Vital to Your Success: The Roles of the Inside Sales Manager

The role of the Inside Sales Manager is a critical function. Unlike many other jobs with the term "manager", an inside sales manager is dependent on others to achieve their goals. They accomplish their goals through others. They are several roles an Inside Sales Manager must play. Among them are:

Developer
A great Inside Sales Manager knows the value of developing their staff. Keeping people at the same level of performance and responsibility is boring for many and ultimately dissatisfying for most. Developers make a point to cultivate the skills and potential of their staff. They take the time to help their staff both individually and collectively obtain the skills they will need to be successful at their jobs. 

Inside Sales Manager knows the value of developing their staff. Keeping people at the same level of performance and responsibility is boring for many and ultimately dissatisfying for most. Develops make a point to develop the skills and potential of their staff. They take the time to help their staff both individually and collectively develop the skills they will need to be successful at their jobs.  A great developer provides formal and informal opportunities for learning and development. They give greater responsibilities were appropriate ty & possibilities for growth

 A great developer provides formal and informal opportunities for learning and development. They give greater responsibilities where appropriate and activity look for possibilities for growth.

Coach
A coach makes sure that each person on their team is working to their potential. Coaching is generally done on a one on one basis. Spends time helping to hone skills then reaps rewards of increased sales just as an athletic coach wins more games.

Coaches take the time to discover what works and doesn't for each individual reporting to him. This is an individualized approach. It requires paying attention to what the rep says on the phone and  what they do not. Observing work habits and not being afraid to say something.

Yes, I've used the work "afraid" Many managers fail at coaching because they are afraid. Perhaps they've not been trained for it. Perhaps they dislike confrontation. There are many reasons manager fall down on the job when it comes to coaching.  Think of it as a sales situation. Map out your goal and the best way to achieve it. Just like each of your prospects and customers are different, so are your sales reps.

Get the best out of them by spending time with each and modifying - individualizing - your approach. 

Secondary Sales Goals

A successful inside sales call has many components. The exact components making up the call will vary depending on the result you want.  First, you'll need to determine the goal of the call.  What is your ultimate goal? The usual answer is the sale. Then take the time determine your secondary goal. If you don't get the sale, what do you want to leave with? Often a sales rep will say that the only goal of the call is to close a sale. That’s a good goal, but many sales, particularly in the B2B arena, are not closed on the 1st attempt.


Not having a secondary goal will leave the inside sales rep and the telephone conversation muddled as well as make it more difficult to ultimately obtain the sale. Therefore, a sales rep must always ask themselves before a call “What do I want to get out of this. If I can’t make the sale in this call, what do I want?” Here are examples of secondary goals:

• Discovering the “real” decision maker or other influencers
• Finding out the “real” objections for not purchasing
• Learning the needs and wants of the potential buyer
• Scheduling a call back for a specific time

All are valid pieces of information you will want to further explore a potential sales opportunity. Decide on your secondary goals - they will help you find your way to your primary goal, the sale.

Be Your Own Customer

Would You Be Happy with Your Company's Service?


When was the last time you were your own customer? Have you taken the time recently to experience your organization from your customer's perspective? I was reminded of this last week while out with a friend. The restaurant was busy and noisy but that's never an excuse for poor service - after all if you want to be a successful restaurant, shouldn't the norm BE a full, busy and potentially noisy place?

The really sad thing about our experience - a process change would have avoided the entire situation. Regardless of your industry, make the time to review your processes and procedures when it comes to your customers. Take the time to be the "undercover boss" or send in trusted friends or associates.

Be honest with yourself when it comes to change. All too often we find it easy to blame individuals when we ourselves have not provided the tools and guidance needed for success. Process can often be as important as interpersonal skills. The two work best in tandem.

Chances are you only want the best when dealing with other companies or establishments. Don't your customers deserve the best as well?

Can You Help?

Have you had the opportunity to take our survey on Communication Preferences yet? It's really short - only 7 questions in all.

