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		<title>Sales Techniques For Inbound Calls</title>
		<link>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-techniques-for-inbound-calls/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-techniques-for-inbound-calls/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:15:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Call Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer Service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Representative]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mollyberke.com/?p=139</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Rich Hessler asked: Inbound call sales is defined as customers contacting call centers for customer service or catalogue (paper and online) sales. The goal during an inbound call is to make an add-on sale. By deploying specific techniques, inbound call sales representatives can increase their conversion rate.InterrogationEveryone knows what it is like to get interrogated [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float:left; padding: 12px"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Techniques15.jpg"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Techniques15.jpg" title='' alt='' /></a></div>
<div><em><strong>Rich Hessler						</a></strong> asked: </em><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Inbound call sales is defined as customers contacting call centers for customer service or catalogue (paper and online) sales. The goal during an inbound call is to make an add-on sale. By deploying specific techniques, inbound call sales representatives can increase their conversion rate.<br/><br/><strong>Interrogation</strong><br/><br/>Everyone knows what it is like to get interrogated by a sales representative. Instead of using this approach, make the call seem more like a conversation. For example, make a statement such as &#8220;My name is Rich&#8221; in front of &#8220;What is your name?&#8221;<br/><br/><strong>Lead the Conversation</strong><br/><br/>Just because you are answering a call does not mean that the customer has to lead the conversation. Develop a process to guide a caller through a conversation. A sample process would include:<br/><br/>Greeting Method of engagement Develop a need for product Present the solution Close the sale by reinforcing the buying decision<br/><br/>By putting a practice such as this in place, it is much easier to guide individuals through to your solution.<br/><br/><strong>Politeness</strong><br/><br/>You have received a lead for business. Make certain to be courteous by listening, saying please and thank you, and being receptive to the problems they are presenting.<br/><br/><strong>Close the Deal</strong><br/><br/>By making your product or service fit their problem, you are well on your way to closing the deal. Using your closing techniques, present the price and ask for a payment. A good way to ask for payment:<br/><br/>&#8220;Will that be Visa or Mastercard?&#8221;<br/><br/>Make certain to avoid phrases such as &#8220;Before I let you go.&#8221; This makes the leads assume that you are attempting to sell. This will put them on the defensive (and makes it difficult to close the sale).<br/><br/><strong>Fallback Offers</strong><br/><br/>After the initial offer is rejected, have a second offer in mind. The fallback offer is almost always less expensive than the first offer. By presenting a fallback offer, customers may be thinking &#8220;I am getting a better deal.&#8221; This means that you have a better chance at closing the sale.<br/><br/><a href='http://kansieo.com'>Create a video blog&#8230;instantly.</a></div>
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		<title>Top 3 Sales Techniques</title>
		<link>http://www.mollyberke.com/top-3-sales-techniques/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mollyberke.com/top-3-sales-techniques/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conversation Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opponents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smile]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mollyberke.com/?p=125</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Mike M Willshare asked: Are you worried because your opponents at work are producing better sales figures than you can? Have you been waiting for that promotion but your boss seems unhappy with the amount you are selling? Are you frustrated with your sales job because you seem to be unable to impress your customers?Just [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float:left; padding: 12px"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Techniques8.jpg"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Techniques8.jpg" title='' alt='' /></a></div>
<div><em><strong>Mike M Willshare						</a></strong> asked: </em><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Are you worried because your opponents at work are producing better sales figures than you can? Have you been waiting for that promotion but your boss seems unhappy with the amount you are selling? Are you frustrated with your sales job because you seem to be unable to impress your customers?<br/><br/>Just follow the three best sales techniques that we teach you and see your career in sales blossom like never before! Whether you are in a telesales job or in a sales job that requires you to sell products face to face our sales tips are sure to bring color in to your sales skills!<br/><br/>Research a Little<br/><br/>If you try to sell a detergent powder to a man who does not even know where his dirty clothes go every evening you are sure not to meet with success however good you may be at convincing people. So now you know what we mean. Sales techniques are not always about going out there or making that call, they are also about spotting the right place and the right phone number.<br/><br/>Understand the nature of the product that you are selling and those whom it might interest. Find out the area that you are to handle and try to analyze the customers that you must target. Once you know the people who are sure to have an interest in your product you need not worry about rude answers and sudden door bangs, you will at least get the time to start off that conversation!<br/><br/>Be Enterprising<br/><br/>Don&#8217;t frown at that gatekeeper who was rude or don&#8217;t pass a sly comment to show your frustration. Have a smile pasted on that face because it will take you places. Convince people in a way that they will be interested in your product and that can happen if you can manage to befriend them!