The way in which you behave as a manager and the approach you take will have a marked effect on your ultimate success or failure.

Having a range of approaches and styles of behaviour gives you more flexibility. It increases your options – and your chances of success.

Natural Styles

Most managers have a natural style of influence which they prefer to use whenever possible. More flexible managers also keep in reserve a fall back style, used when the preferred style doesn’t achieve the desired results.

However, there are at least eight identifiable styles of influence – not including aggression, manipulation or force!

Because you are influencing a wide range of people, proficiency in a wider range of styles will ensure more success. Step outside the comfort zone of your natural style and enjoy greater success by practising new ways of influencing.

However, do think carefully which influencing style has the greatest chance of succeeding. Varying your styles too much may give you a reputation for being unpredictable

The Autocratic Approach

You tell them, they agree

Use the push style when:

• You are looking for a quick response

• You seek only short-term commitment

• You are happy to check up and follow through

This approach works best when supported by power, authority, age, knowledge or wisdom. Resistance or objections are minimised. You tell others what you want them to do and they do it.

Do remember though, that autocracy can be a high-risk strategy. It may result in a feeling of ‘You won, I lost’. They’ll get you next time.

The Collaborative Approach

You include others in the decision-making process.

Use the push style when:

• You want to maintain long-term influence with others

• You seek a high level of commitment

• You have no time to enforce the outcome

This approach works successfully without you having any power or authority.

A word of caution, democracy takes time and can result in watered down solutions. Remain consistently collaborative. Don’t give up too early. Avoid imposing too many parameters or conditions – these will create frustration in others.

The Logical Approach

You use clear logical, unassailable arguments, supported by proof.

Use logic when:

• The other person demands evidence and lots of detail

• You are prepared to do your homework

• You are prepared to wait for a reaction

This approach works best when the other person is a logical, linear thinker. Avoid exaggeration and unnecessary emotion. Offer instead facts and figures.

But, you may find this style long-winded and frustrating. You may even be forced to put it in writing. Allow time to prepare your argument, time to explain it, time to wait for a reaction.

The Emotional Approach

You use your natural charm, charisma or enthusiasm.

Use emotion when:

• You want others to feel part of an exciting project

• You want to fire up someone’s motivation

• You are truly enthusiastic about an idea

This approach works when your influence becomes a genuine extension of your own feelings and beliefs. Appealing to the long-term effects of your ideas, you will reinforce their continuing value.

Do remember though that emotional appeal carries risks. It can leave a nasty taste in the mouth. Painful memories linger longer.

The Assertive Approach

You ask directly, clearly and confidently for what you want, or don’t want.

Be assertive when:

• You want to influence autocratic people, bullies, stick-in-the-muds

• You want to influence behaviours

• You need to act and initiate, rather than react

Assertiveness can have a lasting effect, especially on those who least expect it from you. Any resistance is met by your persistence.

Assertive influence carries little or no risk.

The Passive Approach

You win the day by being submissive, by not overtly influencing.

Remain passive when:

• You want to influence others through personal demonstration

• You want to avoid unhelpful confrontation

• You have tried all the other approaches

As you quietly demonstrate desired behaviours, others can see for themselves the value in following your lead. Many potential confrontations with power or authority demand submissive influence, which can pay positive dividends.

Mobile CRM is emerging into the mainstream as an excellent method of relaying information between marketing and sales personnel. Busy sales and marketing professionals on the road can now communicate quickly and effectively through mobile CRM. Mobile CRM refers to the use of a mobile device to conduct any CRM related activities, including mobile phones, PDAs, and laptop computers.

Previous to mobile CRM, sales professionals were limited in the ways they could transfer and access information. This often meant less access to updated information, more leads going cold, and a less effective work methodology. Luckily, the tables have turned and people are getting connected in new, completely unique ways that allow for such applications as mobile CRM. Here are some of the major capabilities of mobile CRM and its most important components:

Remote Access
This allows users to access data such as contacts, leads, and other information remotely from a mobile device wherever they're at. This concept is new to CRM and is gradually forming an integral part of the CRM system.

Total Customization
Businesses can show users the information they need to see any way they want. This allows mobile professionals to manage many tasks and activities far easier than before, and exchange instant, updated information to help the smooth flow of leads down the pipeline. This also allows companies to standardize mobile CRM devices if they so choose. Since many companies already offer perks like company laptops and cell phones, this is just one way they have the ability to create the system they want. The application software also allows a company to set up its mobile CRM system in the way that works best for the company.

Disconnected Access and CRM Management Over the Air
Even if a user isn't dialed in or online, they still have instant access to information. Thus, if their computer connection dies or they lose their phone, they have other options for getting information, ensuring they get their job done. Likewise, a user can get all the information they need via phone; this ensures that users never need to plug in to access administrative data.

