IT Marketing: Get Your Expertise Across

Two powerful tools to influence your target audience are case studies and your website. These tools show your potential customers that you are their best solution. In this article, you'll learn how to use case studies and websites to help with your IT marketing.

Case Studies

A case study is a really fancy testimonial. It usually has the picture of the client with their logo, their full name, address, and other contact information.

A case study will have a few short paragraphs where the client talks about the benefits that they've received by working with your firm over the years, and a strong endorsement signed by them and your firm's contact information at the bottom as a call to action. If you're targeting small medical offices, for example, and you have two to four related case studies, they can be incredibly powerful.

Websites

A website is an important IT marketing tool for your business. Put the right content into it so it gives the maximum impact to your clients. Don't waste your time on irrelevant things like advertising the cheapest power supply or motherboard. Focus on your industry specific solutions and solving the niche's biggest IT problems.

Each Web Page Should Address a Niche

If you have three niches that you're targeting for your IT marketing, have a page for each of them. And make sure each page talks about some industry-specific trends and how your IT solutions tackle these problems.

You should know your niche's hot buttons. You should know the typical software packages that are going to move people into believing that you have strong competence in this area. (This is the perfect time to do some selective “name dropping” if you have specialized knowledge.) Know the specific benefits that you're delivering for your niche and have those benefits on your Web site.

IT Marketing: Emphasize Service on your Website

Most of your website activity is going to come from two places.

1. You've generated the demand somewhere else and you're using the Web site as a replacement for an expensive, fancy glossy brochure.
2. competitors poking around on your Web site looking for information.

You want prospects to be clear when they hit your Web site that your emphasis is on services… and the problems that these service solve for certain kinds of small businesses.

The Bottom Line on IT Marketing

Utilize case studies and your website to get more impact from your IT marketing activities. Make sure you address your individual niches and the problems each of them encounter.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Joshua Feinberg - EzineArticles Expert Author

Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultants get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua's free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.

3 Marketing Tactics That Will Send Your Sales Through The Roof

When the tide comes in, all boats in the harbor go up... the tough part is figuring out how to bring the tide in. Booming economies come and go and bring surges of profit increases, then ebb to leave behind shortages and tough times. Regardless, there are some business that just seem to weather the tough times with grace, not really affected by recessions. It's almost as though they have a secret source... maybe they do... customers.

Hey, customers always buy... in the good times and in the bad times. They still have needs and still make purchases. When you understand their needs and wants, you have the keys to keeping your business afloat when others are grounded. Implement these three tactics successful marketers use, and you're set for success.

1. Just One

Customers can be like a two year old in a candy store... they want it all. Yeah, sometimes it’s hard to make up your mind about what you really do want when everything looks so good. That’s why it pays to promote one product over the others. It spells out loud and clear... I’M THE BEST DEAL. That will be the deciding factor in most cases.

2. Make Them Feel Good

Customers buy because they want to enjoy the benefits of the purchase. A lady might buy a dress because she wants to feel sexy, or a man will buy a saw because he finds pleasure in creating things. Emotions are the key element that drives purchases.

Use word pictures to stir up the emotions that will instigate the sale. Let them “feel” the benefits, and they’ll be more apt to head for the cash register. Put them where you want them.

Selling a riding mower? ... the birds are singing, Easter lilies are blooming and kids are flying kites in the wind... spring has arrived. Yep, it’s time to get out that mower and fuel it up for the summer ahead. How many springs have come and gone since you promised yourself a riding mower? ... It’s not hard to paint mental pictures that whet their appetite for the product you are advertising.

3. Make Contact

Following up with a customer who didn’t buy can be the determining factor between and “almost sale” and a satisfied, loyal customer. Simply contact them afterwards and let them know the product is still available or offer them further information they may find valuable.

Internet marketers can offer free newsletters or reports that consumers find useful and marketers find profitable. Not only do you keep your product in front of the customer on a regular basis, you get email information to stay in contact. Both parties win!

Consulting Contracts with National Service Organizations - Good Idea?

Don't do it. Why not? You'll spend a lot of money and a lot of time getting certified and learning all the latest platforms and technologies. But the reality is that hardware repair is a commodity - a low margin business. And it's becoming more and more of a commodity service every year as the components become more disposable and more replaceable than repairable. In this article, you'll learn why consulting contracts with national service organizations are not the best choice.

