Collaborate. Motivate. Accelerate.
(post brought to you by the Meeting to Win team – www.meetingtowin.com)
Today’s Wall Street Journal shared some of Cisco’s tactics for reducing costs right now. Check it out at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122764304882657349-email.html.
What is your company doing to reduce costs right now?
(post brought to you by the Meeting to Win team, www.meetingtowin.com)
The Big 3 Automakers really made the headlines after flying private jets to plea for bailout funds. What messages are we sending to your customers and employees? I have had some frugal managers over the years and I really learned to respect them for this trait. They were RESPONSIBLE with the company’s money for the benefit of all of us. My perception was that they were not “living it up” at my expense. The perception they created was that they were good managers of money, their own and the company’s. I strive to be like them more so than the ones who bought a bottle of wine equal to my salary at company dinners. While the latter can be a lot of fun… I digress.
Managers, these are interesting times. Companies need to be ready for anything. Let your team know that the wise thing to do is tighten belts and spend less money. It’s not something you are doing “to them”, it’s something you should all do together to preserve job security and customer satisfaction which are long term benefits for all. Give them a real picture of the company performance and get ideas from them on reducing spending appropriately. Don’t wait until your company asks you to do it – be proactive. Limit spending – all smart companies are doing this. Spend only on customers for awhile and even there, make sure you are sending the appropriate messages. Your team will respect you for it.
Some links to the stories:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/WallStreet/story?id=6285739&page=1
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,454844,00.html
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/united_states/article5206551.ece
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/19/autos.ceo.jets/index.html
(post brought to you by www.meetingtowin.com)
US officials flunk test of American history, economics, civics
Can you do better? Read the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081120/od_afp/ushistoryeducationoffbeat#full
then take the test:
http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx
(Brought to you by Meeting to Win, www.meetingtowin.com)
Thanks for all the best practices and ideas on this topic. As I gather these from sales leaders, I will post them here. Please comment on a post by hitting the “comment” link at the end of a post or submit your best practice or idea at http://www.meetingtowin.com/contact. This series is all about sharing ideas to win deals, solidify client relationships, retain top talent, attract new top talent and gain and sustain momentum even during tough times. Selling through times like these adds “seasoning” to sales managers and sales professionals and we will all be better for it. It will happen again (post 9/11 anyone?) and we will all be better equipped if we take the lessons now.
Best Practice #1:
Get your team together for a SWOT analysis of your business. This is a great time to collaborate and get a good picture of your current selling environment.
I found a few resources on the internet including this one: http://www.sales-and-marketing-for-you.com/swot-analysis.html
SWOT Template:
http://www.sales-and-marketing-for-you.com/support-files/swot-analysis.pdf
Please share your experiences and ideas as they relate to SWOT exercises. Also, as mentioned above, share your own best practices, tips and ideas at http://www.meetingtowin.com/contact.
Love this… http://www.sellingpower.com/article/display.asp?aid=SP8354385
“Simplicity is an art and it takes hard work.” Teaching your team to become great communicators is one of the best things you can do as a Sales Manager. One way to accomplish this is to encourage reading, reading, reading. Communication improves when you immerse yourself in great communication.
What are you reading now?
Sales Managers,
What are some other pitfalls for new managers?
Jill at www.meetingtowin.com
I love Dave Stein’s blog entry today: http://davesteinsblog.wordpress.com/.
I’ve always liked the term “fiscally responsible” when it comes to spending company money.
Sales Managers, check out Dave Stein’s comments and think about how your team can act as good stewards for your own company and your customers.
Please share a comment about how you do this in your sales management role.
Right now Sales Managers must set the tone for their sales teams. The news is gloomy and Sales Managers have a lot of power to deal with the economy realistically while not allowing their teams to become “victims”. Let’s spend some time on this topic this week.
We sent out a press release regarding maintaining a performance culture during a recession. http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081119/sales-teams-can-maintain-a-performance-culture-during-a-recession.htm
In the next post, we’ll list out several ways beyond what the article shares to create and maintain a performance culture during tough times. We may also create a list of how to do the opposite! It seems some Sales Leaders are masters at this.
Feel free to share a comment about how you, as a Sales Manager, are keeping your teams focused, pumped up, realistic and strategic. We’ll share our findings soon. Check back in….
Check out the 7 Things to Look for in a Sales Manager by Lee Salz. Please comment and add to the list of 7 so we can have a comprehensive list from our readers/contributors. Thanks for sharing best practices!
http://www.ere.net/2008/11/14/7-things-to-look-for-in-a-sales-manager/
This is a new blog designed to share sales management best practices. Please share a “tip” or “best practice” that works for you at http://www.meetingtowin.com/contact.
Give us permission to use your name and company name and we will post it on this “Tips for Sales Managers” blog. Check back often or subscribe for a new best practice every week.
Each week most Sales Managers hold a weekly team conference call. This can be one of the most important hours of the week in terms of creating a performance culture. Here are 10 Tips for making the most of this time. (You can also subscribe to Meeting to Win – www.meetingtowin.com – to have them prepare great weekly meetings for you.)
10 Tips for Winning Sales Team Meetings
1. Send an agenda in advance.
2. Invite RELEVANT guest speakers.
3. Share ownership for a productive meeting with the entire team.
4. Assign pre-work.
for 5-10, visit http://www.meetingtowin.com/10tips.
Please share your tips for productive and valuable weekly team meetings, also.