Centralized System
This allows all the necessary information to be in one place at the same time, enabling a company to manage users, devices, and other applications from a single location. A central management system allows a company further reach and control over its employees and its customers. This in turn decreases wasted time and man hours, allowing for a stronger, more efficient system for generating and converting leads and sales. .

Since most mobile CRM systems are internet based applications, the time involved in getting data is miniscule and has severely cut down on the time it takes to get data. The central system furthers this goal, and is usually created around an internet application available to all authorized personnel. This might mean that each user gets an account and a password with which they access the database from their phone, laptop, or other mobile device.

Mobile CRM is on the rise in the world of CRM and demand is growing as companies and employees are demanding access to crucial information in real time. Allowing for a more versatile, mobile workforce and faster access to information, mobile CRM is here to stay. Here are the top ten reasons your company should consider implementing a mobile CRM system.

Faster access to data
Sales professionals can access data in real-time, so it is always the most current, up-to-date information available. If you need to know about a client or lead, you can find what you need to know immediately via phone, laptop, PDA, or other mobile device.

Central data center
A central data center allows you to access all the information all the time. No one person has longer access to a file or case; you can look at it simultaneously without slowing anything down. And if a client id shifted to you suddenly, you have access to all their information in a matter of minutes. Thus, mobile CRM is an extremely effective, efficient ancillary to your normal CRM system.

Leads stay hot and glide down the pipeline
Leads don't get cold because there will always be someone to pick up the slack. Mobile CRM also makes it easier to ensure the lead gets nudged down the pipeline gently but effectively and ends up in the correct place.

Access to critical information anytime, anywhere
Mobile CRM allows you to access information in the central database from anywhere in the world at any time, provided you have access to a mobile device that works.

Easy to use
Mobile CRM is amazingly easy to use and takes much of the stress off of professional sales people. It allows them to stay in touch and get new updates.

Ideal for travel
Mobile CRM is especially conducive to sales professionals who travel a large part of the time. Because you can use any mobile device, traveling isn't difficult, and it's far less stressful. If you suddenly remember something you have to find or look up, forget a client's information, or any other number of scenarios, mobile CRM can be the way you solve the problem.

Usable online and offline
Mobile CRM can be used online and offline. If the internet doesn't work or the connection has failed, you can get on your mobile device; if you lose your phone but have your laptop or PDA, you're covered. Thus it provides an almost fail safe way to get the information you need, when you want it.

Competitive advantage
Mobile CRM offers a competitive advantage because it offers a way to reach more customers than just using a traditional CRM system. It is quickly growing to be one of the de facto methods of CRM outside of the workplace.

Reasonably priced
Once priced ridiculously high, mobile CRM systems are now more reasonably priced, and this has added to their growth in popularity.

Allows for a highly mobile work force
Professionals are no longer confined to the office; they can leave for an appointment or business trip and still remain totally connected to the workplace and their clients.

Are you a production oriented sales manager or a development oriented sales manager?

Production oriented sales managers tend to concentrate on doing whatever it takes to hit the numbers. Driven by sales goals and benchmarks, they often get the results at the expense of developing their salespeople. Development oriented sales managers on the other hand tend to focus on the fundamentals and teaching their salespeople how to do the job, confident that the numbers will naturally follow.

Both types of sales managers can bring in the numbers, but managers who concentrate strictly on making their sales goals will always have to work harder than those that are development focused. This is because they are not developing their sales people with the ability and sales skills to leverage themselves.

Production focused sales managers are commonly overlooked for promotions because the production oriented sales manager ends up driving the sales in an organization and is reason enough for management to want to keep him or her in that job. On the other hand, someone who has carefully groomed a sales force to drive sales will, when promoted, leave behind salespeople who can continue to hit the numbers.

The real distinction between these two types of sales managers lies in coaching. The production oriented manager may be known as an "unconscious competent". This sales manager knows what he or she is doing, but isn't teaching it, or can't teach it, to his or her salespeople.

Your job as a sales manager involves much more than just developing business and revenue for the company, it also involves developing people. Good sales managers are teachers and coaches as well as sellers. That is why you should focus on developing the skills of your salespeople throughout the sales process.

The following are a few key elements that should be included in every sales managers development process:

Emphasize specific skills such as prospecting, qualifying, strategizing, and closing.

Teach by example. Plan a sales activity with a sales rep, and critique it immediately afterward. Assess its effectiveness, constructively critique each participant's role in the call, and explain why a particular strategy was followed up or why a particular line of questioning took place.

Share your own experience. Talk about strategies that did or didn't work against a particular competitor, or discuss qualification techniques which have let you understand the prospect's political environmental.

Focus on fundamentals of selling, and let your people develop their own style. Learn to separate personality from skills and activities, and asses each of those categories independently.

