I’m always bemused by the exalted tone used by salespeople and management when discussing ‘qualification’. The presumption seems to be that this activity somehow adds tremendous value to the opportunity-management process. I suspect, in most cases, it does the opposite! From what I’ve observed, ‘qualification’ typically involves a salesperson making preliminary contact with a list… “Qualification: value adding or value destroying?”
I heard an amusing story the other day. I was talking to the Managing Director of a large manufacturing firm, with a force of 100+ salespeople. He told me about how he recently went on a sales call with one of these salespeople. After the appointment, the two of them returned to the salesperson’s car.… “Are your salespeople really delivering spectacular customer service?”
It’s a common practice to categorise clients (or prospects) using an A/B/C rating (or similar). This practice may be common, but it’s rarely sensible! Organisations typically apply such a classification in an attempt to prioritise the allocation of sales resources (field or phone) to relationships under management. If those resources are abundant, this method may… “A/B/C classifications”
It’s often claimed that there are fundamental differences between major- and minor-account selling. Obviously, we’re not interested in the ‘selling’ here, so much as in the ‘sales process’. Here are some thoughts on this issue. If a minor opportunity is one that you can win in a single appointment, then a major opportunity is just… “Some thoughts on major-account selling”
Follow this simple process to transform your brochure into a powerful sales tool. Go on: admit it… Most brochures make you yawn so hard you fear your jaw’s about to snap! You know, the ubiquitous picture of the board, standing rigidly to attention. The bland letter from the CEO, explaining his company’s revolutionary policy of… “How your brochure can be a super salesperson for your organisation”
Seminars and workshops are particularly potent business marketing tools. Here’s everything you need to know to use them to generate leads and grow your business. If you’ve ever seen delegates queue to purchase audiocassette programs at a Tom Hopkins seminar, you’ve seen the power of a good seminar presentation. Seminars are a hybrid sales tool.… “How to promote, present and profit from seminars and workshops”
At one of our public roundtables this morning (in Sydney), we discussed the relationship between the potential client’s buying process and the organisation’s opportunity-management process. It’s an interesting insight, I think. The potential client’s buying process could be characterised as follows: The potential client suffers pain of some kind — but resolves (consciously or unconsciously)… “The buying process versus the opportunity-management process”
Here’s a potentially lethal sales process engineering error that we’ve made a number of times; and one that many of our subscribers have made — and are making right now — too! The error is to attempt to increase opportunity flow to match your salesperson capacity. (It sounds innocuous enough but, like I said, it’s… “The number-one way to handicap your Industrial Sales Process Reengineering project”
About once a day, I feel compelled to scream at no one in particular: ‘it’s all about scheduling!’ Because it is. All about scheduling, that is. The Ballistix method — Sales Process Engineering — it’s really all about scheduling. But people just don’t get it. So, I’m going to take some time out to talk… “It’s all about scheduling!”
It’s a mistake to assume (as some do) that our method is only appropriate to large business. I think the reason some assume this is that our method inevitably involves the employment of sales support personnel. The easy (but unhelpful) answer to this concern is to point out that if you can’t afford to have… “Our method and the small business”