<br/><br/>If you have called the customer don&#8217;t use the usual conversation techniques, and if you are visiting their home learn to make them trust you! Being enterprising is a skill you must acquire.<br/><br/>You have to know how to keep your customer&#8217;s attention glued to you. Dressing well, being confident enough to be able to provide all the information your customer asks for and being patient are all a part of your sales techniques!<br/><br/>Make Offers<br/><br/>This is the era of cut throat competition, so if you think being rigid is going to help know well in advance that it won&#8217;t. If you don&#8217;t grant your customer that extra discount then someone else will and you will end up as the loser! Make your customers attractive offers that will enhance their interest.<br/><br/>When you face a customer who is difficult to ***** always remember that the right offer can get your deal through. Moreover, be careful about the closing techniques that you use and don&#8217;t make them mundane! Have the right pitch and the right attitude that will make you presentable and patient during negotiations!<br/><br/>That&#8217;s how easily you can go about your sales job, just follow these techniques and see how success comes to you more easily than you can ever imagine!<br/><br/><a href='http://mycaffeinatedcontent.com'>Website content</a></div>
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		<title>7 Hands-On Sales Techniques</title>
		<link>http://www.mollyberke.com/7-hands-on-sales-techniques/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mollyberke.com/7-hands-on-sales-techniques/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Sep 2011 05:45:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Avon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tupperware]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work At Home Business Opportunities]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mollyberke.com/?p=129</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[JR Lang asked: Some of the best work at home business opportunities are direct sales. Whether you are selling Avon, Tupperware, health products or anything else, correct sales techniques can have a big impact on your earnings.Effective Sales Techniques:1. Know your customer. This is one of the most important sales techniques in the arsenal. Do [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float:left; padding: 12px"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Techniques10.jpg"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Techniques10.jpg" title='' alt='' /></a></div>
<div><em><strong>JR Lang						</a></strong> asked: </em><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Some of the best work at home business opportunities are direct sales. Whether you are selling Avon, Tupperware, health products or anything else, correct sales techniques can have a big impact on your earnings.<br/><br/><strong>Effective Sales Techniques:</strong><br/><br/><strong>1. Know your customer.</strong> This is one of the most important sales techniques in the arsenal. Do some research and understand the types of people that you are selling to. Understanding their needs, desires and concerns is a great way to present a solution that they will surely go for. Different audiences have different problems, as a salesperson you are in essence a problem solver and are there to offer a solution that can change from one customer to another.<br/><br/><strong>2. Know the product.</strong> Make sure that you know your business and the product you are selling. Often using the product yourself will allow you to convey a message of reliability, honesty and integrity. You do not want to come across as someone who does not know what they are talking about.<br/><br/><strong>3. Read customer reactions.</strong> Another important sale technique is to read customer reactions. Watch the facial, body language and verbal reactions of the customer. Be able to detect, interest and disinterest as well their general reaction to the pitch and the product. Hopefully, the reactions will be positive, because they are interested in what you are selling. If they seem disinterested, remind them of the more prominent points that your product has.<br/><br/><strong>4. Listen to the customer.</strong> This sales technique can be crucial to your business success. Do not assume you know what customers want, listen for questions that are overt and covert as well. Be able to answer those questions with expertise and never convey that you don not know something. Make sure that you know the product well enough and all its components and features that you can answer with competence.<br/><br/><strong>5. Emphasize the benefits.</strong> Every product has its benefits, and those should always be emphasized. Also, some customers may have very different benefits from the same products, identify those and emphasize the ones that fit a particular audience.<br/><br/><strong>6. Eye contact. </strong>This sales technique can go a long way to exhibiting honestly and credibility. Make sure to look your customer in the eye and not convey any kind of hesitation or non-belief in your product.<br/><br/><strong>7. Be professional.</strong> Be respectful, speak well and clearly, smile, address the customer properly. Do not use slang, or bad words. Remember that you represent the product and all it has to offer and there is not much time in a sales pitch so first impressions really count.<br/><br/>Utilizing these sales techniques can vastly improve the success of your home business and enhance your earnings and sales.<br/><br/><a href='http://kansieo.com/members'>Caffeinated Content &#8211; Members-Only Content for WordPress</a></div>
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		<title>Sales Techniques of Master Sales People</title>
		<link>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-techniques-of-master-sales-people/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-techniques-of-master-sales-people/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:19:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Objection]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[True One]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mollyberke.com/?p=115</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Brian B Conway asked: People who are interested in sales must always make sure that they learn the techniques well to achieve success in this field. Sales are one of the most popular fields present in the job market these days.Building up a career in sales can be easy if you have the proper sales [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float:left; padding: 12px"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Techniques3.jpg"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Techniques3.jpg" title='' alt='' /></a></div>