Computers Are Now Replaceable

Let's take a $600 consumer-grade PC for example. Who's going to spend money on an out-of-warranty repair on a $600 PC? Who's going to spend money on an out of warranty repair on a $400 laser printer? How much money are small businesses willing to spend on this kind of repair?

Low Labor Allowances for Consulting Contracts

Since national service organizations are going to primarily be dealing with warranty repairs on relatively inexpensive hardware, how much labor allowance do you think they're really going to give up on a $1,200 notebook? Many big hardware vendors are so cash strapped that they're always on the verge of going out of business constantly. Dell, HP, and IBM are pretty much the only major hardware players that are still in reasonably good financial shape (even if you consider IBM in the hardware business anymore).

The Profit Margin on Repairs in Consulting Contracts

So, what are you going to make on a repair? Fifty dollars? A hundred dollars? $150 or $200 at the absolute most? You're going to do a lot better by finding small businesses in your area that need high-level professional services on a regular basis.

Consulting Contracts with National Service Providers Aren't Profitable

Acting as a subcontractor for a national service provider is a really hard way to run a consulting business. Do you want to be in eight different offices every single day, or do you want to be in one or two? Do you want to be billing out at $100 or $150 an hour for high-end network support services and network integration services? Or do you want to be told that you're going to be allowed a $65 labor allowance to replace a system board, no matter how long it takes you?

The Bottom Line about Consulting Contracts

Repairing and troubleshooting hardware is low-end commodity work. It's work that can be done by people that are billing out at $20 or $30 an hour. It's not the high-end consulting you could be doing with consulting contracts. Don't ever confuse the two.

Copyright Notice:

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Joshua Feinberg - EzineArticles Expert Author

Joshua Feinberg, co-owner of Computer Consulting 101, gets computer consulting businesses more steady, high-paying consulting clients. Now you can too. Just sign-up now for your free access pass to these field-tested, proven computer consulting secrets at Computer Consulting 101.

Avoid The Marketing Two-Step

Small business marketing seems to go one of a couple of ways. Here are two basic definitions of marketing. You can decide for yourself which one you're using to try and market and grow your business.

1. Marketing is the coordinated and systematic use of strategies and tactics to generate a consistent supply of high-quality leads for your small business.

2. Marketing is a two-step process.

It's a good bet that you're using definition number two to try and take your own business to the next level. Sorry, you may like the first definition better. But, experience tells me that most small businesses are subscribing to definition number two.

If you are one of those businesses, I can almost guarantee that your results are not what you'd like them to be. They can't be because the two-step marketing approach just doesn't work.

Are You Doing The Marketing Two-Step?

Let's back up for a minute. Just what the heck do I mean by saying "marketing is a two-step process" anyway?

You might remember back in the early 1990's (early in my own work career) that country music was very popular. Names like Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and Clint Black were topping the charts. If these names don't sound familiar to you, that's ok, you'll still get the point.

This popularity of country music introduced a whole generation of people to country dancing. One very well known type of country dancing is the Texas Two-Step. The Texas Two-Step is pretty easy to learn because... well there are really only two steps. God bless Texas for naming the dance so we'd all know what we're doing.

Unfortunately, way too many small businesses are using a two-step process. It's the most common approach to marketing across all industries. But incredibly, it's the most ineffective, time-wasting, energy-wasting, and money-wasting approach available.

How Does The Two-Step Work (I mean NOT work)?

Pick a marketing tool, any marketing tool- an advertisement, a brochure, a direct mail piece, a web site, promotional email, etc. It doesn't really matter the tool so much as it does the way most small businesses try to use it.

In the two-step process, the marketing tool simply announces the product or service being offered, list a few features (maybe even some benefits), sometimes makes a special introductory or discount offer, and then list the company contact information (usually phone number and/or web site). That's step one.

Step two is that your prospects or existing clients get so out-of-their-mind excited that they contact your right away to either buy, or they at least ask for more information about it.

Have you ever seen an ad, brochure, direct mail piece, web site, or promotional email like this? Sure you have because everybody is doing it - and there in lies part of the problem.

Back in the early nineties, it seemed like everyone was doing the Texas Two-Step. So if you weren't learning it, you were out of step. Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.

Why Does Everyone Do It If It Does Not Work?

Most small business owners feel comfortable and safe doing what everyone else is doing. Part of the reasoning seems to be that 'it must work or everybody else would not be doing it.' But it doesn't work. Everyone else is doing it because they're simply looking to see what everyone else is doing.

