getting people to close the sale / buy from you; then stop to see how you can help your client buy.

Call for a complimentary introductory session.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca

Shape Up Your Sales

Categorize your contacts and leads into three categories.

1 - cold leads - never officially met or talked
2 - warm leads - you have met and / or talked; they seemed interested to know you and or your products better
3 - hot leads - they expressed an interest in your product

Boost your sales to the next level -- sign up for the next "Shape Up Your Sales" Workshop. This sales training will give you a 3 hour workshop and a one hour consultation.

See a previous blog for more details or check out our web-site at www.fitforbusiness.ca

April 27th - Toronto / May 11th - Mississauga

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca
twitter: fitforbusiness

Shape Up Your Sales Workshop / Consultation

Need more clients?
Need to boost your closing ratio?
Not sure if your sales process is working?

3 hour workshop - Discussion will include some sales and marketing tips to shape up your sales and make your profits more fit. Many tips and hints from her presentation at an international conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
* Create the optimanl connection with your client
* Improve the client's commitment to buying
* Use action provoking messages
* match media options to your budget and market

1 hour consultation - continue the discussion with all of the focus on your business.

Register Today and let's get you some more sales!

June 23rd
1 - 4pm
GPO Network Offices
5925 Airport Rd, suite 200

September 17th
1 - 4pm
GPO Network Offices
5925 Airport Rd, suite 200

Cheryl Rankin
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
http://www.fitforbusiness.ca/

1 Minute Intro

Infomercial / Elevator Pitch / Business Introduction

A 1 minute introduction to your business is mandatory for your business. Include the basics like your name, your business name, what do you do and what problem do you solve for your clients. Add in some special things like 1) why you are better than your competition, 2) why are you different than your competition (unique selling proposition) or 3) who is your target market.

Use your 1 minute to try to get the attention of your audience. Do not sell anything!
Most business owners should use the 1 minute to buy enough time from their audience to get a coffee meeting where they can do their sales pitch.

What impression do you want to leave your audience with? Now write your 1 minute to give that impression.

Practice your 1 minute so it is automatic.

If you need help with your 1 minute introduction, please call Cheryl at Fit For Business to book a phone consultation. She can be reached at 647-287-0320.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca

Do it right the first time!

When we try to rush to get things done, many little things go wrong which slow us down. In the majority of situations like this we actually have to redo our work.

My son came home the other day very upset that the teacher did not like his title page that he completed in less than 1 minute. In the evening, when he started the project he said "it will only take a couple of minutes". We suggested he slow down and do it right the first time and not risk having to redo it yet again.

His finished title page looked great and it did not take as much time as he imagined.

Slow down!
Do it right!
Your attention will focus on the project!
Your productivity and accuracy will go up!

Whether it is recording a new business contacts phone number in the correct spot the first time or filing things in the correct place - do it right the first time and watch your business grow.

Check our web-site for upcoming info on "Shape Up Your Sales" workshop and consultation. This sales training workshop will help small businesses grow.

Cheryl
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
info@fitforbusiness.ca
www.fitforbusiness.ca

Summer Business Seminars

Reach a new business level!
S u m m e r B u s i n e s s T r a i n i n g S e r i e s

Fit For Business is teaming up with six other great training providers to deliver a series of
sessions that will help your business reach the next level. These topics are designed to
provide you with new ideas, new information and new strategies to help revitalize your
existing business and improve your profits.

• 1 session - $25 plus GST • 3 or more sessions - $75 plus GST

7:45 am – 9am, Central Library, Mississauga

For more details check www.fitforbusiness.ca
Call today to register for these great 1 hour training/networking sessions,
call Cheryl at 647-287-0320.

July 12th - e-marketing
(The Technology Coach/Fit For Business)

July 19th - new view on numbers
(Aldo Sistilli Accounting/Fit For Business)

July 26th - professional presentations
(Actors In Motion/Fit For Business)

Aug 9th - branding bootcamp
(Wildworks Graphic Design/Fit For Business)

Aug 16th - turning risks into opportunities
(Business Continuity & Recovery Services/Fit For Business)

Aug 23th - strategies to become a business beach bum
(Thinc Strategies/Fit For Business)

To register call
Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
647-287-0320
fitforbusiness@rogers.com
www.fitforbusiness.ca

Women In A Home Office

A special thank you to Anne Stone from Women In A Home Office who invited me to be the guest speaker for their tele-seminar on Sales and Marketing For Small Businesses. We had a great discussion on how to improve your sales and marketing without spending alot of money. The really neat thing was that some people were in Ontario and there were people all the way to Calgary, Alberta.

I have never been to a networking meeting that covered so much distance. If you hate traveling to your networking meetings or training sessions, consider Women In A Home Office networking group and/or consider setting up your own tele-meetings. It was neat!

I think we may do another tele-seminar on June 15th - watch for details coming soon.

Cheryl Rankin
Fit For Business
www.fitforbusiness.ca

Target Your Marketing

Good afternoon -

I am working with a new client on a marketing plan. Step 1 was to identify his target market. "He said businesses". Be really specific about your target market.
Is there a geographical area?
Male vs female?
Do they know your product?
Are they looking for your product?
What size of business?
Does the business rent a store location?
Who runs the business? (the owner or a worker)
Is there a time of year that they look for your product?
What problem do they have that you can solve?
Where do your potential clients buy other products?
Where do your potential clients network?
Who else sells to your potential clients?
How else do they solve their problem? (order on-line, order by catalog, read a book, etc)
Do you potential clients know they have a problem?

As you can see - the more information that you know about your client the better. Organize this information so that you can find some opportunities for marketing and some sales strategies to attract their attention to your business.

If you need help identifying your target market, please call me at 647-287-0320 to set up a complimentary introductory session.

Cheryl
www.fitforbusiness.ca

Shape Up Your Sales

I am excited to share an article that I just had published in Fitness Experts Magazine, April 2007 issue. I posted it on my web-site - www.fitforbusiness.ca. Even if you are not in the fitness industry this article can help your business grow your sales to the next level.

I did include this article in my April Business Fit Tip/newsletter. If you would like to receive this helpful newsletter for small business owners, please e-mail me at fitforbusiness@rogers.com.

Have a wonderful day!
Cheryl, Fit For Business