|
|
| Sales Management Information |
|
|
Stop Drowning: Nine Strategies For Managing Your Priorities
I just got off the phone with Susan. She is a well-meaning, big-hearted, caring, effective and creative sales manager. Susan is also exhausted. Her day is packed with conflicting priorities, all demanding her time. She goes out on calls with her sales team, trying to motivate and develop them; she deals with endless phone calls and e-mails and interruptions; she fights fires; launches new products; participates in cross-functional team meetings; and mediates conflicts in schedules and resources. Susan also tries to have a full life outside work, which means dealing with the family commitments, volunteering, and bookclub. To Susan, every task is a priority, and she can't keep them in sequence and in place. She feels her life is an exercise in herding cats, and we all know how easily cats pay attention and stay in line. Susan is far from alone. The relationship between knowing what needs to be done and actually accomplishing the tasks (either by yourself or through delegating the work to others) can be rocky. Add to this a number of ways we can sabotage ourselves -- including acting as a "lone ranger", always saying yes, and focusing on secondary goals -- and we can quickly get into cat-herding territory. I've been in this quandary myself and I have found that it is possible to manage priorities and maintain sanity. However, it takes commitment and focus, and the willingness to change some ways of operating. Below are nine strategies that can help. Any one of them could be a perfect fit or utter hogwash depending on your circumstances. These strategies are not intended as a one-size-fits-all recipe for managing your priorities, but simple wake-up calls to alert you to possibilities. 1. TAKE TIME TO THINK BEFORE SAYING YES If you feel overwhelmed, buy yourself some time when you are asked to add another piece of work to your list of priorities. Don't say yes to anything until you've thought it over and analyzed how you can fit a new task or project into your schedule. 2. DEVELOP AN APPROACH FOR DEALING WITH INTERRUPTIONS SET UP TIME for routine tasks · Try to arrange routine times for jobs such as going through the mail, talking with your staff, and answering phone calls and e-mail. · Fix definite times when you would not like to be disturbed, and let your staff and colleagues know that you will only be available for genuine emergencies during those hours. · Plan a certain time to discuss routine matters with your staff and colleagues. By planning discussions, you avoid interrupting each other. SET UP A PLAN for unexpected visitors · Establish at the start why they have come to see you. · Stand when they enter the room, so that they also remain standing. · Avoid engaging in small talk. · If it's necessary to deal with them, suggest a later meeting, at your convenience. If possible, hold the meeting in their office, and set time limits for your discussion. · If you really can't get them out of your office, leave the office yourself. 3. SET HEALTHY, FLEXIBLE BOUNDARIES You don't need to give in to whatever shows up in the moment. Get used to asking yourself, 'Am I the right person for this job?' If the answer is no, state it directly. Previous commitments are a valid reason for saying no. 4. LEARN MORE To manage your workload, you need information about how to accomplish a particular task and where that task fits into your network of priorities. By clarifying what's expected, you can work more efficiently. 5. ASK FOR HELP It can be hard to admit that you need help, but you are in the best position to know when you can't realistically accomplish everything. By asking for help, you show your willingness to give your best effort and your desire to fulfill all of your commitments. Consider all the alternatives, request a meeting with the appropriate people, explain the situation, and discuss possible solutions. Even if you are not completely comfortable with this route, you put yourself in a better position when you voice your concerns. 6. GIVE IT AWAY Whenever delegating a task to someone else is the best solution to an overload, it's important to hand off the task effectively. You need to give the person enough information to perform the task according to expectations. I've noticed that many sales managers have misconceptions about delegating, thinking that handing a task over to someone else means completely letting go of control. But giving others a share in the responsibility extends influence and creates commitment to the cause. Control isn't lost; you are just letting go of the burden of doing everything yourself. 7. TAKE A BODY INVENTORY Are you sleeping well? How are you eating? What's your energy level? If these are not up to par, get a professional evaluation and take the steps that will restore your well-being and help you think clearly. 8. TELL THE TRUTH Sometimes our energy flags when we're into a pattern of pleasing others or living according to standards that are not our own. Notice where you are being less than forthright and get clear about your motives. 9. KEEP IT SIMPLE Stem the panic by reminding yourself that in any given moment there is only one person to talk to, one breath to take, one thing to be done. MANAGING YOUR PRIORITIES CHALLENGE: GIVE IT AWAY Declare your intention to give things away. Then actively look for a daily opportunity to delegate good (not grunt) work, asking yourself this question: If I delegate this item to one of my staff, will the time spent up front providing guidance and support pay off later in productivity gains, smoother functioning of the group, or in better use of my time? If the answer is 'yes,' delegate it. If it is 'no,' keep it. If you delegate it, provide ongoing support, spell out clear expectations, and give the freedom to do the job. That means no hovering. Then, congratulate yourself on gaining more time. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nicki guarantees increased sales performance when sales managers become better sales coaches. Sign up for her FREE monthly e-zine, Something for NothingTM, which has powerful tips and techniques for sales managers who are ready to make this transformation. Sign up at http://www.saleswise.ca You can email her at nicki@saleswise.ca or call 416-778-4145.