This research is part of a larger effort to determine preferred modes of communication and how it impacts our ability to effectively communicate with others. I'd like it to be as statistically relevant as possible so it would help to have as many completed surveys as possible.

Thanks in advance. I'll share the results afterward.


Here's the link:

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/26VPP3D

(you might have to cut and paste this into your browser)

Thank you!

Teaching and Leading = Effective Managing for Effective Performance

As a change of pace, I wanted to spend some time talking about training and leadership. Many managers are asked to train others without learning how to train effectively. In order for a training program to be successful you need to understand how adults best learn. You'll need to learn how to lead them into the new behaviors. Anyone who is attentive and willing during class will learn the material. But will they use the new behaviors back on the job? In a manager's role, you'd want to make sure that the time you invest in a learning initiative is time and money well spent.

How do Adults Learn?

Adults learn differently from children. Whereas children can be considered "blank slates", adults bring a wealth of already accumulated knowledge. This is quite helpful to the learning experience and a savvy facilitator will use this to their advantage. Adults also bring different expectations to the learning process. Adults will expect the learning to be a partnership, with the facilitator providing the impetuous and the means for the learning process while the adults expect to be responsible retaining and being able to use the learning. Adults expect to be respected for both their experiences and their opinions.

Adults tend to learn best when they are able to make connections between what they are currently learning and past experiences. They also prefer to be full participants in the learning process.

What is Facilitating?

Facilitating is the art of leadership in group communications. In a training or learning environment, this may mean the facilitator directs the activities and the line of questioning, but allows the learners to come up with the answers themselves. This has several positive effects on the learning experience. First, this interactive environment will be more stimulating for the learner. This increases the likelihood of retention. Second, by requiring the learners produce or generate the information instead of simply hearing it from a "teacher", the learners will develop a stake in the learning process. Learners with a stake in the process will retain more. Third, this allows for more learning by doing, whether looking up information in a manual or on a website and using that information that information in order to process requests.

What's the difference between teaching and facilitating (and why you should care)?

Teaching assumes that the learner knows nothing and the teacher everything. Elementary school, specific tehniqual or Some of the differences between teaching and learning can be summed up in this way.

Traditional Teaching is:
Passive.
Authoritarian.
Delivering information.
Convergence, conformism.
One-way (top-down)

Teaching is delivery-heavy and often requires entertainment to keep attention. On the other hand, if we focus on how to use the expectations and experiences of our learners, we realize that effect learning requires more.


Facilitating is:
Active and dynamic, experiential.
Reaching forward.
Empowering.
Responding to a challenge.
Divergence - going out of the box.
Interactive

Learning through facilitation involves questioning-heavy, inductive/ inferential, hands-on, reflective, interactive. You lead the participants to the desired behaviors.


What does this mean for your training efforts?

In order for your training efforts to be successful, you must be aware of the needs of your learners. Top heavy teaching generally doesn't do well helping adults learn new material or master new behaviors when teaching adults.

Having people participate in the experience will help them better retain the information as well as buy into the experience. Hmm, sounds a lot like a sales situation! It is. Treating your learners as though they are potential customers goes a long way towards getting acceptance of and ultimately mastery of the skills you want them to use.

   

_________________________________________________________

Does this subject strike close to home? If so, you may be interested to learn that I coach managers and small business owners to be more effective and efficient in your own sales and service efforts as well as become better facilitators to improve performance for your staff. After agreeing to your goals, you will work on your skills in a supportive and nurturing environment.

Contact me,  Jo Ann Kirby at 973.709.1252 or email me at info@krgcommuncations.com for more details and next steps.

Failure Brings Success

Does that sentence make sense to you? Well, hear (OK, read) me out....

Here's a quote that caught my eye this week:
"Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success." Dale Carnegie

I'm sure you've also heard the quote from Thomas Edison regarding his many failures. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Now, Edison was regarded as a prolific inventor. He realized, though, that each failure brought him closer to success. 

Food for thought: 
Do you wallow in your failures or do you see them as learning opportunities? How do you keep picking yourself up?

