Empowering your sales force

If you take a look at the various sales teams within an organisation you will find that there are teams that are not performing at all, and then there are those teams that are just flying. The difference between a sales team who flies and a sales team that falls is usually a result of the sales managers ability to lead, develop and inspire his or her people. The sales meeting is the heart of the driving force of your sales team. The most important thing about a sales meeting is that everyone walks out of that meeting, feeling that something valuable has come out if it. The following few tips will give you a good idea of what you can to make your sales meetings more exciting and productive:

1. Everyone gets a chance

I have read about it in many books, and I have seen it work in practice. Not only in my business, but also in my personal relationships with my friends and my marriage.
Treat someone as if they already reached their full potential, and you will help them become the best they can be. Appoint a different sales person to take charge of the sales meetings. As the sales manager you can cover a few topics and announcements, and then hand the meeting over to the appointed sales person responsible for leading the meeting.

2. A change is as good as a holiday

Some people might not realise it, but part of their frustration and depression at work can be ascribed to the monotonous, automated routines. Some people take a different route to work every once in a while just to break the "auto pilot syndrome".
The same principal applies for sales meetings, especially brain-storming meetings.
By changing the venue regularly you remove people from their pre-programmed routines and ways of thinking. You put them in a different environment, and in the process created a feeling of "we are not at work now" where everyone can give input and contribute to the meeting at hand. As a sales manager you will show the sales team that you really care, and that these meetings are in fact important to you. This Will be at least one meeting a month no one dares to miss.

3. Visit other sales meetings

As a sales manager you have many associates who also conduct sales meetings. With a little practise you might be able to convince one or two of them allow one of your sales people to attend their sales meeting. The main idea is to get ideas from other sale meeting you can use in your own meetings. It is easy to bring back a bag full of negative feedback. if this is the case you missed the point of the whole exercise. Bring back positive ideas you can use in your own sales meetings.

4. Quick tools and tips

At beginning of each sales meeting you should focus on one good "sales tool" or "skill of the week". By doing this you are constantly reinforcing winning principles.

5. "I shopped at the competition"

Get three or four of you sales people to pay a visit to your competitors once a month. To avoid any suspicion you need to rotate the sales people that visit the competition, or at least provide some incentive to strangers to pay a visit to them and give you feedback afterwards. The report or feedback should be focused on the "good things" about the competition. If you can't visit the competition physically you can use the telephone to make a few enquiries. Use the feedback to improve on your own services, and identify areas where you can take advantage of the information you collected.

6. "We got shopped"

As a sales manager you are in an authoritative position. You sales people will always perform their best in your presence, do and say things to impress you. Therefore, it could be a good idea to get someone once in a while to "shop" at your business. You could keep it a secret and not tell your staff about it, or you can "warn" you staff in advance, without telling them who it will be or when "the shopper" will be there.
As the sales manager you can also implement an incentive program for the sales team. The incentive will depend on the performance of one staff member. If "the shopper" feels that the staff member made the grade, everyone in the sales team will get the incentive. If that single staff member fails the test no one will get the incentive.

7. The client's opinion is very important

Get a client to attend one of your sales meeting once in a while. Ask the client for his or her input in the sales meeting. The focus should be on the client's experience, likes, dislikes, suggestions and opportunities he / she identifies.

8. Invite a valued guest

Make a list of valued people you sales people would like to listen to at your sales meetings. The list could include tax specialists, industrial psychologists, motivation speakers, your suppliers, etc. You can also focus on people who have no relevance to your core business. For example: you can invite celebrities, people who have exceptional knowledge and skill in another type of business, government officials, health officials, etc.

9. products and services quiz

Pick a product or service you would like to focus on and compile a list of relevant questions about it. You can then present the product or service to the sales people in the meeting and give them the questionnaire.
You can build an incentive for the level of knowledge about the product / service / concept, the customer's perspective of the product, industry knowledge, sales skills, value added tactics and strategies, etc.

10. Become a VIP

Make sure that you and your team take full advantage of upcoming events. Dress up and become a VIP. Go to business shows, conferences, exhibitions, sport events, entertainment events, book a sports box, go to a premier, etc.
Setup an events board and rotate the responsibility to keep it updated three months in advance.

10. Special days

Setup a board with special dates. These dates include everything from birthdays, wedding anniversaries, business anniversaries, valentines, Halloween, religious days, etc. It doesn't all have to be serious. Perhaps you can get creative and throw in a few of your own. Use this board the same as the VIP events board, and keep it updated at least three months in advance.

11. Brainstorm important topics

Brainstorm with your sales team on important topics they would like to see covered in the next 90 days and prioritize them.
Start your brainstorming tradition with a meeting on setting rules and objectives for meetings. It is always a good idea to have a 'code of conduct for meetings" everyone agrees on. Print a poster and put it on the wall. You can always refer back to the poster to keep your meetings on track.

Gain market share at the bottom of the economic cycle

There is no better time to gain market share than when we are at the bottom of the economic cycle. When I tell this to business owners the first reaction I get is a frown or a twitch. After I explained my statement the frowns quickly turn into smiles of hope.