It becomes a real vicious cycle of copying ineffective marketing ideas from everyone else. Don't believe me? Try this little test.

Grab a handful of newspapers, business journals, chamber newsletters, and/or trade publications and scan the ads. Open up the yellow pages and scan the ads. Collect the direct mail pieces or brochures you come across in the next week. Visit a handful of your competitors' web sites.

I'd be willing to bet that a majority of your research will reveal the company name used as the headline, a list of four or five service offerings, maybe a couple of benefit type statements or a special offer, and number to call for more information.

That's following the 'marketing is a two-step process' definition. And chances are you're following it as well. If you are, I feel confident in saying that you're not happy with your marketing results. You simply can't be because the two-step doesn't work in marketing.

Make Your Marketing More Than A Two-Step Process.

What you need is a consistent, systematic approach to marketing. That means incorporating and combining the various pieces of your marketing strategies and tactics together for greater impact.

Focus on providing valuable, useful information and resources to your prospective clients that actually help them solve problems and achieve desired outcomes. Yes, I realize that is what you typically expect your clients to pay for. But, what you may not realize is that it is also the best way to attract new clients consistently.

Now realize that this is not simply offering to give away a portion of your products or services for fr~ee. That rarely works.

Allow me to illustrate with an example. Consider the difference between a two-step networking approach and a coordinated, systematic approach to networking. In a two-step approach, you go to an event and give out your card to as many people as you can meet urging them to call to "go to lunch" or "have coffee" sometime.

In a coordinated, systematic approach you go to an event and focus on making a few great connections. You ask other's for their card and tell them that you have a recent article you've written that you'd love to send them. When you send the article, you let them know that if they like the information, they can download another special report off your web site when they subscribe to your fr~ee monthly ezine... I could go on, but I hope you're beginning to see the difference.

Better Marketing Approach - Better Results.

If you're not getting the results you crave from your current marketing approach, then it's time to change your approach. Isn't a popular definition of insanity 'doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results?' Keep doing the marketing two-step and you'll keep getting the same disappointing results you've always gotten.

Don't be fooled if one of your competitors or some other company you admire appears to be successful despite using the marketing two-step. There is most likely additional coordinated marketing activity going on that you're simply not aware of.

Also, don't be fooled by anyone trying to tell you that you just need to keep running your ads again and again so that you build up name recognition and brand awareness. The thought is that the repetitive exposure and awareness will build up so that eventually your target market will know you're out there and business will start to happen. It's a myth.

Trust me, it's more than being persistent and putting your two-step message out there again and again that is keeping anyone from calling. You may get lucky from time to time and strike just when someone is looking for exactly what you offer, but your results won't be consistent.

By having a coordinated, systematic approach to marketing you're placing value on obtaining prospects. You'll be able to generate a constant supply of high-quality leads that you can work on building up interest, credibility, and trust with until they're ready to say 'yes' and begin a conversation about how you might be able to help.

That's what an effective marketing approach can do for your business. Leave the two-step to dancing at country bars.

Marketing Guru: Springboard Marketing

Aligned Marketing Ploys

Steeped in the ever changing flavors of time, marketing ploys drift along dependent on the economic stressors of the money code. What bears the weight, what leaves us cold, or what feels right is often the determining factor of what marketing ploys work.

When a marketer works off the economy, sucks autonomy from the season, and builds on what has already evolved in the business world their marketing is effective. Currently effective marketing would have something to do with random negligence, a comment, or pun implicating lack of forethought randomly placed will capture attention. But is it good marketing?

Any strategic marketer will recognize the ploy and jump past it. Buyer be ware, kind of restrictions might apply in most cases. The reader might altruistically manage to get past the ploy, and yet if the implication is subtle enough - the ploy becomes subliminal and therefore a working strategy to get the attention of the reader.

Subtle market strategy becomes a dominant factor in marketing. How strong are your base marketing ideals? Do they capture the audience? Do they get attention fast and keep it?

Plan your marketing ploys to get the attention of the consumer and direct them to your most effective position and let them make their own decisions - with your encouragement.

Jan Verhoeff is an expert marketer with more than two decades of experience in making things happen on the sales front. Feature marketing strategies are effective and direct. For more information about marketing your product and strategy that will work for you, see eBiz Blitz at http://www.freewebs.com/ebizblitz

Develop Business by Mastering the Random Encounter

Business opportunities present themselves everyday. If you turn random encounters into networking opportunities you will have more business than you can handle.

