The Accidental Sales Manager. A Survival Guide for CEO's, Owners, and Presidents Who Find Themselves Managing...

287 Pages·2010·4.84 MB·English

by  Suzanne Paling

Table of Contents

What people are saying about The Accidental Sales Manager
Title Page
Dedication
Preface
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Part One - Preparing for the New Hire
Chapter 1 - Understanding Sales Management in Small Companies
THE COMPANY PRESIDENT
THE SALES BUDDY
HUMAN RESOURCES
THE SALES MANAGER
THE POLITICS OF ORIENTATION
Chapter 2 - Organizing the Sales Department
WELCOMING THE NEW HIRE
COMPLETING AND PRESENTING THE COMPENSATION PLAN
ESTABLISHING NEW HIRE ORIENTATION
CREATING A SALES TOOLKIT
ASSEMBLING MARKETING COLLATERAL
SETTING REALISTIC GOALS
CALLING ON THE LARGEST ACCOUNTS
PROVIDING SALES SKILLS TRAINING
TRACKING PROGRESS AND PERFORMANCE
SPONSORING MOTIVATING SALES CONTESTS
CONDUCTING PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: THE 30-DAY REVIEW
CONDUCTING PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: THE 60-DAY REVIEW
CONDUCTING PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: THE 90-DAY REVIEW
OFFERING THE NEW HIRE A FULL-TIME POSITION
COMPLETING ORIENTATION AND MOVING ON TO THE NEXT
PHASE
Chapter 3 - Welcoming the New Hire
THE ORIENTATION PACKAGE
THE WORK AREA
DOLLARS AND “SENSE”
THE VIRTUAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE
Chapter 4 - Completing and Presenting the Compensation Plan
BE REALISTIC, NOT OPTIMISTIC
THE COMPENSATION PLAN
GETTING FEEDBACK
BE PREPARED TO NEGOTIATE
INCLUDE THE CURRENT STAFF
CREATING A COMPENSATION PLAN
Chapter 5 - Establishing a New Hire Orientation Program
GETTING BUY-IN
MONEY TALKS
INCLUDE SALES REPRESENTATIVES
ORIENTATION
ENGINEERING
ACCOUNTING
YOUR ORIENTATION PROGRAM
IMPORTANCE OF GOALS
LUNCH
BE FLEXIBLE
DETRACTORS
SMALL COMPANIES
THE MISTAKE-FREE ORIENTATION

Part Two - Setting Expectations for the New Hire
Chapter 6 - Creating a Sales Toolkit
HISTORY
GETTING STARTED
THE INTRODUCTION
CORRESPONDENCE TEMPLATES
QUALIFYING QUESTIONS
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
CUSTOMER OBJECTIONS AND RESPONSES
CLOSING
TRIAL CLOSE
BUYING SIGNALS
FORMALLY ASK FOR THE BUSINESS
OVERALL BENEFIT
Chapter 7 - Assembling Collateral Material
PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE
COMPETITIVE DATA
COMPETITIVE FACT SHEET
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
THE PROPOSAL
WRITING THE PROPOSAL
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COST-BENEFIT SECTION
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE PROPOSAL
COMPANY HISTORY
COMPLETING THE TOOLKIT
Chapter 8 - Setting Realistic Goals
FINDING THE RIGHT NUMBER
GETTING STARTED
SETTING PRODUCTIVITY GOALS
LACK OF DATA
NO STAFF
UNDER-/OVER-PERFORMING
IRONIES IN SALES
Chapter 9 - Calling on the Largest Accounts
COMPETITORS
ACCOUNT INFORMATION
REVENUE HISTORY
SPEAKING TO THE RELEVANT PLAYERS
HANDLING THE ACCOUNT
INTRODUCING THE SALES REPRESENTATIVE
THE FIRST SALES CALL
THE LIST OF QUESTIONS
A SALES PITCH
Chapter 10 - Providing Sales Skills Training
HISTORY OF SALES TRAINING AND ASSESSMENTS
THE SALES PERSONALITY
THE ASSESSMENTS
SALES TRAINING
ORGANIZATIONAL FIT
Chapter 11 - Tracking Progress and Performance
THE DAILY CALL REPORT
THE PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
THE PIPELINE
THE SALES FORECAST
THE LONG-RANGE SALES FORECAST
THE NEW HIRE
ADDITIONAL REPORTS
Chapter 12 - Sponsor Motivating Sales Contests
NEGATIVE ATTITUDES
MONEY VS. GIFT CERTIFICATES
LONG VS. SHORT
IT’S NOT JUST MONEY
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS
PROVE OUT THE ROI

Part Three - Evaluating the New Hire
Chapter 13 - Conducting Performance Reviews: The 30-Day Review
REVIEWING THE SALESPERSON
INFLATED OPINIONS
CRITICISM ONLY
UNSURE OF WHERE THEY STAND
LACK OF EXPERIENCE
IMPORTANCE OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
THE 30-DAY REVIEW
CONDUCTING A REVIEW
FINAL THOUGHTS
Chapter 14 - Conducting Performance Reviews: The 60-Day Review
PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
THE SALESPERSON AT 60 DAYS
Chapter 15 - Conducting Performance Reviews: The 90-Day Review
LONG SALES CYCLE
THE 90-DAY NEW HIRE
THEN VS. NOW

Part Four - The Next Phase
Chapter 16 - Offering the New Hire a Full-Time Position
MAKING AN OFFER
MARK THE OCCASION
TERMINATION
ON THE FENCE
SET EXPECTATIONS
CANDIDATE’S OPINION
MAKE A BET
Chapter 17 - Completing Orientation and Moving Forward
CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS
A DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NEW HIRE
FUTURE INITIATIVES
THE CURRENT STAFF
REALITY CHECK
ONE STEP AT A TIME
INVOLVING EVERYONE
Chapter 18 - Creating a Sales Culture
SALES CULTURE
NEGATIVE SALES CULTURE
POSITIVE SALES CULTURE
OFFICE ENVIRONMENT
SALES PERSONNEL
BUSINESS EXECUTIVE
OTHER DEPARTMENTS
IN CONCLUSION

Glossary
Index
Index
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