Sitting in at the roundtable discussions, here are a few of the observations. We are not mentioning any names of people or companies, but simply the topics they wanted to talk about.
SALES MEETINGS/SALES REPS: Many companies are moving away from the weekly sales meeting, and doing it either monthly or quarterly. This is mainly due to complaints from veteran sales reps who felt they were not necessary that often.
However, the agendas for those meetings were considered strong and worthwhile.
There is definitely a connection between veteran sales reps and younger sales reps. The veteran reps will test the new, young reps when they start. But once they have proven themselves, they are able to gain respect and create a strong relationship.
Being young and being hungry are strong assets for sales reps. They are able to communicate with younger customers, and use technology to their advantage. Many veteran reps are still not using technology in the ways that is will make the process go faster and easier.
MARKETING:
There is a lot of in-house marketing, but it is mostly the “old school” style. Nothing is cutting any new edges. Many would like to see something more modern.
HIRING:
All agree that there are a lot of potential employees out there with a lot of talent to offer. One successful plan was to move away from an HR driven job fair, and have other employees there to monitor which potential candidates seemed to be the best fit for the company. Also, raising a company’s profile at nearby universities is a huge help to find qualified employees.
MARKET SHARE:
While some would like to do more with the better clients, others believe the key to success is new business.
Attracting new business is tough. Asking open-ended questions, and letting the customer talk, will allow the sales person the opportunity to find solutions and create new business. There is also a tremendous value in face to face discussions, as opposed to e-mailing as a way to prospect new customers. Also, a lot of talk about value. What value are you giving your customers that others, especially Amazon and Google, can’t offer. That will set you apart.
–More later — Scott Costa
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