The Ten Golden Rules of Sales-Force Productivity

Successful sales people bring in lots of deals, no matter at what cost. Productive sales people bring in lots of high-profit deals, at manageable costs, retain more customers, and are happier at their jobs. Here are the Ten Golden Rules of Sales Force Productivity

1. Know what your selling time is worth. It’s worth a whole lot more than your billable hours, your payroll, or your commission check. Selling time is Opportunity Value – and it’s probably worth $1,100 an hour or more
2. Selling time is an investment. Don’t bet an $1100 hour on a $100 win.
3. Be selective with your prospects. Choose prospects that match your ideal customer; otherwise you’ll blow more of those expensive hours.
4. Time spent qualifying the right customer beats time spent flogging the wrong customer.
5. If you’re going to lose, lose early. With good qualifying skills, you can find out if the prospect is worth the effort, early in the relationship. Walk away before you invest in a demo, proposal, or negotiations.
6. Take NO for an answer. If the prospect’s not right for you, don’t pursue it.
7. It’s NOT all about the money. Money is the result of your effort, not the goal.
8. It IS all about the customer. If the customer wants what you’ve got, you’ll succeed – as long as you focus on delivering value.
9. Create metrics. Set targets for all aspects of the sales process. If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it. And if you can’t manage it, you can’t improve it.
10. Track performance. Once you set your targets and metrics, track performance relentlessly. Be honest with yourself.

And a bonus: Rule #11. Get some rest. Take time to recharge your batteries. Unplug the phone, laptop, pda; put your mind in neutral. Nonstop work lowers productivity.

By Ellen Bristol

Bristol Strategy Group

Click here to take the BSG “Leaky Bucket” Sales-Force Productivity Assessment.

Have You Had Your PIE Today?

P.I.E. = Performance, Image and Exposure. This is your success formula. If you have one element without the others, you can end up on the slow road to success. I’ve seen it happen to executives, professionals and entrepreneurs. Here are some example personalities we will all recognize from the office. Do you have a great story about one of these people in your office? Tell us.

• The Worker Bee – You know this person, perhaps you are this person. They come in early, stay late and crunch all the important numbers for the big meeting. The Worker Bee knows a lot, but ask yourself how often these folks get noticed for their work in a big way. That’s right, almost never. They have the performance, but the wrong image or limited exposure to move ahead. If you don’t have the image or charisma of a leader, or the exposure to get noticed, then the credit for great performance will often go to others.

• Mr. Important – This is the person that walks around all day looking important and making connections while the real performers toil away with little recognition, and bitter feelings. They have the image down correctly, but they have very little ability to make great decisions and lead when needed. Mr. Important often gets promoted. However, one day, they get shown up; sometimes in a very public and excruciatingly painful way. They are great negotiators and they delegate well. Many of them get very far with this persona. Secretly though, their staff ends up leaving their team in order to find better leadership elsewhere.

• The Rock Star – This person is known and liked by all, including the management team. They have a great image and tons of exposure. Unfortunately, there is often not enough substance to get the job done and they are not seen to have the right “leadership image” for the company. Rock Stars often get great perks, but there is ceiling to their success in certain office environments. So, while this image may look like the one to be, the Rock Star cannot succeed without a wingman with substance.

How Can You Get More PIE?

1. Improve Your Performance at Work - Performance is important, but it must be focused
   • Understand what the key business strategies are
   • Link your daily work to the key business strategies
   • Track you work’s ROI impact to the business using the company’s key indicators (KPIs)
2. Improve Your Image – Image can make or break your career
   • Use the iPod marketing strategy (nice packaging and a contemporary look). The ipod is not the best MP3 player, it’s just the best marketed one
   • Develop a personal Brand that suits you and your organization
3. Get More Exposure - Recognition from your peers and your leaders will put you in the fast lane
   • Become the “go-to” person (for leadership, innovation, quality, industry knowledge)
   • Don’t be afraid to talk about what you’re working on and its relevance to the business goals
   • Seize the opportunities to get face-time with the boss
   • Volunteer for tough projects and strut your stuff

We Want to Hear From You

I answer questions for clients and colleagues all day about business and career “stuff”. From CEOs to Administrative Assistants, they all have something on their minds that they’re just not sure about how to address. So now, let’s make it public and address everyone’s concerns all at once. Send us your questions about how to:

1. Improve employee performance
2. Grow your business
3. Advance your career
4. Manage you boss’ expectations
5. Fire a low-performer
6. Stop office gossip
7. Deal with your idiot boss
8. Sell your idea to the boss
9. Increase the profit margin on your products
10. Turnaround a poorly performing business unit

If you have questions, we have answers. Every week, we’ll answer it all and give you the real truth that no one wants to say out loud. At the very least, your boss won’t know who said it.