Ask your salespeople to develop a personal business plan that focuses on non-financial objectives such as improving the way they make sales calls and presentations, building customer relationships, and increasing their product understanding. Take time to review them with each rep, and then integrate those performance goals into the compensation plan so that they will be rewarded for meeting them.

Be specific and realistic when you set a time frame for improvement. Check with your salespeople to make sure their plans are realistic.

Don't get caught up in having each person immediately make quota. Instead, concentrate on developing good sales skills and on participating in sales activities. If your salespeople continue to perform well in their sales activities, their performance will pay off over time. Eventually, they will make quota.

Taking the time to coach and develop your salespeople will lead to large dividends in the future. You will be rewarded with a powerful sales force who can bring in the numbers, without your participation as a "super closer". You will keep your team motivated, and you will see less turnover. In addition, you will be able to groom a successor so that you can move up in the ranks of management yourself.

I’ve been driving a Porsche Cayenne for more than two years, yet my leasing company keeps sending me letters imploring me to trade in my Mercedes SUV.

They should know the Mercedes is long gone because they bought it from me!

That’s how I got into the Porsche to begin with.

I’m a reasonable customer so I cut vendors a certain amount of slack, but I don’t need to keep receiving special service coupons for that Benz. By the way, if it hadn’t been a service nightmare, I might be driving it still.

Getting these mailers not only tells me that my leasing company is sloppy, but that their special, supposedly customized offers are anything, but. I’m just one of many contented sheep grazing in their fields, and when they want to clip me again, they can more or less do so, at will.

When I contact my inactive accounts I search the Internet to see if I can find anything that’s new about them. Recently, I did this with a Florida insurance company client.

I found they had grown, and they were starting to do some publicity which discussed how consumers can better understand the soaring homeowner rates that have blighted the state in the wake of recent storms and hurricanes.

By the time I spoke with them, I was up to speed with their issues, knowing it was a different company in many ways than it was a couple of years ago. That knowledge helped me to earn more business from them.

To me, this is stuff that belongs in Selling or Marketing 101.

Do your homework. Treat customers as individuals, and profit.

Make a point of updating your database, and by the way, this is a perfect excuse to call your clients NOW.

You’ll be amazed at what you’ll learn, and they’ll probably teach you exactly what you need to know to sell them again!

Once upon a time I worked for a Vice President of Sales who made me want to be a better sales person. He was confident and he expounded from experience. When he spoke to you he looked you in eye. When he touted hard work as the one reliable indicator of success, you knew he meant it because he’d done it.

Most of us have been fortunate to have spent a period of our professional lives with someone we would walk on hot coals to please. This particular gentleman, in my professional life, made we want to sell better and be better, at everything.

Not all Vice Presidents of Sales are going to possess the natural leadership ability and intangible traits that made this person a perfect fit. There is a question we should ask however: Should they not all try?

The Vice President of Sales is really the President of the country we sales people call “the sales force”. Mr. President of Sales Force America should treat his constituent salespeople much like the President of the United States treats the voting public. The President of the United States runs the government of the people and for the people. Then too, the Vice President of Sales should run the sales force of the salespeople and for the salespeople.

The Vice President of Sales should become an advocate for an improved compensation plan not its inhibitor. He should stump from the podium and from the conference call and lead his team. He should be the best salesperson in the company and he should be selling! Who was the last quarterback who led his team to the Super Bowl from the bench? How can today’s organizations compete in our market of personal creativity and innovation with a President of Sales Force America who sells from the bench? The answer: they cannot.

Leadership has never been more important than in today’s marketplace. And there is not a stronger need for leadership among any group of individuals as there is amongst salespeople. We’re looking for inspiration every day and from every corner. If it’s not a book, it’s a tape. If it’s not a tape, it’s a movie. If it’s not a movie, it’s a co-worker. If it’s not a co-worker, it’s a friend or it’s your spouse or your kids. Inspiration is the lifeblood that feeds motivation. Motivation is the fuel that propels us every day to throw ourselves into the fires of rejection. Believing in your sales leaders and watching them fight those fires is the best source of inspiration a sales person can have.

How important is an effective Vice President of Sales? He is more important than the CEO. Last time I checked I’d rather have the talent in front of the customer as opposed to sitting in a high-back leather chair praying to the Gods of EPS and CAGR.

The message then Mr. President from just one of the millions of voters in Sales Force America is thank you. Thank you for being a Vice President of Sales who has sold something in his career. Thank you for spending nights away from your family to inspire your sales constituents. Thank you for your face to face hand shakes and your crisp direction in the client’s office. Thank you for having the number one quality that the President of Sales Force America can have: Selflessness.

You are one of us and we think you represent the best of us. When we open our eyes in the morning, they will stay open and we’ll prepare. We’ll prepare Mr. President because we know somewhere you’re preparing too.