<div><em><strong>Brian B Conway						</a></strong> asked: </em><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>People who are interested in sales must always make sure that they learn the techniques well to achieve success in this field. Sales are one of the most popular fields present in the job market these days.<br/><br/>Building up a career in sales can be easy if you have the proper sales skills. If you are already in this filed and you are not getting your sales figures right then you must be having some problem choosing the proper sales techniques.<br/><br/>You might manufacture a product at a phenomenal rate but you will not have any value unless you can sell your product successfully to the customers. There are people who think that the techniques required for sales cannot be learnt but this is not true. One of the major sales techniques that you need to learn is how to overcome sales objections.<br/><br/>First of all it is important to create a good rapport with the customers. Always make sure you welcome him with a great smile. Then you need to start explaining the features of the products that you are selling.<br/><br/>If the customer asks any question you must always be ready to answer it. Make sure you answer all the questions in a positive sense. While having a discussion with the customers you must also start judging whether the customer is willing to get the product.<br/><br/>Sales objection occurs when a customer objects to purchasing a particular product sold by you. It is your duty to convince him with all your skills and techniques. If they try to convince you about not buying the product then make sure you agree with the point but then also make him understand the benefits of buying it.<br/><br/>Other than this, you must also have proper questioning skills. There are certain sales tips which can help you perform your job successfully. First of all it is important to grab the attention of the customers.<br/><br/>If you want to persuade customers to purchase a particular product then this is the most important step. After this you need to create some interest in the minds of the customers. You must share some interesting facts about the product so that the customer gets interested in it.<br/><br/>It is important to find out what the customer actually needs. Your duty is to highlight the kind of facilities that the customer needs from the product. The third tip is to create a desire in the mind of the customer.<br/><br/>If you are successful in creating the desire the fourth step will follow which is the action of buying the product. Sales techniques also include executive engagement, closing techniques, negation skills, getting past the gatekeeper and so on. But before you start selling a product you must always make sure you perform a customer research.<br/><br/>This will help you understand the needs and requirements of the customers. You will also find the prospective customers with the help of research. Utilize these sales techniques to master the art of sales.<br/><br/><a href='http://kansieo.com/members'>Caffeinated Content</a></div>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Sales Techniques &#8211; Easily Close Any Sale!</title>
		<link>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-techniques-easily-close-any-sale/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-techniques-easily-close-any-sale/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:25:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hypnotic Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nlp Techniques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Radar Sales]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mollyberke.com/?p=113</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Marc Savage asked: They say sales is essentially a battle of wills, in that whoever has the most certainty in a situation will come out on top.Thankfully then there are a lot of subtlesales techniques you can use to weaken any thoughts of skepticism in your prospects mind and make them more likely to make [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float:left; padding: 12px"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Techniques2.jpg"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Techniques2.jpg" title='' alt='' /></a></div>
<div><em><strong>Marc Savage						</a></strong> asked: </em><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>They say sales is essentially a battle of wills, in that whoever has the most certainty in a situation will come out on top.<br/><br/>Thankfully then there are a lot of subtlesales techniques you can use to weaken any thoughts of skepticism in your prospects mind and make them more likely to make a purchasing decision in your favor.<br/><br/>The following sales techniques come from the areas of hypnosis, NLP and general persuasion methodologies. Feel free to incorporate them into your own sales process to get better results.<br/><br/>1) Embedded commands from hypnosis-under the radar sales techniques<br/><br/>The conscious mind can only concentrate on a few things at once, while the subconscious has evolved to take care of most of what we are doing every second of the day or night.<br/><br/>Because of this, we can use the hypnotic techniques of &#8220;embedded commands&#8221; to plant buying seeds in our prospects sub-conscious mind to get them to buy.<br/><br/>We do this by planting suggestions and buying key words in our subjects mind that are casually dropped into conversation without them knowing it. These words bypass the conscious mind and go straight to the subconscious where the two meanings of a word are processed and influence the buying decision.<br/><br/>This is one of the most powerful sales techniques that you can use assuming you get the timing right and are subtle in its use.<br/><br/>You could say something like &#8220;by now lots of customers are seeing the benefits of investing in this type of technology&#8221;. Notice that the word &#8220;by&#8221; can also be &#8220;buy&#8221;. The subconscious mind now has to accept both meanings as accurate. This little word when used correctly at the right moment can influence a buying decision.<br/><br/>2) NLP sales techniques<br/><br/>One of the best sources of powerful mind changing sales techniques comes from the world of NLP.