So i was watching this weeks episode of "the office" and saw that one of the salesmen was having a great sales streak. He then went to the accounting group to see what his latest "big sale" was going to net him in commission. he found out that his company had put in a commission cap and that his sales for the rest of the year will earn him $0.
1st, if you have any influence over a commission or bonus structure, which i am guessing most of us, including me, do not, but if you do, make it a formula you would be gitty to pay a salesperson $1,000,000 in bonus or commission. Aka make it where it makes sense no matter how much you pay out.
Now, to those of us who have seen our commissions/bonuses reduced, eliminated, or delayed for this year etc, you need to find alternate motivation. I know easier said then done. I personally have found by doing some customized rankings that I have some competition in sales volume with a few others and now am focusing on staying number one for the year. Number 1 doesnt matter, but if you find yourself in the middle of the pack, pick out a name or two close to you and just work on beating them.
Sales managers - again, i have no control over the incentive plan at my company so for those who dont have one right now (all of us) i am working really hard to provide extra training (class, one on one, or in the field), afternoons/mornings off, flexible schedules, and preparing the best year end reviews I can for my top people so that if/when, there are merit raises i am well prepared to go to battle for my people. We cannot afford to lose our best people so this is an opportunity for us to become better bosses.
If you are not a boss and your boss isnt helping the motivation factors much, then you need to look for competition, or ways of getting more job satisfaction that doesnt involve cash. Keep up with your sales numbers and other projects you have been involved with so that you can be well prepared for your year end evaluation. If you are at the top, you can ask for the things i mentioned above, or if you have a particularly good sale or week, then maybe then too.
If, in these times, you can find job satisfaction by helping your clients achieve more, your people grow/learn more, or prepare yourself for the coming year better, then you will be using this time to the best.
Happy Sales to all, and to all a good night
Monday
great simple idea that has nothing to do with sales
I saw tis today on one of my favorite sites, lifehacker.com and thought you guys might enjoy it as well. I like things like this
One of the things I discovered during my uncluttering process is that silver wrapping paper works for every gift-giving occasion — weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, baby showers, housewarming, etc. — and when you only have a few tubes of wrapping paper to store, it takes up very little space in a closet. A simple wrapping storage solution can easily handle all of our paper and supplies.
Before using silver paper, I’d been trying to use brown butcher paper for all my wrapping. However, I felt the brown paper was too casual for some occasions, like weddings and anniversaries. I ended up buying small batches of wrapping paper whenever a more formal gift-giving experience arose. The same was true for using fabric bags, and fabric puts a storage burden on the person receiving the gift. I also like the idea of reusable gift bags, but these only work on gifts that coordinate in size to the bags, so you have to store multiple sizes of bags for all different types of situations. Plus, reusable gift bags can be significantly more expensive than wrapping paper and after a couple uses start to show signs of wear. Silver wrapping paper doesn’t have any of these disadvantages — it’s inexpensive, always appropriate, fits all different sizes of gifts, can be recycled, and it doesn’t put a storage burden on the gift recipient or the gift giver.
Silver wrapping paper is in stores in abundance this time of year, and is when I typically stock up my wrapping supplies for the next 12 months. (For some reason, silver paper is much more difficult to find at other times of the year.) Before children, my husband and I could usually survive on two tubes of silver wrapping paper a year. Now that we have a son, we’ve decided to pump that number up to four.
The best deal we’ve found this year is at Ikea. Their SNÖVITA gift wrap (available only in stores) is just $1.99 a roll for 2 ¼ yards:
If you can’t find silver wrapping in your area, a white or a gold wrapping paper might also be a signature wrapping that could work in all situations the way silver does. Whatever style you decide to use, consider a method that will help to keep your wrapping paper clutter to a minimum in your home.
Posted by Erin on Nov 15, 2010
Wrap it up in silver
One of the things I discovered during my uncluttering process is that silver wrapping paper works for every gift-giving occasion — weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, baby showers, housewarming, etc. — and when you only have a few tubes of wrapping paper to store, it takes up very little space in a closet. A simple wrapping storage solution can easily handle all of our paper and supplies.