Imagine this Scenario:

You are in line waiting to buy a bagel and coffee at your favorite shop and you see a person who can dramatically help your career. Let’s say it is the Owner of a business that you have been talking to for months but you just can’t gain any traction. How do you approach this powerful person without looking like an aggressive psychopath?

When taking advantage of the random encounter, there are four steps you should follow for maximum effectiveness. They are:

Allow the other person to assume a position of power. When you ask for advice, directions, or even something as simple as the time, who has the power? The person providing the information has the power and control of the interaction. They can walk away or refuse to answer. Most people, when they have control of a situation, are immediately more comfortable and less intimidated – which means they are more likely to be open and receptive.

Establish common ground. You can do this by talking about a third party, a neutral subject, or an experience that everyone can relate to. The key here is to establish some sort of small emotional connection with the other person. Your goal is to get them to feel what you feel.

Compliment them and ask for some harmless information. You have now exchanged at least two sentences with the other person. The next step is to make him feel good. Say something like, “I could not help but admire your watch. Did you pick it because it is functional or because it looks great?” The objective is to get them to give you advice. Eventually you can work a question about where they work and what they do into the conversation.

The “By the way.” After you have had your two-minute conversation and you prepare to leave, say something like, “Oh, by the way, my name is Dave,” and offer your hand for a handshake. Then you can say, “May I call you if I need some advice on _______?” They will most often respond affirmatively. If they don’t, just give them your business card and say that you enjoyed speaking with them.

The random encounter is just that – random. You don’t have to make a perfect presentation. Act naturally and remember the individual you are speaking with is a person just like you. Don’t be intimidated. Be yourself and you’ll win them over.

David Lorenzo has more than 20 years of business experience as a successful corporate executive, entrepreneur, strategist, author, and speaker. He has worked with and mentored some of the world’s most successful businesspeople while helping lead many large organizations to unprecedented success. His latest book is titled: Career Intensity: Business Strategy for Workplace Warriors and Entrepreneurs.

Mr. Lorenzo’s experience in starting new business enterprises and repositioning under-performing business units, along with his ability to implement innovative performance improvement solutions, makes him one of today’s most sought-after trusted advisors.

Mr. Lorenzo is a participant in the Wharton Fellows Program at the University of Pennsylvania, a management think tank that meets regularly to analyze and address timely business issues. He received his MBA from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University, and he received a Masters of Science in Strategic Communications from Columbia University in New York City.

Dave's blog is http://www.careerintensity.com/blog

Attention: Entrepreneurs -- Is Your Business Name Working?

During the past decade, I have noticed the prevalence of name changing, as I am sure you have also. Several of the organizations with which I am involved have chosen new and different names that they feel represent them and their missions more descriptively. Companies who were ready for a new start have changed names to reflect a new attitude, direction and/or focus. Some of these changes have made a positive difference, others have just caused confusion.

What we name ourselves, our businesses and/or the way we describe our services can make a huge impact. For example, I teach fitness classes and have discovered that the name of the class can determine how many people try it (of course, just like a business, once you attract them, you must make it so good they want to return). I started teaching a lower body callisthenic class which has turned into a huge success. Rather than naming it "Lower Body Workout," I feel that the name we chose -- "Pain in the Butt" -- has helped to attract the large number of participants.

Decide what impression you want to have your name and/or the name of your company make. For example I know many independent professionals who use their own name followed by "and Associates." This sounds serious and a bit conservative to me. Law firms that in the past have listed many names of the various partners are now shortening their names. A good example is Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue which became Jones Day at the start of 2003.

I chose the name "Creative Keys" for my company because I work in so many different creative areas it covers them. I like the word "Keys" because keys open doors and more, and because my initials are CK it seems easy for people to remember it. Although, I must admit that I sometimes get calls from people needing a set of keys to open a locked door.

When choosing a longer name, consider whether it would work as an acronym. People remember acronyms, especially if they are short and punchy. Our Ohio storytelling group goes by the name of O.O.P.S! which stands for the Ohio Order for the Preservation of Storytelling -- a real mouthful. The fun part is that when I am giving a presentation or being introduced for any reason, I always have the emcee mention my involvement with the Ohio Order for the Preservation of Storytelling so that when I get up to the lectern, I say, "O.O.P.S!, that's another story." It is not only an attention getter, it is also easy to remember.