We have all worked in large organisations and the larger they are, the more a knowledge of the internal politics and unofficial communications systems is of value in surviving and making progress.

For people outside the organisation who are trying to get things done within the organisation, the situation is twice as bad because they not only have to figure out the official hierarchy and communication channels, but also the unofficial ones.

Most good sales people develop an instinct for how to learn the politics of a client organisation, but once they get beyond a certain size it is very difficult to be properly effective unless you practically live in the client organisation and this is particularly so if your interaction with the client needs to be of a complex or widespread nature.In the 1960s IBM came up against this problem in a big way in trying to sell their large computer systems into large organisations, where the supply of a new system fundamentally affected dozens of sectors of both the official and unofficial decision making structures.

This is where Influence Mapping was born.

Multi level contact occurs quite naturally between two large organisations that do business together, but IBM was the first to see the value of managing and co-ordinating this interaction rather than just letting it happen and of doing a forensic job of mapping how all the interactions and influences worked. In particular they became masters at managing the interface between the techies, who understood the product and the management who did not, but had the decision making responsibility.

The legend that "You never get fired for buying IBM" was one of the bits of marketing genius that came out of this and successfully kept other suppliers with better, more innovative and cheaper products out of their market for a long time. Influence mapping is about mapping out the personnel terrain, understanding its dynamics and most importantly, identifying the key "opinion formers" and planting the seeds with them that will create the image of your supplying organisation that is required. Whether we have the time, patience and dedication to do this in our relationship with any other mega client – and whether we can make it worth while is a matter for debate.

It happens on occasion that you don’t have enough staff, or the right staff, for a trade show. Often this occurs to small and/or new companies, when two shows overlap or there are staff conflicts – sales meetings vs trade shows. What to do? Here are Five Tips for finding appropriate folks to work the show for you....

..... CUSTOMERS are your number one cheerleaders - if you have done right by them. Offer to pay them real money. Some will decline, but if they accept don't begrudge them the bucks - maybe they think it just good business, maybe they really need it for a reason that is none of your business. It's a cost of doing business. Yes, pay for expenses proportional to their time - if they were planning to attend. If not, yes pay expenses as you would for any staff member. Give them time to attend an educational session or two. TRAIN THEM. There is company information they are not privy to, so be sure they know what they can talk about and what you don't want them to talk about. Discuss any problems with your product and this client in advance.

..... RETIREES, who are recent, especially those well respected within an industry association such as former national or show city chapter officer. Maybe your former top sales guy/gal. As long as the reputation is clean and they left on good terms - did you fire him, did she get her full pension? - this is sometimes a draw. Bring him up to speed. Pay him and-or offer a package such as (1) all expenses for the event, though he only works one day (2) expenses for retiree and spouse - offer but understand if he just wants to come by himself - it's a vacation for him.

..... CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS are great, especially who handle inside customer service or inside sales. Why? They know both company and products. They are attuned to voices, names, problems - plus customers love to put the voice to the face - Hey Gloria, I've been talking to you for years.

..... VOLUNTEERS because I always suggest to clients to write a job description and post it internally. Would you rather have an enthusiastic staffer who can be quickly trained than an assigned drone who doesn't want to be there? You know you can spot a bored and boring staffer from 70ft out.

..... HIRE AN EXPERT - There are two kinds - the hostess who greets, takes info but does not market the company, and the professional presenter. The first can often be found through local or national staffing companies. Be sure to ask for someone with trade show experience. The second is with companies such as that of Heidi Miller whom I do recommend - http://www.HeidiMillerPresents.com

Julia O'Connor - Speaker, Author, Consultant - writes about practical aspects of trade shows. As president of Trade Show Training, inc,, started in 1995, 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. Her most popular program - Camp Sho-M-Sel-M, will be held in Las Vegas, December 5-6, 2006. This is a 2-day program - Day 1 is How Trade Shows Impact Sales and Marketing Seminar. Day 2 is Field Trip Day - Walk-through of the Las Vegas Convention Center, discussion about unions and a half-day visit to a real trade show.

Motivation empowers performance. Motivation with direction empowers positive performance. It can be easy to generate enthusiasm amid success. How can you be inspirational in your communication during periods of duress?

How would you react to the following observations?

"We missed our quota by 50k this month, so you need to do an extra 60k next month to make up for it."

"We went over budget this month, so you need to reduce your expense next month."

"We only made 75% of plan this week, so you need to do 125% of plan next week to make up for it."

The good news about these statements is that the shortcoming is clearly defined.

The bad news about these statements is that there is no clear direction.

The result of clearly identifying failures or shortcomings without corresponding direction is often heightened frustration by all involved.

Rather than merely defining the gap or challenge, be prepared to collaborate on crafting solutions.

