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David Sciandra was tired of playing hide-and-seek. One of the inside salespeople whom Sciandra manages as eastern regional sales manager for Ametek Solidstate Controls, an electrical power company based in […]

Everybody has a name for those top sellers who expect special treatment. Some call them egomaniacs. Others refer to them as too-big-for-their-britches. Some go so far as to call them […]

Scores of companies that have switched to team selling can attest to the fact that it's a tricky business. So many things can go wrong-from choosing weak team leaders and […]

Throw out the rules you've learned about dealing with independent sales agents. These are chaotic times in the marketplace, when what seems like solid ground one day turns to quicksand […]

You've got to spend money to make money. And that should apply to incentives as well as anything else, right? Not necessarily. Incentives don't fall under the category of "the […]

Six months after joining Pilot Pen Corp. as national sales manager in 1975, Ronald G. Shaw decided he wanted to set up his own direct sales force. The primary reason? […]

Even in the auto parts business, YOu may need a push to get where YOU're going, and these days it's likely to come from your customers. Until a few months […]

Uncertainties about the economy and the Gulf War-as well as their effect on sales and profits-have prompted many companies to take a conservative approach to expenditures of all kinds, including […]

Unlocking a candidate's hidden potential requires a thorough knowledge of the legal issues involved. More often than not, sales managers don't follow up on the references given to them by […]

Does your company have what it takes to move people without damaging them in transit? Are relocation services just a package of extras designated to make the job of moving […]

HOW TO TELL COMPETENT SALESPEOPLE FROM THE OTHER KIND How would you describe the ideal salesperson? Extroverted, aggressive, customer-oriented? Quick to develop a rapport? A good sense of humor, a […]

MOVING TECHNICAL SUPPORT INTO THE SALES LOOP More and more these days, the support staff is becoming an integral part of the sales team. You're in a meeting with the […]

ARE YOUR SALESPEOPLE TRADE SHOW DUDS? Even field sales stars can fizzle on the trade show floor if they're not adequately prepared. In military parlance, a dud is a bomb […]

YOU CAN AVOID THE TRANSFER TRAINING TRAP As companies merge, purge, downsize, and generally try to operate more efficiently, a new type of sales recruit is showing up at the […]

STAY ON TOP OF THE BOTTOM LINE! Congratulate Bill Dawson on his promotion from regional sales manager to vice president of sales, and he may reply, "Thanks a lot--I think!" […]

THE SECRET TO A GOOD HIRE: PROFILING At first glance, John Smith seemed like the perfect hire. During interviews for the sales position, John was friendly, poised, and well-dressed. On […]

ARE YOU ABUSING YOUR SALESPEOPLE? "When you point a finger at someone else, you have three fingers pointed back at yourself." That's what my boss, Paul Millikin, suggested I think […]

FAT CHANGE Shunned, humiliated, or simply told to stay away until they "take a few pounds off," people of generous proportions are excluded from field sales duty on a variety […]

Here's some advice on how to improve your employee selection process. Ask any group of sales managers about their major job responsibilities and you're sure to find recruiting and hiring […]

COUNSELING: AN END OR A NEW BEGINNING? You've spoken to him several times about keeping his weekly activity up, and for a short time, he does make the number of […]

Perhaps one of the best ways to understand what motivates top performers to stay with a company is to get a firmer handle on why they're tempted to leave. Take, […]

For three years, Christine led her division in sales volume. Her reputation for working hard, imaginatively, and persistently spread throughout the field sales force. On an average of every six […]

Spurred by worldwide competition and a belief in its importance to customer satisfaction, some leading U.S. companies have begun to introduce quality-however it's defined or articulated-as a component in their […]

WHAT ARE THE BEST WAYS TO BREAK IN NEW SALESPEOPLE? Introduce them to the product, the industry, and the customer, say panelists. Then, give them some training. While most of […]

Q WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WHEN A GOOD EMPLOYEE STARTS HAVING PROBLEMS? Tackle the Problem right away, say Panelists. Ignoring a problem will only make the situation worse. First, get […]

Sales managers who have had to cut staffers recently have seen their own workloads increase. On top of their managerial duties, many are having to make sales calls and follow […]

If you reps' hot tempers and personality conflicts are disrupting customer service and positioning morale, it's your job to step in and heal relationships. Are you ready to play mentor, […]

ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR COMPANY CARS? When it comes to recruiting salespeople, Jim Maule knows the value of a company car. "There isn't a person we hire […]

THE LOCATION EQUATION In the ongoing effort by sales managers to attract and hold topflight sales talent, one of the most oft-discussed issues isn't so much what a job entails […]

"Empowerment" describes a variety of actions a company can take to give employees a greater sense of control and participation in the events and decisions affecting their business life. And […]

Most panelists acknowledge that there are some benefits to accompanying salespeople on their cans. However, the negatives can far outweigh the positives if a sales manager oversteps his or her […]

"If I only had ten more like her (or him) this sales management job would be a piece of cake." Those words, or something like them, have been wistfully uttered […]

Field sales managers don't travel for fun. They work in the field. For them, sitting on a plane for a long flight is just like putting in another day at […]

Although the definition of mentoring tends to be somewhat nebulous, most panelists feel it's not only a valuable training tool--it's also a great management tool. However, a number of panelists […]

We've come a long way from the primitive notion that the sole aim of salespeople is to make money and that as long as you keep them on the money […]

The typical salesperson will be a bit more atypical in the years to come, according to a recently released study entitled Workforce 2000. Conducted by Towers Perrin, a New York […]

Q: Should your company spend money on outside sales training? A: Only if you have lots of discretionary money to spend and don't know what to do with it. While […]

Sales of merchandise used specifically as sales force incentives hit an all-time high of over $3.8 billion in 1989, according to a recent study by Incentive magazine. With that type […]

A While the majority of our panelists regard teamwork as absolutely essential to successful selling, opinions tend to vary when it comes to determining the sales manager's role in promoting […]

What makes a charismatic leader? A number of images come to mind: Winston Churchill's ability to inspire; Henry Ford's vision; John F. Kennedy's speaking presence; General Patton's ability to command; […]

USING THE "THREE Rs" TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS In your continuing efforts to help salespeople increase their productivity, don't overlook the important role that goals can play. In everything they […]

MANAGING THE MAVERICK SALESPERSON The creative sales rep, as troublesome as he or she may be, is also a valuable contributor. Coming up with a solid reason for one more […]

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF A PERSONAL SALES SLUMP? A Burnout is the most frequently cited cause of lagging sales, whether it arises from repetition, boredom, the lack […]

USING DRAWS WISELY IN YOUR SALES COMPENSATION PLAN The draw is an incentive paid in advance of performance--a draw against future earnings. Typically it's used to help see salespeople through […]

THE ABSOLUTE BASICS OF SALES FORCE MANAGEMENT I was asked recently by Lou Hoff, president of The Bartizan Corp., which manufacturers credit card imprinters, if I could help his newly […]

The question How'm I doing?" expresses a universal need among salespeople to know what they're doing wrong which tells them what needs ("fixing") and what they're doing right (which tells […]

Anyone who has ever managed a field sales organization knows that hiring and keeping effective salespeople is the most difficult part of the job. Experience improves a manager's skills in […]