<br/><br/>There are a whole variety of sales techniques that you can employ to help you with closing a sale, but the one I want to mention here that can work really well is based around the idea of rapport.<br/><br/>The NLP guys soon realized that all sales techniques are based around rapport building between the sales person and the prospect.<br/><br/>Rapport is a name given to the process where the prospect feels that the sales person is like them, that they have a relationship together and that the sales person has their best interest at heart.<br/><br/>One of the key NLP sales techniques to get to this stage is simply to mirror the body language and postures of the person you are selling to. We will naturally do this with someone we are getting on well with.<br/><br/>The key thing to remember as with other sales techniques is not to make it too obvious. You may even find that if you are genuinely getting along with the person and feel relaxed around them that you will naturally start to mimic their body language. When they feel more comfortable with you they are more likely to buy.<br/><br/>3) Knowing what they value<br/><br/>One of the best sales techniques that you can use to turn your prospects thinking towards buying is really getting to know what is of value or what is important to the prospect.<br/><br/>You can use this as a powerful persuasion technique to close that prospect by focussing on the benefits of your product in terms of how it relates to what is important to your client.<br/><br/>This is one of the sales techniques that is frequently overlooked by sales people because they focus on the benefits of their product but forget to find out what is meaningful and important to the client.<br/><br/>The only way to find this out for sure is to ask questions of your client and find out what it is that they are looking for and what causes them the most &#8220;pain&#8221; in their business.<br/><br/>Once you have done this you will be in a position to leverage this pain in your sales presentation. This is one of the most crucial sales techniques there is and it&#8217;s very lacking in most salespeople&#8217;s sales process.<br/><br/>There are many more techniques you can discover through hypnosis, NLP and persuasion.<br/><br/><a href='http://kansieo.com'>Create a video blog&#8230;instantly.</a></div>
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		<title>Sales Territory Management &#8211; How to Prioritize Your Activities to Produce Maximum Results</title>
		<link>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-territory-management-how-to-prioritize-your-activities-to-produce-maximum-results/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-territory-management-how-to-prioritize-your-activities-to-produce-maximum-results/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 25 Dec 2010 06:18:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management Activities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Referrals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Territory Management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mollyberke.com/?p=54</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Alan Rigg asked: How you prioritize your sales territory management activities depends upon whether you are managing a territory that has existing customers, or whether you are building your customer base from scratch. If you manage a territory that has existing customers, your first priority should be to introduce yourself to every single one of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float: left; padding: 12px;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Management8.jpg"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Sales_Management8.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
<div><em><strong>Alan Rigg </strong> asked: </em></p>
<p>How you prioritize your sales territory management activities depends upon whether you are managing a territory that has existing customers, or whether you are building your customer base from scratch.</p>
<p>If you manage a territory that has existing customers, your first priority should be to introduce yourself to every single one of your customers. This should be a pleasant, low-key introduction along the lines of:</p>
<p>&#8220;I just wanted to introduce myself and see if there is anything I can do to help you.&#8221;</p>
<p>Then, as you are chatting with your customers, you can ask:</p>
<p>&#8220;Would you mind sharing with me how you think my company&#8217;s relationship with you has been going so far? What have we been doing well? Where could we improve?&#8221;</p>
<p>Collecting this kind of feedback is a great way to start relationships with customers. It also helps you draw any festering problems out into the open. If you can address the problems quickly, it can really jump-start your relationships with the affected customers.</p>
<p>This same approach can also be effective for customers that have been reducing their purchases from your company over time, or customers that have stopped ordering completely. It is never much fun to listen to people complain. But, if you can isolate and solve the problems that are causing the dissatisfaction, you can produce a rapid and substantial boost in sales.</p>
<p>If you find customers that are really happy with the service your company has provided, drill down (with more questions) to determine just what has made them so happy. Their answers will provide you with a template for successfully managing their (and other) accounts. Also, ask these happy customers for referrals&#8230;regardless of whether you have contributed in any way to their happiness! Happy, satisfied customers are usually delighted to share their positive experience with others.</p>
<p>Once you have met all of your existing customers, the next step is to identify target prospects in your territory. Start by checking with your manager. If they have been managing your sales team for any period of time, they should be able to suggest some good target prospects.</p>
<p>Once you have compiled a list of target prospects, determine which ones you will pursue first. Which target prospects have the greatest potential to purchase the largest amounts of products and services? Which ones are likely to be &#8220;quick closes&#8221;? If you have both types of target prospects on your list, pursue several of each type at the same time. In the words of a well-respected executive that I used to work with:</p>
<p>&#8220;Elephant hunting is great&#8230;but those rabbits sure taste good in between the elephants!&#8221;</p>