Think of all of the easy acronyms: IBM, UPS, FedEx, P & G, MS, to name a few. I do a lot of work with community development corporations and their names are long, so acronyms fit the bill. The Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition is known as CNDC for example. Once you have picked a name with a reasonable, easy-to-remember acronym, you will need to repeat it everywhere until others become used to it - just as they will with any name that is heard often.

Take your time and have fun picking a great name for your business. You want it to last a long while and be remembered easily.

Can India Retain the Reign of Offshore Outsourcing King

For instance just Yesterday, company based at France, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, fifth largest IT services firm thought out world, had open a new Software Development center in Mumbai suburban area and that will accommodate 250 IT-professionals. The organizations chief said that “We are really looking forward for stepping stone and building a much bigger presence in nation like India".

With that main Offshore Outsourcing announcements by India have come furious and fast recently like this; International Business Machine is going to open a Linux research laboratory and give way to employment to 510 professionals; With 1350 IT-developers, Nortel Networks in India, will spend 350 million dollar in the next four years and increase employment by 500 additional R&D scientists; Cisco Systems spend 200 million dollar in future for Software Development center.

So one can see that India is currently on a roll but the question is that how long can it hold this crown? With the prediction by NASSCOM, that 6 billion dollar for software exports by this year and it will go 50 billion dollar by year 2008, but some have started questioning that whether India can maintain competitive edge or not. Cheaper cost IT Outsourcing in China, with that Philippines, Russia and Pakistan are also sprouting up and competing for Outsourcing projects, so it indicates that unlikely India will reach the lofty goal.

The U.S. IT Association estimated that around 845,000 Information Technology jobs in America will go to be un-filled this year. For a 1st year graduate student, it will start out with salaries of 45,000-50,000 dollar and it will rapidly escalate. So with that no doubt the Offshore Software Outsourcing industry will continue its hyper expansion in the next six to seven years with Western companies look for cheaper and cheaper overseas talent to fill those gaps, but it is doubtful that India could hold its crown or not.

If India will slip from the Offshore Outsourcing leader, there are so many low wage nations that might be happy to pick up the show. Like Pakistan, has also soughed to emulate neighbor’s success with offer of similar tax benefits for MNC-s. At the same time China looks like the biggest threat to India, with more than 400,100 Software Development engineer, but only 35,100 out of it is qualified to do high level kind of work, that systems integration software projects coveted in India. For the work of software applications maintenance and migration projects, the Chinese employees are well qualified with high technical skills and can come at a significantly cheaper salary as compared to Indian counterparts.

For more informaion: http://spaces.msn.com/software-outsourcing. About TatvaSoft: A professional software development company specializing in software developmenton outsource basis. http://www.tatvasoft.com

Generating Leads And Making Sales: Advice For Trade Show Exhibitors

Trade shows are one of the best ways to market your products or services and advertise your business to interested buyers. Even for successful companies, trade shows can increase sales and public exposure dramatically. Trade show booths allow businesses to directly connect with the people that purchase their products or services.

Though the reasons for exhibiting at a trade show are obvious, simply setting up a trade show booth is not enough if you really want to make the most of your expense and time. Generating leads and making sales are your priorities and your trade show booth – both the physical space and the display – can help you do this. When you are displaying a trade show booth, you want to project just the right image for your company; one that makes potential clients want to learn more after their first glance. Although people’s eyes should be drawn to your trade show booth, it shouldn’t be because it is simply flashier or louder than the others. Flashy or loud may be good for sales if your business is video games or music, but if your business is selling gourmet foods to restaurants you probably don’t want to advertise your booth with a flashing neon light or loud ear-splitting rap music. Your trade show booth should reflect your company’s brand and market, while still offering just that little extra effect that makes it stand out. This may sound difficult, but it really isn’t. It just takes a little pre-trade show planning.

For the sake of keeping it simple, let’s say that your business is selling candles wholesale to retail outlets. You want your trade show booth to let people know immediately what your business is all about and understand immediately why your business is unique and worth looking into. Remember, depending on the trade show there may be other businesses that sell the same thing you do, so just simply stating your business name and what you do will not be enough. You don’t want to be obnoxious, though, so having a hundred lit candles placed all over your booth would be too much. Don’t overwhelm potential clients – it will turn people away. A better idea would be to display your best candles around the booth, unlit, and then have professional brochures placed next to each type of candle that you are advertising. Offer coupons for large discounts or money-back guarantees on a first bulk-purchase – this shows that you have complete confidence in your product. And consider a giveaway like a tealight or other small candle so attendees can take your product with them. This encourages them to use your product and to contact you if they are interested.