"We missed our quota by 50k this month. What can I do to help you achieve an extra 60k next month?"

"We went over budget this month. Let's review the budget together and look for areas to reduce expenses next month."

"We only made 75% of plan this week. Help me understand the reasons we were below plan and what I can do to help us achieve 125% next week."

Identify specific gaps, express mutual commitment, make a plan, write it down and do it. Does this seem simple? Does it seem obvious? It can be very easy to point out a problem to someone else and then simply walk away. Collaborating on a solution with planned activities to improve the situation requires commitment and obligation. Make a conscientious effort to continually invest interest in understanding shortcomings and spend mutual energy for making improvements. Your direction will inspire motivation with positive direction

A national home builder needed to be sure his model home sales reps were taking prospects out into the community to show inventory homes and site lots. Some reps preferred to stay in the air conditioned model office, and merely give prospective home buyers a map or point them in the general direction - losing the opportunity to turn prospects into buyers.

The sales manager had a list of sales steps the reps should follow, so the reps knew what was expected of them. The builder told the reps they would be "mystery shopped" periodically, and all reps had signed an agreement to be shopped as part of their employment. The first mystery shops this builder tried included a written shoppers report turned in to the sales manager. The report included the shoppers opinion of how well the rep accomplished all of the steps in the sales process (including going out to show inventory homes and lot sites). The sales manager would then meet with the rep and go over the shoppers critique. This process resulted in some improvement but the reps frequently denied their actions from the mystery shopper reports. After several rounds of "it's the reps word against the mystery shoppers word", the sales manager decided to take a different approach. He hired a Tampa, Florida based performance improvement company (Professional Development Services, Inc.) to video/audio mystery shop his 25 sales reps. All of the reps were video/audio shopped and the sales manager discovered that 52% of his reps were not following the prescribed sales process. The sales manager coached each rep by showing the DVD recorded shop to the rep and asking the rep to give their own critique based on the video.

Several things happened as a result of the video mystery shopping process:
1) When the reps were told they would be video shopped, their performance improved immediately. This is known as the "Halo effect" in the mystery shopping performance improvement business.
2) The feedback sessions with the sales manager became much more specific and uncovered additional sales opportunities that had been missed previously.
3) After the first round of mystery video shops, reps followed the complete sales process 96% of the time (compared to 48% previously).
4) Sales reps admitted that the evaluation process was fair because it demonstrated actual performance compared to a shoppers, customers, or managers "opinion" of their performance.
5) This builder reports a 10% increase in sales closed within three months of initiating the video mystery shopping program.

Tips to consider if you are thinking about trying this process to accelerate sales performance:
1) Make sure your sales (and/or customer service reps) have a clearly defined process that they are required to follow with prospects and customers. This "checklist" will become an important part of the performance assessment session.
2) Don't use the feedback videos as a negative reinforcement "club" to penalize reps.
3) Make sure your reps have signed an agreement (usually part of the employment contract) that allows them to be mystery shopped if you are in one of the 33 "dual consent" states.
4) Don't try to create a false "Halo effect". In other words, don't tell reps they are going to be shopped when they aren't.
5) Make sure the company you employ to conduct the shops are experts at covert video/audio performance surveillance.

Could the person in this story be one of your salespeople?

A 39-year-old salesperson recently told me that he earned a six-figure income last year. He said that he had never dreamed that he would earn that kind of money in a single year. As a reward to himself for posting such a successful performance, he purchased a new truck, a bass boat and went on a golfing trip to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. The salesperson is not married.

As he and I began our interview, I asked permission to ask a few questions about his financial situation and he agreed.

“If you don’t mind my asking, how much of last year’s income did you invest?” I asked him.

“I know I need to begin saving for retirement, but so far I’ve not invested any at all. Right now, I have only about $5,000 in a money market account.”

“How much monthly income would you guess you’ll need to retire comfortably?”

“I really haven’t thought about it much. Right now, I spend $6 - $8,000 per month, depending on how much I earn. So in retirement, I don’t know, I’d say at least $5,000 per month.”

“At what age would you like to retire,” I asked.

“I enjoy what I do, but I also enjoy playing golf and bass fishing. If I had my way about it, I’d retire no later than at 65.”

“That gives you, let’s see, 26 years to save enough to meet your $5,000-per-month income objective, right?”

“Yeah, that sounds right. So how much do I need to have in the bank to have $5,000 per month to spend by age 65?”

“Do you mean before taxes or after taxes?”

“I’d need to earn $5,000 after all income taxes are paid.”

“Well, based on history, the stock market has averaged somewhere between 10% and 11% in annual growth. And assuming that income tax rates stay the same as they are today, my guess is that you will need to have approximately $1 million invested by the time you’re 65.”

“Wow. I never dreamed that I’d need that kind of money just to earn $5,000 per month.”

