As promised, to complete the project of splitting out the Sales and Marketing Services Portfolios of Sales & Marketing Support, I have launched The Key Marketeers.

The Marketing Services Portfolio is split into three core areas: Recruit, Develop and Supplement.

These 'service silos' are aimed at helping companies and individuals find information and the help they need quickly and efficiently.

Let me know what you think...

2-3 weeks ago I built and launched a new website - Dearth of a Salesman.

As you are on my website, SalesMarketingSupport.com, you may be thinking 'why does he need to build another one?'
I thought I could use this blog to explain the reasons for doing so.

1. Since I launched the company in mid 2013 I have been a little concerned that I risked being regarded as a 'Jack of all trades, master of none'.
I need to clarify my position as a Project Manager/Director who is actively involved in projects (utilising my own skills where applicable and most cost effective) but recruits the best available talent into a team, directs them and manages to deliver results on time and on budget. This could be sales, marketing or sales and marketing activities.

2. I have always seen Sales & Marketing as a fully integrated function of any business, working together to drive customer and prospect engagement and managing them through a sales journey. It has become clear to me a lot of business owners regard sales and marketing as two, very separate, departments.

The launch of Dearth of a Salesman splits out my own capabilities and those of my freelance network to Recruit, Retain and Develop sales talent. This will hopefully alleviate the concerns above.

I still need SalesMarketingSupport.com as the 'corporate site' to give an overall picture of how we can help businesses, but splitting out and clarifying SMS's sales and marketing propositions and portfolios of services, should help business owners, directors and managers fully understand the value proposition of using Sales & Marketing Support.

Now I've taken the plunge and created Dearth of a Salesman, I guess I need to start working on the title for a site dedicated to the Marketing Services Portfolio..... to keep the theatrical parody theme going, watch out for 'The Key Marketeers' coming soon!

As a sales manager or director you have many factors to consider when formulating your motivation strategy, but a good starting point is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (opposite).
Ask yourself a few questions...

1. Physiological: Have you created a safe and pleasant working environment where your sales people do not begrudge spending time? Are they equipped with the correct tools to perform their job? Is sustenance readily available for them to refuel?

2. Safety: Is there an adequate level of security and stability in the working environment or is everyone spending so much time looking over their shoulder and worried about being dismissed that they can't concentrate on the task in hand?

3. Belonging - Love: Is your room of sales people a 'team'? Do they work together, share, help and encourage each other? What can you do to develop a team ethos?

4. Self-Esteem: How do you define achievement and success? How do you monitor it, recognise it and reward it to ensure it is an experience which drives the recipient to do even more, and for those looking on, to aspire and work to emulate the feat?

5. Actualisation: What do you need to do to nurture your sales people to pursue their inner talent, release their creativity and ultimately experience fulfillment? How do you help individuals and teams optimise their potential?

Point 1. is easily addressed by your 'ops' person, be that a COO or an office manager, but from point 2. onwards it all comes down to the company culture, the way culture is communicated and brought to life through it's senior, middle management and staff. It is not enough to have a snappy strap line and a mission statement framed in the reception area. Every member of the company needs to understand company values and what that means in terms of standards of behaviour.

As an owner or MD/CEO of a business, no matter what size, the company ethos must be lived to set the example. A company which sets out to be energetic, nimble and decisive must have leaders and staff who reflect those attributes. Hiring people with those personality traits at front of mind will help create teams of like minded individuals which should amplify the core message.

Nowhere is this more important than your sales and marketing teams. Hire for attitude and train aptitude. With luck, your best hires will already have both. The challenge is then to keep your team motivated and driven. Use the hierarchy of needs to constantly pulse check actions and initiatives. Is your new scheme or idea aimed at enhancing a feeling of belonging or is it to push your top performers to feel greater self-esteem? How many people will this effect? Will it have a potential negative effect on those still struggling to settle in the company?

Change is often good. Embrace change. But remember to consider how proposed changes will affect others the change is not aimed at.

Image Credit: McLeod 2007

It's somewhat embarrassing when one of your clients looks at your website and asks you (with a broad grin on their face) about the last time you updated your blog, especially when you've been banging on about how important it is to regularly drip feed 'good content' into the marketplace.
Tried and tested excuses rush to your defence but, in all truth, they are all lies. Was I really 'too busy', 'experimenting', 'checking to see if anyone noticed', 'suffering from blogger's block'?
No.
The real reason is I didn't prioritise this as a key marketing activity.


Why?
Because I don't enjoy writing blog posts, and I find it quite hard to come up with new topics and I'm not a natural writer.

Sound familiar?
I'm sure I'm not alone in this, and we can all find things we would much rather be doing, but blogging is an important marketing maintenance activity. It gives an audience of prospective customers and partners and insight into your thoughts, outlook, beliefs and personality. This is especially important for a small agency like Sales & Marketing Support where partners must be totally comfortable working with you and clients must trust you are going to deliver for them.