Remember that it is your expertise and professional demeanor that people will remember the most, despite all of your display magic. Though the day may prove to be long, remember to sound fresh and excited when talking to each prospective client. Every interaction is a chance to make sales and generate leads. Practice your sales techniques in front of a mirror if you think that will help. Ask friends and colleagues what they think of your sales pitches, and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Most of all, with each potential client, project confidence. If you can show that you really believe and are excited about your product, your enthusiasm will be contagious.

A trade show is a good venue to generate sales leads and establish new business contacts. Making a sales presentation is easy - you know your product and can speak to its features and benefits. You likely have several different presentations depending on the audience, length of time you have to speak and the product you are showcasing. Use these presentations while you are meeting with prospective clients at your trade show booth and you will feel confident that you are providing them with the pertinent information they need about your company and products. Think of a trade show as a place where you can make many sales presentations all day long to a targeted audience of people attending the trade show. This is the best way to exude confidence and make sales.

Mat Kelly is the president of ExhibitDEAL, the Original Exhibit Wholesaler specializing in trade show booths. They provide 20, 10 and 8-foot pop-up displays as well as custom trade show displays – on the web at http://www.exhibitdeal.com/

Can Your Superstar Sales Person Become Your Superstar Sales Manager

Finding the right person to fill the sales management role is a common quandary in wholesale distribution. It can be especially challenging when a decision is based strictly on sales territory performance without regard for the specific skill sets required to lead a sales force.. 2005 has been a good year in wholesale distribution with some industries recording double digit growth rates. With market cooperation like that, most sales people are smiling as they hit or exceed their quotas. Deciding on the right sales person to promote to sales manager can become a difficult and risky decision..

“We need a new sales manager. Let’s promote Tommy, he’s our leading producer in field sales.”

“No! We can’t afford to lose Tommy’s production in the field.”

“That’s not a problem. He can be a working sales manager and still call on his key accounts.”

Most of us should recognize that conversation but not many of us recognize the fallacies that lie within it. In wholesale distribution, it seems that the primary prerequisite for becoming a sales manager is being the top performing sales person. Promoting our top performing sales person to sales manager simply due to results is a big mistake. Personal experience tells me it has less than a forty percent chance for success. Our chance of success is decreased even further if we really believe that our sales manager can manage the sales force and still be solely responsible for a number of high volume accounts.

Different Skill Sets

It is an undisputable fact that different skill sets are required to become a successful sales manager as compared to being a successful sales person. Selling is a profession that requires professionals. Managing a group of professionals with the type of personalities required to succeed in sales is no easy task. Yet, in my humble opinion, it is probably the most important management position you can hold in a company. Sales management holds the key to meeting company objectives. Effective sales management builds the platform for success. Sales people are not the easiest group in the company to manage. If they were they would not be sales people. Selling is not easy. It takes a special talent, self motivation, self discipline, a passion to succeed and the ability to accept rejection. The reality of the situation is simple. The majority of sales people are not managed well. Let’s look at some common sales management mistakes to help us develop the list of hints I promised that will increase your ability to determine which sales person at your company is likely to succeed as sales manager.

Mistake ----- Low tolerance for process.

Let’s face it, there probably isn’t a sales person alive that likes paperwork and administrative tasks. However, a Super Star Sales Manager will be process oriented. They understand that success in sales is driven by best practice and best practice is built around process. Sales effectiveness depends on predictable and repeatable best practice. The Super Star Sales Manager will create the kind of culture that negates the inherent aberration by sales people for process, structure, detailed and documented action planning.

HINT #1

If your star sales person embraces structure, pays attention to detail, is always current with required communications, documents his action planning process and doesn’t whine about administrative requirements passed down by corporate, chances are he/she will have a high tolerance for process. This means he/she possesses a basic understanding of structure and accountability. Everything isn’t locked up in their head just because they have been doing it a long time and have had great success.

Mistake ----- Weak coaching and mentoring skills

Relationship equity is still a primary ingredient for sales success. However, relationship equity with the customer is quite different than relationship equity with peers, subordinates and executive management. A Super Star Sales Manager will build enough relationship equity with their sales force to be able to provide effective coaching and mentoring in reviewing the sales person’s activities. They understand that you must manage activities and measure results. This coaching and mentoring process includes buddy calls, monthly territory reviews that provide support and resources to leverage individual sales talent. This process includes opportunity recognition and pipeline management. What does the sales person have in the pipeline? Can the sales manager provide proactive support and resources to increase the chance of success?