No you don't have to write down your answer but it wouldn't be a bad idea to sit and ponder this and make some notes. Writing it down can make things clearer and lets you review your thoughts from time to time. Think of this as your homework assignment. Taking time to reflect is always a good idea. It helps keep you focused on what's important, what needs to be changed and what's working well for you.

Another thought: Can you recognize failure? If you haven't recognized that you've failed, you won't be able to ponder the situation and then begin to consider alternatives. For this concept to work, you must be honest with yourself. 

Failing is hard on ourselves. You want your idea to work. When it doesn't, by carefully studying what didn't work and why, you begin your renewed journey to success. Out of the darkness, comes the light. Out of your failures, you may see your greatest successes. 

8 Essentials for Great Customer Service

Many organizations tackle the issue of customer service by exhorting their employees to speak with a smile. Be polite. Never lose your cool. But isn't that a little like closing the barn door after the horses have gotten out? Good customer service should be about a good customer experience with your product. This begins with the relationship your company cultivates with a customer.

This relationship will be tested by the entire process of the buyer seller relationship. Here are 8 essential questions to be considered when designing a great customer service experience for your customers.

What are the images and promises of the marketing campaign?
People begin to form opinions of your company and products from the messages they receive before they even purchase your product. Often, they receive these images before they have even thought of buying. Will your images match the experience?


How easy is it to order/purchase the product?
Once someone has decided to purchase your products or services, how easy do you make it for them to do so? Is there someone to answer the phones or will they get a voice mail message? Can they order online easily? This is how many companies lose sales. Potential customers - who want to act now - will simply get frustrated and go on to the next company that will answer their concerns.

Do you follow up on leads? Are email/website inquiries answered quickly. Do you return phone calls promptly?

When a buyer does reach you, are your systems in place to make the purchasing process as simple as possible? Buyers want to feel that they've made the right decision in choosing your product. By creating an easy process for ordering, you help them feel confident in their decision.


How well does the product live up to the expectations of the marketing?
Your customer now has your product in his possession or has used your service. Will it live up to any hype used in the marketing campaign? Or will there be a letdown when the actual product does not match the expectations? Marketing is a powerful force. It will create expectations that must be fulfilled by the product or service. When it doesn't, it can create customer satisfaction problems. Make sure your product matches expectations.


How well will the product live up to the expectations of the customer?In addition to the marketing message, a customer usually forms his own expectations based on past experiences with similar products or services, observations and conversations with others. Will this add to the experience or create a letdown? Products and services must match expectations or exceed them. Anything less will create a potential customer service problem.


When something goes wrong, how is it fixed?
Do you acknowledge that problems can happen? Have you decided how to satisfy customers? Have you looked at the financial ramifications of your solutions? Better yet, look at the product itself. If you find many customers with similar problems, perhaps it is most appropriate to address weaknesses in the product/service itself.


What are the procedures?
Even with the best of products and services, problems can occur. It's best to address these issues beforehand. Decide what processes will be used to satisfy your customers. Think about solutions - its cost, discounts, etc. If you are going to replace a product or re-do a service, how quickly can you get it to done? Servicing existing customers is as important (and more so) as servicing and providing for new customers. Customers will tell more people when they've had a bad experience then when they've had a good experience. Solving customer problems not only affects that specific customer but many other people as well.


Can your organization be easily reached or is the process frustrating to most?
Everyone has frustrating stories to tell about voice prompts that go nowhere. They don't cover your problem and they continually loop back into the system without a way to speak to a live operator. Make it easy for people to speak with someone. Test your systems thoroughly. Automation is a great help and a cost saver for organizations but it must be used judiciously.


Can the customer service rep actually help?
Customer services reps must be empowered to solve problems. They must be able to do more than empathize and smile. Nothing is more frustrating than a nice customer service rep that is unable to resolve your problem. Give your staff the appropriate information and training. Let them have responsibility and accountability for their actions. Employees tend to rise to the level that is expected of them.


Finally...
Good customer service requires an ongoing examination of methods. The questions discussed above will start the thought process necessary to truly deliver world class service.