If you look at your competitors and other fellow businessmen you will find that most of them are negative, demotivated, immobile, depressed, withdrawn, unsure and often in a state of panic.
It is easier to outperform your competitors when they are down and out.

Following is a list of a few things you can do to gain market share during economic down-time:

• Get rid of the excess. Be keen on what you spend your money on and get rid of the extra weight that drags you down in tougher times.


• Get focused on a target group. Cut your marketing costs and focus very strongly on specific segments of you target market.


• Increase your contact frequency. Make more calls an spend more time developing your existing clients (especially the A-list clients).


• Get training. Read books, listen to recordings of successful business coaches and owners and go to exhibitions and seminars. Do everything, read everything and listen to everything you can find in order to get your attitude and skills level up to standard.


• Take some vitamins and exercise regularly. This is a sure way to keep your physical and mental energy levels up.


• Associate yourself with positive, successful, motivated and upbeat people.


• Be more creative in your inventions, and be more aggressive in providing excellent customer service.


• Project a positive attitude and make sure that you have a powerful personal marketing agenda to "be seen".

Taking charge of your own economy

In order for you to take charge of your own economy you first need to get a better understanding of the economic cycles. It is a fact that not all businesses suffer at the bottom of an economic cycle. There are quite a number of businesses that are doing well at the moment (bottom of the economic cycle). Many businesses don't do that well at the top, and that is why there are bankruptcy at the top of an economic cycle. Despite the macro economic conditions that influence the majority of people and organisations, there is also the micro economic cycles or internal market environment that plays it own part and sets the stage. If you are at the top of your own economy (micro environment or internal market environment) you should seriously reconsider before you increase spending or hire new people.
If you are at the bottom of your own economic cycle and everyone around you is showing a great amount of pessimism, you should not be hopeless. The wheel keeps turning and you might soon be going up again.

Take charge - be better than average

If you make a list of all the concerns during a down economy you will find that there is very little (mostly nothing) you can do to change the way things are going at the moment.
You will find stats and indicators everywhere. Thousands of graphs are published everyday that gives an indication of the market averages. Trends that give indications about the general health of your economy or industry. The key words are AVERAGE and TRENDS. When an average is calculated both low and high figures are considered. The average is needed to get an indication of the trend. The fact is that some people are performing above average, while others might be well below average. The key to success is to make sure that you are performing above average.

Don't focus on things you can't change

If you spent less time and energy talking about circumstances beyond any control you will find that there are better uses for your time:

• Stay informed about the global economy, and keep track of things by creating a few charts about the economic trends that affects you or your business.
  


• Keep track off things going on in your industry. Keep a file with information about the "signs of the times". It is always a brilliant idea to know where you are at any given time.
  


• Get into the habit of rating the morale of yourself, your industry, your customers and your business. If you are focused on your surroundings you are also more likely to find more opportunities.
  


• Difficult times and misfortune presents opportunities to find solutions. I do not suggest that you go out an feed on the misfortune of others, but if you are able to find a solution to a public issue everyone will benefit.
  


• Competition is competition. Business should sometimes be visualised as a battleground. I often refer to the SME-graveyard where many brave businessmen and woman put it all to rest. I don't wish my competitors any bad luck, but there were times when it empowered me to see or visualise how they are immobilised and down. Get your team together from time to time and give then a glimpse off the market, how their competitors might be struggling to stay floating, and encourage them to take up arms and return to the battlefield.
  


• Start to look at change differently. There are quite a number of posts in my blog regarding change. I recommend that you take a look at it. Change is something you can't avoid during economic ups and downs. Change is a requirement and it will help you substantially if you can develop a positive attitude towards change.
  

Take a long hard look at how you can maximise your opportunities at all times. Identify those things that are most important to you right now, and what you need to do to obtain it. Don't struggle through down times alone. There is a very good possibility that someone else has been through similar circumstance before you. Ask for advice and use your common sense. There are so many negative circumstances that need a positive solution. Make it your quest to make things easier and finding solutions. Don't add to the growing pile of problems and expect other people to solve the problems. Take charge.

Understanding economic cycles

By definition and experience I believe that most people around the world are by now familiar with the term global recession. What I also assume is that many people heard about the recession, doesn’t really know what it means and therefore looses sleep over something of which they almost certainly have no control.
I am in no way trying to tell you that you should not be concerned about economic cycles. On the contrary, I think it is very important that you are well aware of the global economic cycle and how it will affect you and your business. It is also just as important to know how the economic conditions will not affect you or your business.
It is due to the constant CHANGE in the economy that most people feel uncomfortable, insecure and afraid. If you know how economic cycles work you will understand it better, and hopefully feel better about it. It is normally not the concept of economic cycles that scares people. It is the fear of the unknown and unpredictability of the economy, especially during a recession that causes people to loose vision and hope.

By equipping yourself with knowledge and skills regarding the economic cycles you will enable yourself to ride the waves of even the stormiest economies.
The good news for those who are currently finding themselves at the bottom of the economic cycle is that the cycle is at the bottom, and if it is not already going upwards, it will soon start go better.