<p>When you are ready to begin pursuing your target prospects, start by asking your existing customers whether they know anyone that works in the target organizations. If they do, ask for referrals. Once you have exhausted available referrals, proceed with the other activities in your prospecting plan &#8211; but tailor these activities to attract the attention of your target prospects.</p>
<p>Conclusion</p>
<p>Effective sales territory management begins with touching base with every single one of your existing customers. Ask questions to gauge their satisfaction with their relationship with your company. If they identify any problems, work aggressively to solve these problems as your first priority.</p>
<p>If a customer expresses happiness and satisfaction, ask questions to determine what your company has been doing right. Use this information to create a template for managing all of your accounts. Also be sure to ask for referrals, both in general and to specific target accounts. Exhaust these referrals before you begin the other (less productive) activities in your prospecting plan.</p>
<p>Prioritize your activities as described in this article, and you will maximize sales growth in your territory!</p>
<p>Copyright 2005-2008 &#8212; Alan Rigg</p>
<p><a href="http://kansieo.com/members">Caffeinated Content</a></p>
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		<title>Sales Territory Management &#8211; How to Prioritize Your Activities to Produce Maximum Results</title>
		<link>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-territory-management-how-to-prioritize-your-activities-to-produce-maximum-results-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-territory-management-how-to-prioritize-your-activities-to-produce-maximum-results-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 03:33:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Target]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mollyberke.com/?p=57</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Alan Rigg asked: How you prioritize your sales territory management activities depends upon whether you are managing a territory that has existing customers, or whether you are building your customer base from scratch.If you manage a territory that has existing customers, your first priority should be to introduce yourself to every single one of your [...]]]></description>
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<div><em><strong>Alan Rigg						</a></strong> asked: </em><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>How you prioritize your sales territory management activities depends upon whether you are managing a territory that has existing customers, or whether you are building your customer base from scratch.<br/><br/>If you manage a territory that has existing customers, your first priority should be to introduce yourself to every single one of your customers. This should be a pleasant, low-key introduction along the lines of:<br/><br/>&#8220;I just wanted to introduce myself and see if there is anything I can do to help you.&#8221;<br/><br/>Then, as you are chatting with your customers, you can ask:<br/><br/>&#8220;Would you mind sharing with me how you think my company&#8217;s relationship with you has been going so far? What have we been doing well? Where could we improve?&#8221;<br/><br/>Collecting this kind of feedback is a great way to start relationships with customers. It also helps you draw any festering problems out into the open. If you can address the problems quickly, it can really jump-start your relationships with the affected customers.<br/><br/>This same approach can also be effective for customers that have been reducing their purchases from your company over time, or customers that have stopped ordering completely. It is never much fun to listen to people complain. But, if you can isolate and solve the problems that are causing the dissatisfaction, you can produce a rapid and substantial boost in sales.<br/><br/>If you find customers that are really happy with the service your company has provided, drill down (with more questions) to determine just what has made them so happy. Their answers will provide you with a template for successfully managing their (and other) accounts. Also, ask these happy customers for referrals&#8230;regardless of whether you have contributed in any way to their happiness! Happy, satisfied customers are usually delighted to share their positive experience with others.<br/><br/>Once you have met all of your existing customers, the next step is to identify target prospects in your territory. Start by checking with your manager. If they have been managing your sales team for any period of time, they should be able to suggest some good target prospects.<br/><br/>Once you have compiled a list of target prospects, determine which ones you will pursue first. Which target prospects have the greatest potential to purchase the largest amounts of products and services? Which ones are likely to be &#8220;quick closes&#8221;? If you have both types of target prospects on your list, pursue several of each type at the same time. In the words of a well-respected executive that I used to work with:<br/><br/>&#8220;Elephant hunting is great&#8230;but those rabbits sure taste good in between the elephants!&#8221;<br/><br/>When you are ready to begin pursuing your target prospects, start by asking your existing customers whether they know anyone that works in the target organizations. If they do, ask for referrals. Once you have exhausted available referrals, proceed with the other activities in your prospecting plan &#8211; but tailor these activities to attract the attention of your target prospects.<br/><br/>Conclusion<br/><br/>Effective sales territory management begins with touching base with every single one of your existing customers. Ask questions to gauge their satisfaction with their relationship with your company. If they identify any problems, work aggressively to solve these problems as your first priority.<br/><br/>If a customer expresses happiness and satisfaction, ask questions to determine what your company has been doing right. Use this information to create a template for managing all of your accounts. Also be sure to ask for referrals, both in general and to specific target accounts. Exhaust these referrals before you begin the other (less productive) activities in your prospecting plan.<br/><br/>Prioritize your activities as described in this article, and you will maximize sales growth in your territory!<br/><br/>Copyright 2005-2008 &#8212; Alan Rigg<br/><br/><a href='http://kansieo.com'>Kansieo.com</a></div>
