ChannelPro-SMB - Business

Increase Wallet Share: Cross Sell & Up Sell Strategies

SalesManagementGuru — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:59:39 GMT

Sales Leadership: Increasing Wallet Share with Cross Sell/Up Sell Strategies During a recent meeting with a new client’s sales team we began discussing ideas to drive additional revenue, during the meeting I began to poke at what products/services they currently have to offer and then we began a discussion on the concept of cross sell and up sell. Over the many years as a sales leader and as a consultant, when potential sales looked weak, the first action I would take would be to analyze all existing clients as to what products and services they currently use or have implemented. Next, I would determine what logical new or additional products/services I could offer the client. During my recent client meeting we began to map out, by client, specific and tactical plans to contact certain clients, what messaging we would use and a justification for the natural progression into the new offering. In effect, we created a “Flight Plan” or roadmap for each client where there were potential business opportunities. If you have not done this kind of project, the summer is a great time to work on this exercise. If business is slow, focus on your base of clients using...

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Are You Facing Sales Fatigue?

SalesManagementGuru — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:35:55 GMT

The past three years have been a challenge for most partner organizations. The economy has caused sales teams to face declining prospect budgets, more competitive bidding, fewer opportunities, lower incomes and general personal stress. As someone that works with partner organizations on a daily basis we have seen all of these situations cause an increase in mental and physical fatigue. As partner executives, we have witnessed increased levels of stress because of managing cash flow, personnel decisions, increased costs, decreased margins and personal stress have caused the same problems to appear. As we face another year most individuals are unclear as to the future, will it either be a recovering economy or another challenging series of events? What is the recipe for ensuring your organization exceeds its goals this year and create a culture of high performance? From an executive’s Action Plan there are specific tactics to ensure your organization is focused, energized and mentally tough. It begins with a focus on communication and a series of actions to build belief within your sales team. Sales organizations are the critical ingredients in building a total organizations culture of expectation and success. Executive Action Plans Monthly Meetings : When a company...

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How to Handle a Social Media Confrontation

ChannelPro-SMB — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:02:31 GMT

Your customers may take to social media, like Facebook or Twitter, to publicly lodge a complaint against you. Find out how you can best handle this situation.

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Are you a painter or mechanic?

Stuart Crawford — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:26:13 GMT

Do you have a passion for IT? Back in November 2008, I lost my passion for technology.?? The perfect storm of why I hated technology had been brewing for quite some time.?? We were hiring the best of the worst simply because available great talent didn't exist, client frustrations were increasing and my love for what I did simply disappeared. Luckily for me, around May 2010, my passion for IT returned and Ulistic started to focus on helping IT consulting firms, VARs and resellers with marketing support. Today, we also provide coaching and mentoring for IT firms. Why is this important??? I got to talking to a client the other day about the lack of performance of sales teams.?? After a lengthy discussion on what makes a great sales professional, we determined that it started with passion.?? I love the story he told me. I'll do my best to summarize it. It started with a painter.?? Any painter will do, but let's say a painter of landscapes. There are two types of painters.?? The first is the painter who wants to have everything right and knows all about the types of paper, paints, canvas, the history of the scene he...

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Are you a Sales Leader or a Sales Manager?

SalesManagementGuru — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:09:54 GMT

Are You a Sales Manager or a Sales Leader? By Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” KEN: This week I have guest blogger, his new book is on my recommended list. www.AcumenManagement.com Take a moment and answer this question: “If you are a sales manager – or when you think about the person who manages you – which description rings accurate: Sales Manager or Sales Leader ?” Far too many sales managers are doing just that – managing rather than leading. If you’re wondering what the difference is, let me sum it up very simply. Sales managers are concerned with the market they manage. Sales leaders are concerned about the people they lead. It’s easy for sales managers to say they’re a sales leader when things are going well. When things are not going well, though, it becomes blatantly apparent who really is a leader. Managers are quick to jump in and save the sale or the customer. They’ll push anyone at headquarters to get what they need for their market or area. Leaders, on the other hand, even in tough times choose to spend their time leading people and not trying to manage the market. This does not mean they...

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Service is the Key to Success

ChannelPro-SMB — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:11:00 GMT

To succeed in a tough business climate, Dubuque Data Services focuses on personalized service and lets employees make the call when serving customers. By Colleen Callahan

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Spring-Cleaning Your Business

ChannelPro-SMB — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:16:00 GMT

The first quarter is history. It's time to sweep up, air out, and whip your business into shape. By Bill Kozel

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Sales Leadership: "Looking Forward"

SalesManagementGuru — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:54:05 GMT

Many individuals have commented on my Outlook signature block, before I have my personal signature and where many people say “sincerely”, I have the words “Looking Forward”. Why do I use those words? They mean several different issues to me. First, I am a positive person. Looking forward is always better than that living in the past, while it is good to learn from the past, it is important to remain focused on your future opportunities. In my keynote program Gourmet Living, I sometimes make the point that “ you can’t change the way you have lived your life, but you can change the way you live your life!” In a sales management role, you set the tone for your organization-everyday. That is why I also use the following phases; when someone asks; how are you today? I simply respond, “Its Monday, I ‘m Marvelous! When the day changes; Tuesday I am Terrific! Wednesday I am Wonderful! Thursday I am Tremendous! Friday I am Fabulous! Saturday I am Super! This mindset changes how most people will react to you and how you react to them. Be positive be forward looking. The second reason I use Looking Forward in my signature...

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