Years ago, I remember consulting to a small printing firm. As is often the case in job shops (make-to-order manufacturers), estimation was the system constraint. Obviously, this wasn’t a good thing. It meant that customers wanted to buy printing; that production had the capacity to fulfill their orders; but that estimating was limiting the flow […]
If you stop and think about it, there are probably many companies you deal with automatically. You don’t stop to think about price, quality, service, or convenience – you just instinctively make your purchasing decision. We might be talking about your printer, your doctor, your real estate agent or your computer supplier. But then we […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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) […]
