Introduction:
In today’s global marketplace, managers face many challenges related to fulfilling the customer’s ever-changing needs and expectations. The concept of customer service has recently become more complex as a result of globalization of goods and services. Customers are now well-informed decision makers as a result of the abundance of information that is available online and in the media. In addition, today’s consumer is most concerned with how a salesperson can solve basic problems and ultimately add value to a product or service. The role of sales intermediaries is now, more than ever, important to success in this new competitive global marketplace. As a result, sales managers have a new challenge of responding to this new environment with innovative techniques for managing and motivating the sales force. The following sections define general sales management terms, examine the role of a sales manager, and focus on methods used to mange, lead and motivate employees.
Sales Strategies
here are steps to a successful sales strategy:
Be Your Company’s Brand: A “brand experience” is the emotion a customer feels when buying or using a product. A sales rep working for IBM or Bristol Myers only needs a business card to create a brand experience. By contrast, when you’re selling for a small firm, the “brand experience” consists of YOUR appearance.
Be Your Firm’s Greatest Strength: Top executives don’t have the time to sit with down with cookie-cutter sales reps, but they always have time for somebody who can redefine problems and devise solutions.
Take Responsibility for Your Skills. Big firms have the money to hire professional sales trainers, run sales mentoring programs, and employ sales managers to coach novices. In a small firm, it’s up to you (and you alone) to constantly hone your sales skills, learn new sales techniques, and develop your sales career.
Deliver and build: Deliver on what you said you were going to do for the prospect. Then make sure you build the relationship. Don’t expect them to stay with you or use you for other needs if you aren’t taking the time to build the relationship with them.
Know your questions. Before you go on a sales appointment, create a list of questions to ask the prospect. This is the time for you to really get to know them, their needs, their business practices.