Hint #2

If your star sales person is reluctant to accept or seek out help, this may be an indication of the Lone Wolf methodology. Maximizing territory performance requires a team effort. Utilization of all resources and support is mandatory to grow market share and maximize profitability. Look for the sales person that is successful but recognizes that they are not alone. Look for the sales person that shares the credit for success, coaches the inside sales staff, recognizes the contributions of customer service personnel and others in the organization. This sales person has also gained the respect of his peers and is often seen giving advice and sharing ideas.

Mistake ---- Lack of development programs and leadership skills training

Leadership skills are extremely important to effective sales management. This is especially true when managing a sales force that leans more to the route mentality, is in a comfort zone, becomes complacent or is focusing on demand fulfillment as opposed to demand creation. The ability to recognize the need to adapt your management style not only to the situation but also to the individual is a key to gaining respect and trust from the sales force. This is a learned skill. Failure to seek out leadership skills training can be detrimental to success. A prerequisite to success in sales management is the ability to recognize talent and develop that talent. A Super Star Sales Manager will recognize talent and is willing to help develop that talent to reach its highest potential. They also prune the garden effectively. This means they hire well but fire even better. Failure to formalize a development program for sales management is a big mistake.

Hint #3

If your star sales person is not interested in attending seminars, doesn’t listen to self development tapes and hasn’t read a sales book in the past year, chances are they believe they are as good as they are going to get. Look for the sales person that is willing to be away from his territory, sacrificing commissions to increase his individual knowledge. This is the type of sales person that is a sponge when it comes to continuing education in the fields of sales. This person not only seeks company sponsored training but is willing to invest his own money and time in self improvement activities. They have a philosophy of continuous self improvement striving to be the very best that they can be.

Mistake ---- A Member of “The Lucky Territory Club”

Numbers alone don’t always tell the story. We need to analyze each individual success story. Just because a sales territory has performed well doesn’t automatically mean the sales person is a star. A ten percent sales growth sounds great but how good is it if the potential growth for that territory should be in the twenty or thirty per cent range. A ten percent sales growth in that territory sounds great but how good is it if the market in that territory actually grew by thirty percent and the sales person was in a comfort zone walking by opportunities daily.

Hint #4

When evaluating your star sales person for potential promotion, analyze the numbers thoroughly. Is the sales person the real reason for that territory success? Are the numbers as good as they appear when you consider all the factors? Determine how this territory was established. Is this sales person responsible for the long term growth of this territory or did they inherit it. Analyze new account development in this territory. Evaluate this sales persons prospecting skills. How many new accounts have been developed in the territory? What kind of penetration success has been demonstrated with existing accounts?

Hint #5

Look for the sales person that has the ability to think strategically. They are willing to sacrifice personal gain for the benefit of long term company success. (A rare quality). A sales person that may be a maverick and shoot from the hip occasionally but every risk they take is a calculated risk. Their personal objectives for territory performance are in alignment with the company’s strategic objectives in relationship to product development,, segmentation, vendor development and margin initiatives. Look for the sales person that has good communication skills internally, one that has learned to listen exceptionally well, a skill that often eludes some of the best sales personnel.

If you are ready to promote your star sales person to sales manager, pay attention to the hints listed in this article. If your star sales person measures up according to the factors discussed in this article, your chance of success increases dramatically. That means your Super Star Sales Person can become your Super Star Sales Manager. If they don’t measure up according to the hints discussed, look deeper into your sales organization for that sales manager or go outside the organization. There is no such thing as entitlement. Remember, different skill sets are required to be an effective sales manager.

http://www.ceostrategist.com Dr. Rick Johnson (rick@ceostrategist.com) is the founder of CEO Strategist LLC. an experienced based firm specializing in leadership and the creation of competitive advantage. CEO Strategist LLC. works in an advisory capacity with executives in board representation, executive coaching, team coaching and education and training to make the changes necessary to create or maintain competitive advantage. You can contact them by calling 352-750-0868, or visit http://www.ceostrategist.com for more information. CEO Strategist – experts in Strategic Leadership in Wholesale Distribution and Sales Management Effectiveness. Jump start your sales force by getting Rick's new book -- Lone Wolf to Lead Wolf, The Evolution of Sales.