My
Business Tips by Tim Shaw www.timshaw.com.au August 2006
Sales are the key to success!
Your bank looks at your sales and cash flows as a barometer
of stability when assessing your business success. Brand, stock
at cost are all factors but when it boils down to it sales are
king.
Who is the best salesperson in your business? If you are, but
you are too busy running everything else but sales, then take
a big breath, stop and think. What if you spent the whole of
next week selling, would sales increase? If sales increase,
does it not follow that you are best placed to be selling and
directing the sales team full time?
I speak with business people all the time and they tell me all
of the issues that keep them busy in the business. More than
half tell me its administrative, human resources, stock sourcing,
and of course most say sales are down. I say, get out of the
office and sell or work closely with your sales team and support
them toward bigger success.
Take your team out of the office and assess each of them on
their current performance and their merits. Do you have the
right people in the right roles? If not, hire slow the right
people to support you and the sales team you want to have in
place. If the wrong people are selling your products, get them
trained properly or get rid of them. It sounds harsh, but your
reality is the bank and your sales projections for 2006 / 2007.
That’s what you need to focus on. Building the right back
room team is important; they will support your front line sales
activities.
Do your competitive analysis of who your competitors are and
how you stack up in the top three. If you are not in the top
three, ask your customers what you can do to get there. Do you
want to be number one sales company in your category or local
marketplace? What sales steps need to be taken to achieve that
objective?
Build and strengthen sales relationships. These customers are
your life blood. Ask not what your customers can do for you
but what you can do for your customers, they are very sales
person’s ultimate employer. Remember a sale is not a sale
until you are paid.
Every business I have owned or run has been predicated on sales
per day, week and month analysis, gross profit earned and cash
at bank. If you think these three keys toward success need attention
today, then lead from the front foot and set yourself some personal
sales goals to achieve. Your business will not grow this year
without it.
Good Selling
Tim Shaw appears as the sales and marketing expert on My
Business - Channel 7 on Sunday mornings @ 11am. He
can diagnose sales and marketing opportunities available for
your business today. Tim is available as a keynote speaker for
your next sales meeting or conference. Visit www.timshaw.com.au
or contact Tim directly at timshaw@bigpond.com
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