“One thing we haven’t factored in are your social security benefits, but even with social security, you need to get started putting some money away, wouldn’t you say?”

“There’s no doubt about that. Who can help me design a plan that will guarantee that I’ll not be destitute when I finally do retire?”

“I’ll give you the names of two or three financial planners. I suggest that you interview each of them and select the one you feel most comfortable with. Will you do that?” “You darn right I will. Thanks for opening my eyes.”

OLD AND POOR

Early in my career, my boss taught me the power of compounding; that is, the power of investing a portion of my income each year and allowing the compounding effect to build a small nest egg into enough to take care of me in retirement.

“Being young and poor is not so bad. You’ve got the rest of your life before you. But being old and poor stinks,” he told me. It is totally up to you and the amount of discipline you have in your life to invest a portion of what you earn. In the USA, no one with financial discipline should ever be old and poor.”

DO YOUR EMPLOYEES A FAVOR

Invite a financial planner  one who is good on his feet  to present a short seminar for your employees. Do your part to teach each of them how easy it is to become financially independent IF they start early enough, and how difficult it is to reach their financial goals if they wait to late.

In a recent conversation with a friend from the auto industry we got into a conversation about lean production. It occurred to me that there is something to be borrowed from this methodology to increase sales efficiency and production levels.

Lean production, a methodology that was originally developed by Toyota, captures the concepts of minimizing inventory, maximizing flow, pull production from customer demands, and continuous improvement. These principles become interesting when they are applied to lead management--particularly the minimization of inventory (marketing generated leads) and maximization of flow (sales production) with the implementation of a "pull" system.

A "pull" lead management system that reacts to the demand of the user for the next lead directly affects sales conversion rate. The combination of minimizing the necessary inventory of leads and maximizing the throughput of sales actions will increase sales performance. The question is how does this combination outperform the traditional paradigm of pushing leads to a sales force? Here is how I present the argument for a lean pull system versus a wasteful, low production push system.

Sales Tempo

I debate the general belief that a push system more quickly gets a lead to the right person. In fact, if the organization is managing their lead to sales capacity the timeliness in getting to a lead should be equal on both systems. I have always maintained, even when I was running high performance sales teams, that throttling lead distribution based on productive performance (taking action on leads) and ensuring that leads do not drop into "dead" queues was the key to my success. So, in selecting a push versus pull lead management system is typically a commitment to a certain sales tempo. A push methodology will lend to sales people expecting leads to be "given to them" and in my experience a lower regard for aggressively responding to customer inquiries. In contrast, a pull methodology creates an expectation that every lead is "earned" by meeting the last customer's needs or at least responding quickly to their request. So, in creating high velocity sales teams the edge goes to the push methodology.

Time to Initial Contact

Although I concede that in sales organizations where the sales velocity is already high there should be no difference in push versus pull in regard to time to contact. There is still, in the push system, the opportunity for the dreaded "dead" queue. Inherently, the push system allocates each lead to a user on the system. However, is that user logged-in, or is he or she on that well deserved two week vacation, or do they even still work at the company? In a push system you had better be very active in user management or you may allocate valuable leads into "dead" queues and once allocated they can be very difficult to see--a very expensive mistake. The last sales shop I ran we had thousands of sales people and a push system. Managing that many sales people can be daunting, especially with the typical high rate of turn over, but at this scale it is nearly impossible. My experience is to routinely finding hundreds of leads in "dead" queues--that equals thousands of lost dollars and hundreds of disappointed potential customers.

Pipeline Management

Pipeline management, the nurturing and cultivating of leads, is one of the most critical components of the conversion equation and the area where push versus pull dramatically differ. In the push system, leads are put into queues and it is entirely up to the sales person to effectively manage their pipeline. What happens in the average case is you hope the sales person calls the lead even once. Much less than the 5-7 contacts it generally takes to close a lead. In contrast, the pull system continually forces pipeline leads back to the sales person until a final disposition is reached; compelling the 5-7 contacts. Add to this the power of an intelligent lead selection engine that is continually allocating the next best lead and you have guaranteed conversion rate lift.

Sales Process

One final critical factor in increasing sales velocity and conversion is the consistent and disciplined sales process. The difference between the two methodologies is once again about enforcing tempo. The push approach puts a lead in a sales queue and hopes the sales person does something that acquires that customer (note the lack of accountability in the sales process). The pull system compels the sales person to annotate and disposition every lead in order to "earn" the next lead. This creates the consistency in the sales process and feedback for team leaders and marketing.

So fundamentally, the push versus pull debate is one of sales velocity. The pull method will always produce more sales and higher conversion, maintaining an accelerated sales tempo. The method inherently enforces this behavior in organizations committed to high performance sales teams.

Corporate gift baskets can be an effective and inexpensive way to build and strengthen relationships with both new and existing clients.

