| Why are you in Sales?Bill Sayers | | What made you get into sales? Was it a dream from the time you were a kid and first opened that lemonade stand in the front yard? Did it seem like it would be an easy job? Was it because one of your parents was in sales? Was there nowhere else to go…………….
What is it about Sales that attracted you?
Every sales rep will tell you a different story about why it is that they got into sales. More importantly, why are you still in sales? Are you still enjoying playing the game, or has the business become a grind.... Read More >> |
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| Product versus ServiceBill Sayers | | During my 25-years in corporate sales life I sold both products and services. Sales people who inform me that they sell a service and that is more difficult than selling a product and it is a different sale, constantly approach me. I ask them how their business is going and they usually say – Not very well.
What is the difference?
Service sales reps will usually say it is difficult to explain their service. Ask many product sales people what their products do and you would think it must be a service. Service sales people say they must sell differently.... Read More >> |
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| Who Makes It About Price?Bill Sayers | | Too often sales reps and sales leaders come to me and say – our business is all about pricing. Our business is different and we have to play in this price sensitive environment. I will listen and ask them about their business and what makes it all about price. I then say to them – “It is not the customer who makes it about price – it is the sales rep who makes it about price”. That statement is always good for some real push back and arguments from sales reps and their leaders.
Why does your customer or prospect buy... Read More >> |
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| Comp Plans Drive BehaviourBill Sayers Comp plans drive behaviour. Yet, how many companies and sales reps don’t understand this simple fact. Company’s change comp plans and can’t understand why sales people leave and/or why they are getting the results they are from the plan. Sales reps struggle with their comp plan or don’t understand the plan and therefore are unable to use the plan to their advantage.
What behaviour are you driving?
In my 20+ years of being a rep I never had a comp plan that increased my commissions and lowered my quota. And each year I received a new and different comp plan and each year a new behaviour was created for the sales team. It was interesting to watch. As a sales executive we were always trying to maximize the ability of the sales team to make money and keep the plan within the cost of sales percentages we had to work within. And there were times when we didn’t get it right.
I am amazed at business owners and corporate sales managers that don’t understand what happens with their comp plans. As an owner if you feel your sales team is not worth the commissions you pay and that they don’t work hard enough and so you cut the comp plan – be prepared for less work and performance. I had a company who decided that after the first quarter the plan was too rich and they dropped the commission levels and made it retroactive to the beginning of the year! I also worked for Linotype who had created the best comp plan I ever worked under. It was the year I made the most money.
What behaviour do you want to create?
What is it that you want your team to sell? Do you need revenue? Do you need margin? Do you need new products sold? Do you need a blend of products sold? So why not just tell the sales team what to do? Sales people are simple beings. They will follow the path of least resistance. However, if you tell them what you want, you create a comp plan that drives that behaviour and then you hold them accountable – then you will get the results you desire.
In 2000 the company I was working for decided to cap the sales reps income. It was felt the cap was more than fair and today I might say that it was. However the resulting behaviour was predictable. The end of January at the sales kick off meeting a rep got off the plane and... Read More >> |
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