Although I have strong interest in the science of economy, I will not attempt to give you a lecture in economy. I am simply going to give you a glimpse of the signs of times during the various stages of the economic cycle.

If we consider the economic cycles and how it applies to everyone today we can identify the following behaviour during the economic cycle:

At the top and going down – We are flying

At the top of an economic cycle society buys and spends at enormous rates. People are overbought and you will see newspaper headlines talking about consumer debt to income ratios that are increasing. Society is over-optimistic and life is just great.
It is a brilliant idea to keep track of these ratios to help you keep track of where you currently are in your economic cycle.

At some stage during the top of the economic cycle you will find that a spending becomes saturated. Society becomes so overbought that they either won’t buy, can’t buy, or simply don’t need to buy anymore.

When people are spending too much and rely primarily on credit to do so, you will find that it is usually the banks that make the first move in cutting off access to credit.
People find themselves in a position where the cash dries up, it becomes nearly impossible to get access to credit and there are talks of rising interest rates on the horizon.

Consumers start to show some concern and start to cut back on spending. Businesses respond to this reduction in spending by reducing production and getting rid of excess stock in their warehouses. Prices begin to slip as companies try to get rid of their inventory, and the “buy one get one free” turns into “buy a car and get a year’s fuel supply for free”. The Services sector has inventory in the form of people, and layoffs begin in order to reduce inventory. Once the layoffs begin we are crossing over into the bottom of the economic cycle.

At the bottom where we feel the heat – life is terrible.

As the layoffs begin people start to show more concern, and those who lost their jobs are in a state of panic. Those who lost their jobs can’t spend anymore. Those who have not lost their jobs also stop spending out of concern that they might be next.
Many of the people who didn’t lose their jobs have to settle for a reduction in their salaries. Car payments and mortgages fall behind. The banks shift their focus away from mortgage originators and start looking for auctioneers to get rid of the properties in possession. Panic sets in as stock markets loose track. Financial indicators has no loyalty to hang on to. Crude oil prices drop significantly and everyone hopes that it won’t get any worse than this. Life is miserable, governments are corrupted, unemployment is at a new record high, and somehow the minister of education hopes for better exam results this year.
There are many economists who reckon that there is more money in the average person’s bank account at the bottom of the economic cycle than there is at the top. This is due to the tendency to save or hold back during tougher times. It is rather the consumer’s confidence that disappears than the cash itself.

The time has come to move in for the kill for those who have learnt to read the signs and exploit the opportunities of a down economy. Employment can be found at low rates as people are desperately looking for work. Property prices are down and everywhere you look there are “for sale” signs. Businesses who are familiar with the economic cycles will now move in to gain market share, and smart money starts to shift around.

Small positive stories begin to surface. There are signs of people beginning to buy again. There is some hiring taking place. Confidence is beginning to look a little bit better. Some more hiring takes place, buying increases and confidence levels begin to rise. We are moving up to the top again.

Crossing over and moving up – Life isn’t that bad after all

We are moving up again. What have learnt from all this suffering?
That it is good to save during good times, so that we have some reserve (smart money) during the tougher times.

Unfortunately life doesn’t work like that. Most people will soon forget about the heartache, concern and panic. As we move upwards, buying increases, prices of goods and services start to rise, salaries increase and society begins to build and improve on their dreams. Large investments and new projects begin as investors realise that the upward trend is for real. Auctioneers are looking at alternative income options while developers, real estate agencies and mortgage brokers begin to rise up from the grave.

More positive news hits the streets and people realise that life isn’t that bad after all.
There is some concern about rising prices, the stock markets are booming, you now have two cell phones and wonder how you ever managed with only one. Business is booming and we are flying. Let’s hire more people…

No economy can stay down. It will rise again. The question you should be asking yourself is this:
What can you do to benefit from the downswing in your economy?

Capitalising on economic cycles

You have the skill, but do you have the boldness to move ahead in a turbulent economy?

There are not many things in life that causes more uncertainty than a global recession. If you have been running your own business for a while you will certainly be aware of the fact that business, in general, consists of many ups and downs.
Although a global recession hits the hardest, because a large group is affected by it, businesses in general are exposed to constant economic cycles.
Whether it is in your industry alone, in the town or city you are operating in, or in your personal finances. There are many "cycles within cycles" that cause constant turbulence, and in the process puts the skill and boldness of every businessman to the test.

My next collection of posts will focus mainly on economic cycles, understanding them better, taking charge of your own economy, how to gain market share in down times, and how to manage your sales team in turbulent times.

You will discover from this series of posts that it is not all related to skill alone, but how bold you are in taking chances, and turning risky situations into viable business opportunities.

Some food for thought: There is nothing wrong to go after a project that you are ready for as long as you have the resources to pull it together and get the job done. If you won't take the chance, who will? In turbulent times everyone is waiting for leaders, entrepreneurs and innovative people to introduce new opportunities that will open the doors to new found wealth.

I am looking forward to read your comments on my posts regarding this topic.