In many cases the gesture of a gourmet gift basket can give you an advantage over your competitors by showing that you are willing to make that extra effort to earn their business.

Gift baskets within your own company is another great way to strengthen bonds and help you build partnerships.

Whether it's a holiday gift basket for a valued client or wedding gift basket for a fellow employee, gift baskets are a great way to help you gain an edge.

The variety of gift baskets you can buy online in today's market is almost endless.You can get something for everyone including holiday gift baskets,wedding gift baskets,gourmet gift baskets,baby gift baskets,birthday gift baskets, pet gift baskets and many more.

Sometimes the difference between closing a deal and losing it are due to the efforts that you have made in the past. A gesture made during the holidays or for a special occasion will be remembered for months to come.A wedding gift basket,baby gift basket,or a golf lovers gift basket will always get you noticed and remembered. In today's market you need to take advantage of all the tools for success that are at your disposal, and gourmet gift baskets online are a great way to help build lasting relationships with both new and existing clients as well as co-workers and employees.

Too many meetings, too little time. When the true cost of holding just one meeting is accurately calculated, it should provide sufficient motivation for us to want to ensure that all of our meetings are meaningful, necessary and can be justified.

I am sure you have heard the one about meetings?

"Are you lonely?

- Work on your own?

- Hate having to make decisions?

- Rather talk about it than do it?

Well, why not hold a meeting?

- You get to see other people

- You can sleep in peace

- Offload decisions

- Learn to write volumes of meaningless rhetoric

- Feel important

- Impress (or bore) your colleagues

And all in work time!"

But of course, it doesn't have to be like that.

Are Meetings A Waste Of Time?

Why they cause frustration

• Too many of them

• No real purpose

• Too long

• Platform for the talkative

• Few decisions come out of them

• Make straightforward issues complicated

• Often slow things down

Potential benefits

Run properly they can be an effective means of:

• Communication to a group

• Meeting people face-to-face

• Improving the quality of decisions

• Getting to know people

• Drawing from a variety of different experiences

• Building teams

The following figures are based on a working year of 288 days, with one working day equal to 7 hours. (I wish!) You begin to realise the true cost of holding a meeting.

Salary Per Annum: £40.000

One Hour Meeting: £24

One Day Meeting: £168

Salary Per Annum: £60.000

One Hour Meeting: £36

One Day Meeting: £252

Salary Per Annum: £80.000

One Hour Meeting: £48

One Day Meeting: £336

Salary Per Annum: £100.000

One Hour Meeting: £60

One Day Meeting: £420

Some Tips To Ensure A Successful Meeting:

• Only hold meetings if they are really necessary

Could people be told any other way?

Consider the cost; meetings are expensive – time away from job, salaries of those attending.

• If they are needed, then plan for them

What do you want to achieve?

What are you going to discuss?

What decisions will need to be made/actions taken?

Who needs to be there? How are you going to tell them what it’s about and why they are invited?

How long can you allocate to the meeting?

Remember, if you fail to prepare, then prepare for your meeting to fail.

• Prepare an agenda

Include only relevant items

Put them in order of importance

Decide who will lead the input on each

Allocate time for each item (don’t forget to allow for a 5 minute break at least once an hour)

What could go wrong and what will you do?

• Collect all information

If it’s lengthy, summarise it, outlining key points

Send out agendas and key points in advance

• Prepare the room

Ensure that there are sufficient tables and charts

If you want equipment (eg: flip charts, PCs overhead projectors) make sure it is available and working

Arrange refreshments

The sales force, you can't live with them, and you can't live without them. Although only a few members of your firm have the "sales" designation, title, and responsibility, everyone in your firm is an integral part of the sales team and sales effort. Understanding the limits of your sales team will help you establish greater control over your firm's revenue and profits.

The FIRST of three limits to your sales efforts is time. You can't buy more time no matter how wealthy you become. However, you can become wealthy by managing your time more wisely. The return on your investment when you teach time management skills to your team is virtually unlimited. Although time is a limitation, it is not a barrier to success. Use time wisely and watch you revenue and profits soar and eliminate finger pointing and whining within your firm.

The SECOND limitation is resources. You must teach and train your team to properly utilize the existing resources and make it a habit to continuously search for, create and/or purchase additional resources for use in the sales process. Don't forget to utilize free or otherwise low cost resources such as books and audio tapes.

Energy is the THIRD and final limitation to your sales effort and one of the most overlooked. Energy is the excitement and positive enthusiasm exhibited by your entire staff. Energy is always created on purpose, it does not happen accidentally and it is totally infectious. Use your own ingenuity to create an energetic environment. Celebrate often (birthdays, anniversaries, record sales weeks, perfect attendance, etc) and create friendly competitions with awards, prizes and public praise. Creating a fun working environment is critical to creating a high energy team.