Before using silver paper, I’d been trying to use brown butcher paper for all my wrapping. However, I felt the brown paper was too casual for some occasions, like weddings and anniversaries. I ended up buying small batches of wrapping paper whenever a more formal gift-giving experience arose. The same was true for using fabric bags, and fabric puts a storage burden on the person receiving the gift. I also like the idea of reusable gift bags, but these only work on gifts that coordinate in size to the bags, so you have to store multiple sizes of bags for all different types of situations. Plus, reusable gift bags can be significantly more expensive than wrapping paper and after a couple uses start to show signs of wear. Silver wrapping paper doesn’t have any of these disadvantages — it’s inexpensive, always appropriate, fits all different sizes of gifts, can be recycled, and it doesn’t put a storage burden on the gift recipient or the gift giver.
Silver wrapping paper is in stores in abundance this time of year, and is when I typically stock up my wrapping supplies for the next 12 months. (For some reason, silver paper is much more difficult to find at other times of the year.) Before children, my husband and I could usually survive on two tubes of silver wrapping paper a year. Now that we have a son, we’ve decided to pump that number up to four.
The best deal we’ve found this year is at Ikea. Their SNÖVITA gift wrap (available only in stores) is just $1.99 a roll for 2 ¼ yards:
If you can’t find silver wrapping in your area, a white or a gold wrapping paper might also be a signature wrapping that could work in all situations the way silver does. Whatever style you decide to use, consider a method that will help to keep your wrapping paper clutter to a minimum in your home.
Posted by Erin on Nov 15, 2010
The home stretch?
I am not sure what product or service you sell, but in most there is a seasonality to it. In mine, there isnt, but the holiday season makes things a lot different just in the schedules and thought processes of the people involved. In either case you have a period of time that is basically the last real opportunity to earn new business for the year. For me the year is pretty even outside the holidays, but in the past the holidays were the peak season and the holidays is why I was there.
How you prepare for the pick up or slow down is important. Plan it out even if that means a 1/2 piece of paper jotting the known factors down. Get your team invovled. During the slow down portion, I like to make sure that my team knows that NOONE else will be out selling during this time which makes it easier to get in. The sales cycle might be a bit longer, but the lack of competition is nice. Also, this is a great time to touch base with your current clients to thank them for their business.
If its your peak time then you need to plan out your attack. what are the main obstacles you will have in making this a great sales season? If youre in consumer sales will it be the flow of inventory? Or will pricing be a problem? Do you have a list of top clients or people you could call when the "hot" item comes in?
Think this way, if I were a high volume buyer what would be really good customer service to me? If you have people who spend a lot on your products throughout the year, call them and ask if they have a holiday list they are working on. If they do, then you can see what you can cross off for them, or you can tell them where the good deals are, or will be.
Be proactive. Slow times, or peek times are areas of opportunity for Great Sellers.
How you prepare for the pick up or slow down is important. Plan it out even if that means a 1/2 piece of paper jotting the known factors down. Get your team invovled. During the slow down portion, I like to make sure that my team knows that NOONE else will be out selling during this time which makes it easier to get in. The sales cycle might be a bit longer, but the lack of competition is nice. Also, this is a great time to touch base with your current clients to thank them for their business.
If its your peak time then you need to plan out your attack. what are the main obstacles you will have in making this a great sales season? If youre in consumer sales will it be the flow of inventory? Or will pricing be a problem? Do you have a list of top clients or people you could call when the "hot" item comes in?
Think this way, if I were a high volume buyer what would be really good customer service to me? If you have people who spend a lot on your products throughout the year, call them and ask if they have a holiday list they are working on. If they do, then you can see what you can cross off for them, or you can tell them where the good deals are, or will be.
Be proactive. Slow times, or peek times are areas of opportunity for Great Sellers.
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