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		<title>Elements Of A Successful Sales Performance Management System</title>
		<link>http://www.mollyberke.com/elements-of-a-successful-sales-performance-management-system-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mollyberke.com/elements-of-a-successful-sales-performance-management-system-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Nov 2010 23:57:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Revenue Goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Target Markets]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mollyberke.com/?p=93</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Andrew Rowe asked: The components of a successful sales performance management system include first of all having well defined revenue plans and revenue and margin objectives. Often times, this includes having bookings objectives for your individual sales people. Having well defined sales territories relating to those targets. And of course, having a strong, well documented [...]]]></description>
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<div><em><strong>Andrew Rowe						</a></strong> asked: </em><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>The components of a successful sales performance management system include first of all having well defined revenue plans and revenue and margin objectives. Often times, this includes having bookings objectives for your individual sales people. Having well defined sales territories relating to those targets. And of course, having a strong, well documented plan, in terms of who your target markets and customers are within your territories.<br/><br/>In addition to having a revenue plan, other components of the sales performance management system include a job description that is expectation based where the outcomes are clearly defined are very important in terms of overall requirements for success in the job.<br/><br/>The next component of successful sales performance management system is actually having individual revenue margin and booking objectives for each of your people. Typically, this is done an annualize basis with your people going through a planning cycle once you&#8217;ve defined your overall company&#8217;s revenue plans. You should put together targets, annual revenue and bookings goals for each of your salespeople that are tied to that overall revenue plan. And often times you&#8217;ll be doing a measuring and monitoring of performance relative to those actual revenue goals systematically on a monthly or quarterly basis in addition to that.<br/><br/>The next element of a successful sales performance management system is having an annual territory plan that your salespeople are working towards. This territory plan should be developed in concert with sales management in your sales people and it should list not only your major objects but also key accounts that you&#8217;re targeting, the strategies to get into those accounts, should probably have a section about both new business development as well as account maintenance or account management and also have a section related to actual channel management strategies that your sales people are going to be carrying out. This is a once page document that can be put together in a template and passed out to your sales people and used as a tool for them to conduct annual sales planning.<br/><br/>Again, having a plan in place allows you to use that plan as a tool for measuring and monitoring performance against that plan and having ongoing discussions with your sales people related to how they&#8217;re progressing against the objectives and the overall plan that they&#8217;ve set at the outset of the year.<br/><br/>The next element of a successful sales performance management system has nothing to do with actual goals objectives or plans, but everything to do with sales management&#8217;s role in working with individuals on the sales team. This is the most critical element. Sales people are only as good as they are being managed by sales management. A lot of companies expect sales people to be left at their own devices, but just like any other team, sales people need to be managed and the foundation for that, of course, is having somebody in place in your sales management function who is willing to work closely with their people.<br/><br/>The role of sales management in developing and using a sales performance management system is probably most principally based upon the notion of sales management working closely with sales team members on an on going basis and establishing a relationship of trust, confidence, and mentorship. And that relationship built between sales management and its team is fundamental to empowering sales people to be successful in their jobs.<br/><br/>The role of sales management is to track sales activity and measure and monitor performance and to coach sales people to success. Tracking activity can be done very easily when your company has a successful CRM implementation. We use salesforce.com to develop customized dashboards that give management a quick snapshot of each of their sales people&#8217;s activity in terms of amount of prospecting, amount of actual account qualification and actually being able to measure and track the activity of the sales people as it relates to moving deals through the actual sales process towards close.<br/><br/>Measuring and monitoring performance isn&#8217;t just about really tracking activity but in a deeper sense, getting behind the activity to understand what it is that&#8217;s working and what&#8217;s not working with each sales person&#8217;s territory. A good example of that is working with accounts. Is the sales person doing a good job of mapping out an actual customer prospect, in terms of people, decision makers, influencers and decision making processa and then working hard in order to touch all the bases to develop and advance the sale with all of the different constituents inside a specific account. This is where sales management needs to work deeply to measure and monitor sales performance and this is not a trivial task. It requires active engagement from sales management in order to do this.