One of the more fun parts of my job is talking to sales managers who refuse to admit that the results that their sales force gets indeed 'suck.' What do I mean by this statement?

First of all, let's face it, I use that word to get your attention and now that I have it let me explain. When any frontline sales professional in your company does not produce the results needed to pay for all the overhead, benefits, pay, education and everything else needed to pay for there fair share of these expenses, then they are 'sucking' these valuable resources at the expense of other employees who ARE pulling their weight.

There is an imbalance at many companies that is created by some of the sales crew performing at a high level while others do not. Many business owners perceive this as just a fact of life and they refuse to believe that EVERYBODY could achieve profitable numbers.

A company in the new millennium cannot sustain this type of imbalance for very long before a financial toll is paid. This will result in fewer profits for the owner and less benefits and pay for the employees. Many companies have high performers who cannot receive raises because others are not performing and therefore suck the resources from everyone.

That is what makes my job so much fun. Getting owners to realize that this thinking is flawed logic and that there ARE companies out there where everyone makes money. When I can get owners to think this way, some pretty great things happen for them.

What are the reasons that these 'money-suckers' exist?

Here is my observation...

REASON #1 - Most of the poor performers have a chromosome missing when it comes to believing that most people given a choice would PREFER to pay more for great service.

Don't believe it yourself? Find the finest hotel in your city and try to book a room the same day. You will find it is filled. The Motel 6? Always has a light on for you.

How about the best steak house in town? Try to walk in on Friday night around dinner time. It is packed even though the average meal is over $50 per person. The Denny's restaurant across the street has a 21 ounce T-Bone steak for only $9.99 and you can walk in anytime and get a seat.

Why do we prefer the top-of-the-line services and products? Because in this service economy of ours we ALL work too hard and so when we do buy something for ourselves or our family, we want the best because we deserve it.

They don't know what service means. Poor performers rarely treat themselves to the finest service because they are usually too broke to ever experience it. Therefore, they don't know what it is. Great service is defined by its root word - To serve.

Sales people that suck, never offer more service. They only offer the minimum needed to get the problem solved today. No planned service for the future and no packaging of other products or services that are directly related to the issue as well.

Great service cuts through the tough times like a knife through butter. Live by this motto: Always default to more service when selling your services.

It’s a mistake to think that because a customer has expressed dissatisfaction with your product or service they will not come back to you.

They won’t return if you handle the situation badly. However, some of your most vociferous complainers could become your most loyal customers, because you handled the situation well and treated them with respect.

This means recognising some essential traits:

• Customers want to be respected

• They want attention

• They want to be appreciated and recognised

• Most of all they want to be understood

Losing Customers:

Why do businesses lose customers?

A survey with which you may be familiar, asked customers why they changed supplier/vendor.

Here are the results:

• Developed a good relationship with another supplier 5%

• Less expensive products elsewhere 9%

• Unhappy with service/product 18%

• Because of the poor attitude of the supplier 68%

Your Customers Are The Lifeblood Of Your Business:

It is never easy to win new business, which is why we should nurture existing customers and try to minimise problems and inconvenience.

It’s a good idea to:

• Make regularly visits or calls – spotting trouble early on can help prevent it

• Reply to calls/queries as soon as possible

• Talk to your customers – find out about them

• Keep them well informed

• Conduct regular reviews of your performance - see your service through their eyes

Ensure that the lifeblood keeps flowing through the veins of your business.

Solving Problems:

Suppose they are difficult.

Few people are truly difficult. In any case it is important to make a distinction between difficult people and difficult behaviour, which is often a result of non co-operation on your part.

• Focus on the problem (challenge?) not on them

• Show interest – bring out their likeable side

• Put yourself in their shoes – remember empathy?

• Be personal – use their name if that’s what they would like

• Appeal to their better nature. ‘As a parent of small children you…’

• Cultivate their goodwill

Saying Thank You:

Let your customers know you appreciate them. Find little ways to thank them for their custom, especially when they are not expecting it. This is a great way to attract compliments, especially after sorting out a difficult problem.

• A simple but sincere thank you card – personalised

• Gift vouchers

• Cards at Christmas or other appropriate festivals – Diwali, Hanukah, Eid

• VIP days for special events, launches, dinners

• Social gatherings for key clients

Loyalty cards are very popular now with many organisations. Discounts, bonus points, free samples, all help to make your business stand out.

Compliments & Comments:

Why do we find it difficult to accept compliments?

Is it because:-

• We don’t have enough faith or pride in our product?

• We think it’s probably a back-handed complaint?

• We don’t trust people?

• We don’t know how to react? (How about thank you?!)

Compliments tell us what we are doing right and give a boost to our morale. If we allow it, they bring us pleasure.