...And make no mistake, sales people, GOOD sales people are skilled!

And make no mistake, sales people, GOOD sales people are skilled, they're not just order takers. They add value to your company in numerous ways. I said I would address this in my next post on April 22, but things got a little away from me.
So here we go..

Skilled salespeople are not just order takers; they are the direct marketing line of your business to your customers and prospects. They are the people that generate revenue for your business. Skilled sales people bring new revenue in the form of new business. That increases top line revenue which should increase your bottom line revenue as well. They can also generate revenue in many other ways. Your Top Guns can increase your account penetration by expanding your geographic reach with an existing account (selling to new locations you haven't previously done business with in the past. They can increase your account penetration by selling products the client has never purchased from you in the past. This is done by leveraging the relationship they have with the people they have established relationships with in the account.

They achieve this in one of three ways.
A) They ask for a referral from someone they have built a relationship with over time. For example: "Hey Tom, I know your team does not have responsibility for Laptop maintenance, so can you please introduce me to the person responsible here who is? Our company has a great program and I want to make sure your company is aware of that, since you have used someone else for as long as I have been your Account Manager." Or,"Hey Mike, I now have responsibility for NJ, can you please put me in touch with your counterpart responsible for NJ?"
B) They offer a bundled offer discount. "Hey Sue, since you are using our laser jet toner, I want you to know that we can offer a discount if you also purchase paper from us too." If you've done a good job, they already feel comfortable with you and if you can shave a few dollars off for them as well, that makes it attractive. And most businesses want to do business with as few suppliers as possible. Working with more vendors means they aren't getting as large volume discount as they might if they spent more of their money with a smaller pool of vendors. In addition, their accounting costs drop, since they have less vendors to add to the approved vendor list, less invoices to check before payment is released, less checks to cut etc.
C) They find the client's pain point. They find out from their discussions where the other suppliers are dropping the ball and offer your solution. Here is another example: The probability is quite high that the person that the person buying Category 5 cable from you, knows devices the cable is connecting. Is it for a LAN? It is? We sell hubs & PC's. Routers? Is it for a WAN? A strong salesperson will know what's going on in your account and make sure the client is aware of every product offering and service your business provides. They might not need it today, but you need to lay the groundwork for the future, NOW.

Salespeople aren't just the people with Sales Representative, Account Executive, Account Manager etc, on their business cards. Your installation & service teams are also in a position to increase (or decrease) your sales. Make sure you coach them as well to look for opportunities.

Thanks for reading. Please send me any questions or comments you have on this Blog.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers reading this. Enjoy your day!