Alternatives?
If you really, honestly don't have the time to update your blog, it may be worth considering your options:
1. Close it down - certainly not recommended but it may be better than having a marketing voice which you believe does you more harm than good.
2. Delegate to another person in your organisation. Find someone who enjoys writing/blogging and who can turn your ideas into engaging articles.
3. Outsource - there are a number of agencies and freelancers who can maintain an excellent quality blog for a relatively small budget.

Next Steps?
Well, after giving myself a good talking to, I have now diarised a monthly blog update on my core activities list and resolved to be more disciplined in future.

I guess only time will tell....

Kind regards,

Jim

I'm currently reading a book about sales called 'Predictable Revenue'. It is an excellent book.

However, one of the chapters is entitled 'My Favourite Sales Call Question Of All Time'. He describes opening questions such as 'how are you doing today?' as irritating and meaningless. I agree.

Instead, he believes the best opener is: 'Did I catch you at a bad time?'. Again, I agree it is a good question as it demonstrates respect for the person you are calling, and implies you are aware they are busy people too. It is likely to make the recipient of the call less defensive and more receptive to continuing the conversation.

Where the author and I disagree is his insistence that the question should be 'Did I catch you at a bad time?' rather than 'Did I catch you at a good time?'. The author says it is never a good time for busy people. I disagree.

I believe both terms can be used but they are best used when they are selected intelligently based on the information you have. If the person taking the call answers their phone in a cheery fashion, mirror the mood and ask if it is a good time to talk. If the person appears to snatch up the receiver, answers abruptly and quickly there is a good chance they could be stressed, in a hurry or just in a bad mood. In this instance I would suggest the 'bad time' question is more appropriate.

Experiment and see what works best, but always treat people you are calling with courtesy and respect. If you forget those basics, no matter what your opening question is, I can guarantee the call won't last long.

Kind regards,

Jim.

Salespeople come in all shapes, sizes from many different backgrounds. They are all individuals, and hence are motivated by different things. There is no 'one size fits all' template for a commission or bonus structure. What one person sees as an 'unrealistic' basic salary, others will see as generous.

However, if you have gone to the trouble and expense or hiring a sales professional, you will need to consider the following to try and get the best out of your new recruit:

1. Set SMART objectives. SMART stands for:
Specific - are targets well defined?
Measurable - is achievement or failure easy to recognise and demonstrate?
Achievable - do you have buy-in from the salesperson who will 'own' these targets?
Realistic - considering knowledge, resources, time and conditions, can this be done?
Time-bound - has enough time been allowed to achieve the goal?

2. Find a reward scheme that works for the company (is it fair, affordable and maintainable?), and the individual (is it fair, easy to understand and motivates the salesperson?). Get to know your sales person or sales team and find out what makes them tick. There may be some constraints in terms of company policy and perceived 'fairness' among all members of the team, but tailoring remuneration to personalities can have great results.

3. Manage them. Acknowledge and praise progress, question under delivery and take appropriate action. Don't procrastinate. Given a reasonable degree of experience, your heart and your head will tell you if shortcomings can be addressed with management or training, or if you are fighting a losing battle. When you have made up your mind, act on it.

4. Take time to analyse what has worked and what hasn't. Make changes (major and minor) to the way you manage, sales process, remuneration schemes, environment and conditions. Set your own KPOs (Key Performance Objectives) and monitor your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and use them to help you drive constant improvement in your sales department.

Happy selling and managing!

Kind regards,

Jim.

If you look under 'selling' on wikipedia you get a mass of information, opinion and discussion which is all very healthy.
However, for me, the definition of the art or science (depending on your viewpoint) of selling is very simple: "Selling is the act of helping people to buy without regret".

We have all heard horror stories about pressure sales tactics and misleading sales literature and conversations being used to close sales, but that really isn't selling. It is just lying to achieve a temporary objective. It reflects badly on the salesperson, the company and the brand. In these days of social media the individual buyer as well as the business buyer are empowered to cry 'foul' and seriously damage anyone involved in unethical sales practice.

It is therefore, much simpler to just treat potential buyers as you would wish to be treated. Be a person first and a salesperson second. Ask questions and listen to the answers. Define and fully understand the customers wants and needs. If you have a solution to their problem, present it to them in a clear and concise manner. Let them ask questions so they can fully grasp what you are proposing. Be honest and transparent. Agree next steps.

It's not hard to be a good salesperson.... just be a good, normal person.

Kind regards,

Jim.

Hello World,

Well, I've finally published my website and am now tinkering with the layout, text, mobile format and SEO. I'm sure I'll never be 100% happy but I'm sure all small business owners are the same.
I look forward to sharing some thoughts on this blog over the coming weeks, months and years mainly on sales, marketing and running your own business. If I see, read, watch, photograph or video something that I feel may be of interest I'll post it here.
I hope some of my posts will be helpful and interesting.... you be the judge......

Kind regards,

Jim.