<br/><br/>Another foundation of good sales management, of course, is coaching your people to success. There is all sorts of schools of thoughts out there about how to best work with people but in this day and age, which is one of empowerment, people want to feel like they&#8217;re involved in the decision making processes of their job. They want to feel like their opinion is heard by management. So a more enlightened approach to coaching your people today in today&#8217;s management environment is really working with sales people to help them to understand and reach their own conclusions about how they can improve their sales performance.<br/><br/>Coaching requires active engagement which requires in turn, time spent seriously involved in a sales person&#8217;s day to day, week to week routine activities. There&#8217;s a number of different ways to do this, of course. The most effective way is spending one on one time with your sales people in the field actually visiting accounts, strategizing them, talking about and preparing for sales calls, going on those sales calls and then debriefing after those sales calls to talk about what happened, what was learned and how could the sales call have been improved. Most sales people learn by doing, and so the active coaching is the art of getting out with your people into the field and then actually working with them to help them to understand how they can enhance their sales performance and their sales technique.<br/><br/>Another element, in addition to regular sales visits, is frequent phone contact with your sales people just to check in with them to find out how things are going, and frequent informal discussions with sales people to just show them that you care and also giving them feedback on problems and challenges that they are facing on specific accounts as they raise those issues to you. Knowing which accounts your sales people are working on is the foundation for asking them questions on a regular basis about how things are going on those accounts and showing your sales people that you are actually engaged with them in an active relationship and are interested in helping them to find ways to win. When your sales people win, your company wins.<br/><br/>Yet another element is holding regular sales meetings. Some companies only do this on a very infrequent basis and the sales meeting should be a primary component of your sales performance management system. By formalizing sales meetings and holding them on a regular basis, you&#8217;re showing your sales team that you&#8217;re creating an environment of accountability and information exchange. Sales meetings can be used for a number of purposes including information gathering, finding out how your sales team members are performing.<br/><br/>Providing training for your sales people which is very important. Providing ongoing sales training is a way to make sure that your sales people are always sharpening their saw and that you&#8217;re giving them the latest tools in order to improve their sales performance. So typically, we work on sales technique training as well as product training and customer and market training as well. Other things to do in sales meetings include providing recognition incentives and rewards, taking time in your sales meetings to praise and celebrate the successes of your people is a great way of showing them that you really do care about their performance and you&#8217;re willing to celebrate those success and give them recognition and rewards as appropriate for the successes that they have. So holding sales meetings is an important part of making sure that you have a motivated, high performance sales team that&#8217;s working together and is accountable for its activities.<br/><br/>The more that sales people understand that they are accountable for producing themselves and are held accountable through these different vehicles that we&#8217;ve talked about the better your sales performance is going to be from your people. So building and deploying a successful sales performance management system is something that a company cannot live without and needs to be taken very seriously.<br/><br/>Of course the best sales performance system is only as good as the people who are running it and when it comes right down to it, running a high performance sales team is all about good leadership. What is good leadership? That&#8217;s not the subject that I want to cover here but I certainly do want to say this: Leadership is about passion, about vision, about connectedness, about motivating people, about finding out what it is that unlocks the door to people&#8217;s special performance and help8ing them to realize, open that door and go there. So in some way, building a successful sales performance management system is a key to accelerating your company&#8217;s sales and as your organization continues to grow, it becomes more important in order to achieve high performance scalability and repeatability in your processes.<br/><br/><a href='http://mycaffeinatedcontent.com'>Create a video blog</a></div>
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		<title>Sales Management Success &#8211; How to Achieve It</title>
		<link>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-management-success-how-to-achieve-it-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-management-success-how-to-achieve-it-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Nov 2010 01:01:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Available Resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tazer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Team Cooperation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mollyberke.com/?p=74</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Joseph Pressley asked: Sales management can be defined as the achievement of an organization&#8217;s sales goals using effective and efficient methods which can be done through careful planning, staffing, training, leading and controlling of organizational resources. Sales management plays an important role in any form of organization. It is not an easy task to accomplish, even [...]]]></description>