Sales-Management - Google News |
|
|
|
Careers and Employment The Nine Warning Signs that You Need a Sales Video Corporate videos are an important sales tool that can often be overlooked in marketing budgets. The Hidden Competition: Avoiding the 2 Most Common Competitors There are really only two types of competitor: 6 Common Mistakes in the Sales Hiring Process Is lack of sales results, more sales training costs, months of unearned salary and damage to your company's image or reputation your company's method of NOT finding good salespeople? For most companies it is! How to Develop a Proactive, New-Business Sales Team! I don't know about your business but in my experience proactive, positive, consistent new business winners are the holy grail of any sales organisation. All of my clients have their own unique ways of motivating, managing and running their sales teams yet they all have problems from time keeping those teams on target and "up for it!" In this article I am going to cover the core fundamentals of How to Develop a Proactive, New-Business Sales Team. These are the same strategies and techniques that I have used to help many of my clients explode their personal and their team's sales. These strategies all combine an exciting and proven mix of attitudinal, skills and structural development that really works and what's more they're fun so your staff will want to use them! Change in Sales Organizations Starts with Me Question: What do the following have in common? Speed-up Your Sales Cycle This week's article is my response to a question by David Cohen of Bridge-Soft. Book of Lists Marketing for Pressure Washing Companies The American Business Journals produces a Book of Lists each year in their many markets, it is wise for pressure washing companies to use this book of lists to find new clientele. The book of lists, lists the top companies in size in all industry sectors. Since pressure washing companies clean almost anything, it behooves them to use the book to selectively target the top companies to do business with. The Art and Science of Managing Expectations in Selling It is very easy to fall into a trap with the customer by extending offerings beyond that of what the company infrastructure is able to supply in a reasonable timeline. Beyond the Golden Rule There are several types and sub types of people in the world. Getting to understand the differences will help you connect with other people. This is taught in sales 101, because the need to connect with the people to make the sale. Leadership - How To Turn The Vision Into A Reality Be clear about where you are now. Audit your strengths and areas for development The Surest Way to Boost Sales If you have a small business and you are looking to boost your sales and make the public aware of your business, how do you going about doing this? There is one sure way that I know to boost sales and create awareness. It may not be sexy, but it WORKS! 100% Commission Equals Zero Percent Control The temptation to use straight (100%) commission plans never goes away: "Let's put our salespeople on 100 percent commission. Then, if they don't perform, we're not out any money." For small, start-up organizations, the lure is irresistible, especially when money is tight and the company or the products they sell have no track record in the market. Moving a Business Relationship from Free to Fee: Turning Strangers to Friends with Power of Freebies In the last issue I shared with you a technique for getting permission to follow up with people who have seen you speak on stage. This was just one example of a tactic for filling your pipeline. How to Increase The Sales Of Promotional Products I have searched for a new way to increase the sales of my promotional products. A good way is to start an affiliate-program with a commision for every customer who buy an product and who came to your page from a webpage of one of your affiliate-partners. Increase Retail Sales With Meetups I recently attended the monthly Italian language Meetup here in Little Rock. Meetups are informal social gatherings of people with similar interests in a particular topic. Topics for Meetups range from political to cultural to intellectual to fun. 4 Marketing Myths Threaten Your Sales These 4 marketing myths can cause you to lose sales if you base your marketing decisions on them. But the related marketing tips I included with each myth will boost your sales if you act on them instead. How You Can Raise Your Business Earnings By 50% With An Age-Old Magic Truth Imagine increasing your business earnings by 30, 40, or 50%. And this just by putting into use a fundamental truth of life. Many great men of history have used this truth in turning around their fortunes. The Boss from Hell: Quick to Criticize, Slow to Praise So you have a boss who dumps all over you the moment things go wrong, but never seems to notice when things go right. Ouch. Hiring--A Vital Key In Sales Management Success Recently, I was asked to spend some time on the telephone, coaching a client's administrative assistant on how to check out an employment candidate's references. After each in-person or telephone conference, I complete a brief written report going over the information discussed. The information that I gave this worker was so vital to the company's overall sales management success that I felt impelled to share the report in my periodic client e-mailings, feeling that it might be of value to others that I serve. The information is so vital to the management process, I decided to reproduce it here as well. How Many Salespeople Should I Hire? One of the most asked questions I get is how many sales people does it take to get the revenue numbers needed. Personally, I believe in large sales forces because in highly competitive situations the largest army wins. That doesn't mean, however, that you can go out and hire 100 sales people if all you can possibly sell this year is a million dollars if everything goes right. So how do you decide how large a staff you need?
|
| home|Sales Training|Telesales Training|Site map | 
|
© 2006 www.elearn-university.org |
