Sales management management. How to implement a sales management system, making it an effective business tool. Stages of implementing a CRM system for sales management

Experts outlined new trends in the sales management system. This is due to the fall of the market and the deterioration of the situation in the country's economy. So, for example, sales managers seek to automate sales business processes in order to reduce costs and evaluate the quality of service. Read more about sales management trends in our article.

In this article you will read:

    Top Sales Management Trends in 2015

    What is changing in the sales management system

    How to ensure effective organization and management of sales in a crisis

Sales department management- it is not easy and not always amenable to the rules. Especially in conditions of economic instability. In a crisis situation, a business faces a difficult task - to survive and get at least a minimal profit. With the right approach to organizing and managing sales, as well as having knowledge of basic trends, you can even feel comfortable in a falling market. What are the points to pay attention to?

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The most important trend in the market is getting maximum effect everything the company does. At the same time, it is important not to hit the face in the dirt. Therefore, it is worth thinking not only about reducing costs, but also about how to maintain product quality and optimize the process of its implementation. Also, do not forget that the most reliable source of information, as well as an indicator of the success of the sales management system, is the client.

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Trend 1. The needs of the target audience come to the fore

The push marketing model, which was actively used until recently, is being replaced by pull marketing 1 . This means that the sales management system, when there is a constant imposition of its products and services on customers, is giving way to research on consumer preferences. At the same time, you need to conduct in-depth interviews with customers, during which they themselves will tell you why they buy your product or service. Only such information will allow the marketing department to correctly script the value of the product or the uniqueness of the product. trade offer(USP).

Example 1. Together with the involved experts, we conducted a study of our target audience by examining the factors that influence or repel consumers' purchasing decisions. The results were interesting. If earlier we believed that customers contact us for quite specific reasons, then after conducting a study, we realized that we were wrong. Based on the results obtained, we rewrote scripts, sales algorithms and USP together with marketers. Each manager received new speech modules - as a result, the organization and management of sales in general and interaction with customers in particular have changed quite seriously.

Example 2. One of my acquaintances, having decided to open a network of premium stores, himself checked what the residents of the houses, next to which they will be located, actually buy. outlets. He was literally looking in garbage cans for what people actually eat in order to offer them the appropriate food analogues.

  • Target audience segmentation: how to increase sales by 40%

Trend 2: Companies with sound brand management survive more often

All companies, including small ones, are aware that the brand is an integral part of successful development. After all, brands are not only huge corporations like Coca-Cola. Branding allows you to reduce advertising costs and firmly win the favor of customers. There is even such a concept as Lovemarks (from the English “favorite brands”). It was first formulated in 2005 by Kevin Roberts, one of the leaders of the English advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. In his study 2, he demonstrated that consumers tend to truly like companies whose products or services they use for a long time. Because of this, they forgive negative characteristics, properties and not always high quality goods. They really love the brand and can't do anything about it.

Trend 3. Automation of the sales process becomes a driver of efficiency

For most companies, selling is a skillful negotiating tactic. However, today this industry is becoming more and more automated, so it is important to use the right CRM system. Some companies prefer expensive products, considering them the key to a successful dialogue with the client. However, this is not always true. The thing is that for organizations from different fields of activity, completely different CRM systems are needed. When choosing, I advise you to pay attention to the following nuances.

The program must, first, be commensurate with the sales cycle and types of customers. Secondly, to guarantee an even distribution of work among sales managers. Thirdly, to distribute customers and leads in such a way that it is clear at what time it is optimal to contact them and what products to offer. And finally, fourthly, to allow to analyze key method sales, depending on the tasks assigned to managers (communication by phone, face-to-face meeting, sending e-mail).

Example. At the beginning of 2015, we implemented a CRM system based on two main principles of work. The first one is that the program assigns a rating to each manager depending on the number of successful transactions made by him, processed applications, average check value, speed of service and closing of the transaction, and so on. Based on this rating, the system first of all automatically sends applications and “warm” leads to the best sellers. The second principle is that the system prioritizes contact processing, effectively segmenting our client base.