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<div><em><strong>Joseph Pressley						</a></strong> asked: </em><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Sales management can be defined as the achievement of an organization&#8217;s sales goals using effective and efficient methods which can be done through careful planning, staffing, training, leading and controlling of organizational resources. Sales management plays an important role in any form of organization. It is not an easy task to accomplish, even for those who are already experienced in this field. There are lots of factors to consider, such as team work, and the available resources of your organization. Thus, a systematic approach on sales management is required. Here are some tips to help you in your sales management.<br/><br/>The first thing that you can do is to organize a team of professionals. Your sales team must include people who are capable of doing their task. Choose people who are skilled and talented when it comes to sales. You must also have knowledge of each individual&#8217;s capacity, so you can properly match each one in his specific work place.During the hiring process, ask practical questions like what are his ideas as to how to improve the sales of your product like the cheap tazer. Your sales team will play a very crucial role in your company&#8217;s future. Be very smart in choosing the right people for your sales team.<br/><br/>To achieve an effective sales management goal, you need have good command of your people. Effort is the key to sales management success. Team cooperation and the efficient fulfillment of each role are vital. You need to inspire your group to work harder to achieve a common goal. Your people must also feel that they are working for a common cause. Let them know what your goals are and inspire them how they can play a big part in the achievement of each objective.<br/><br/>Obviously, an organization can never move forward without following a good system. When it comes to sales management, a good system decides whether your team will achieve your objectives or not. Being the team leader or the sales manager, you must be the one to set the standards on how each member of the team must work. Without any proper system, there will be too much freedom leading to a disorganized level of work. You will have different directions and you will not be aiming at one goal.<br/><br/>Economic incentive is a very powerful force to push your sales team to achieve greater heights. Offer incentives to people who really deserve it to drive them to work hard and do their best in pursuing your sales goal. Economic incentive is a practical, realistic and very effective drive force. For instance, if someone was able to reach far more beyond the quota of your product like the stun gun for sale, then you must give that worker what he is due to be able to motivate him to do even better.<br/><br/>Sales management is not child&#8217;s play. It is a serious world with serious objectives. It is true that there are lots of external factors that can be factor for failing. But the core responsibility still stands in the hands of people within your team. Everyone in your team, including you should be responsible for any decision.  You must held each accountable for their actions and you are responsible for every decision that you make.<br/><br/><a href='http://kansieo.com'>sales management</a></div>
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		<title>Sales Force Management &#8211; How to Stay Focused on the Goals</title>
		<link>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-force-management-how-to-stay-focused-on-the-goals-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mollyberke.com/sales-force-management-how-to-stay-focused-on-the-goals-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:35:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Compromise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Secondary Goal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mollyberke.com/?p=97</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Carl Davidson asked: One of the keys to good sales force management is to realize that it is more important that your sales force respects you than like you. If they like you, that&#8217;s great but often in sales force management as in family rearing, you need tough love to achieve success.In the end, what [...]]]></description>
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<div><em><strong>Carl Davidson						</a></strong> asked: </em><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>One of the keys to good sales force management is to realize that it is more important that your sales force respects you than like you. If they like you, that&#8217;s great but often in sales force management as in family rearing, you need tough love to achieve success.<br/><br/>In the end, what the company and the sales staff want is success. If you help them succeed and you are fair and consistent, they will respect you and they will want to work with you.<br/><br/>Keep in mind that you own or work for a business. The main goal of business is to make a profit. A secondary goal is to provide good customer service and a good environment for workers but these goals mean nothing if a profit is not made because the company cannot last without success in goal number one.<br/><br/>Part of good sales force management is the ability to separate personal matters from business matters. Remember that your team&#8217;s personal problems can best be solved by people outside the business. The smaller your company, the less resources you have to help your staff. Getting too personal with your staff makes this difficult. In sales force management, it is important that you keep your team focused on success without being cold or cruel.<br/><br/>Remember too that good sales people are professional manipulators. We pay them to convince others to act as the sales person directs. Keep in mind that whenever they are not selling clients, they are probably selling you. Some problems they reveal may be designed to gain an edge unfairly. For example, if a team member tells you they hurt their back and that they will need three mornings a week to get treatments, only a cad would refuse. Yet, is it fair for the company to assume the burden of that back injury? Could they reschedule their treatments to evenings or Saturdays or other off times? If you think of the company as well as your team member, a compromise can often be reached where both parties get what they need and deserve.<br/><br/>For sales force managements success, you should stick to the numbers. Every member of your team should have a number of contacts they need to make each week, a number of presentations and a number of closes they need to achieve. If they meet or exceed these activity quotas, be generous with your praise. If they cannot meet their goal, you should offer help so they can achieve them.<br/><br/>Yes, for successful sales force management, it&#8217;s great if they like you but in the end, it is far more important that they respect you and that you are achieving the goals you are responsible to achieve.<br/><br/><a href='http://mycaffeinatedcontent.com'>Caffeinated Content</a></div>
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