Based on the received data, we first process new leads, then - calls related to receivables, then communicate with customers who are billed, and finally - with current customers who have already bought something from us.

The new CRM-system cost us 3 million rubles, but these costs justify themselves. Over the past month and a half, it has increased sales by 25%, and also increased throughput of the commercial department: managers stopped guessing which of the clients to call first - now the system solves this issue.

  • Implementation of a CRM system: how to evaluate its need before buying

Trend 4: Increased focus on customer metrics

Previously, in the management of the sales department, from three to ten indicators were analyzed: sales volumes, personal sales plans of the manager, the number of meetings, calls, the value of the average check, and so on. There are now between 50 and 500 metrics that affect sales, and all of them need to be taken into account, starting with the average response time to a call or the volume of telephone traffic of managers.

One of the key indicators is the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) - it determines the profit that the company will receive from the client for the entire time of cooperation with him. Sales should be aimed at the long term, especially in times of crisis. Another important indicator is the Net Promoter Score (NPS). This index characterizes the desire of your customers to recommend your products and services to other consumers. In our company, NPS was about 45%. This is already good, but there is still work to be done.

Trend 5. The balance of commercial and non-commercial structures affects sales

Balance is needed in everything, including between those departments that create the product and those that attract and serve customers. The ratio can be as follows: 90% of salespeople and 10% of other employees. The numbers depend on the specifics of the business. However, the emphasis in the management of the sales department should be made on the fact that the leading positions are occupied by commercial structures: the company should have more profit centers, including automated ones.

In addition, the composition of the commercial department should also be optimized by dismissing inefficient managers, newcomers or those who have stayed in one position. As a result you will get qualified personnel capable of delivering high productivity. In our company, commercial structures dominate, accounting for 70% of the entire staff, and this justifies itself. All departments that support business are not bloated - 30% of the total staff.

When managing a sales department, it is important to divide sales managers into "hunters" and "farmers". The former should be engaged in lead generation, attracting new customers and concluding deals with them, the latter should encourage customers to repeat purchases. This rule has been successfully applied in Europe and the USA for over 50 years.

Trend 6. Marketing "packaging" competes with the real value of the goods and the level of service

Some companies get hung up on PR and beautiful marketing "packaging" of a product or service, forgetting what is inside. They are guided by the fact that advertising, marketing materials, visual images occupy 95% of the space in the mind of the consumer, and the real value and quality of the product - no more than 5%. This can lead to the fact that the client will be disappointed in the product and stop buying it. In addition to the quality of the product, the quality of the service should also be a priority.

A high level of service is one of the long-term factors for increasing sales. Therefore, changing the sales management system, it is worth introducing the position of a quality manager. It can even work remotely - monitor the level of communication with clients, the professionalism of other employees, in order to exclude all negative factors, resolve contentious cases, as well as monitor compliance with the standards adopted in the company in the work of sales managers.

  • Consumer value of the product: how to explain why it is so expensive

Trend 7. The personal brand of the leader affects sales

Increasingly, in the organization and management of sales, personal branding is used - a technology for creating the popularity of a particular representative (usually the head) of the company. A media person talks as much and as often as possible about the value of the product and company during public speaking, in the media, on the Internet (say, in a blog), earning credibility. It is important that this trust is transferred to the brand itself. On the crest of this wave in Russia are, for example, Oleg Tinkov, Igor Mann and Radmilo Lukic. Each of them stands out from the mass of experts in their industry, which gives the company additional benefits in the form of customers and media attention.

2 Roberts K. Lovemarks. The future after brands. - M.: Ripol classic, 2005.

Makarov Alexander Yurievich

Alexander Makarov


Typical question for a director small firm:
- What will you do with your sales manager,
if he fails the sales plan for the quarter?
Typical response:
- We DO NOT have a SALES DEPARTMENT.

Do you have a sales department? The question, frankly speaking, is not idle.

If you have a department responsible for sales, several people or dozens of people, and sales come from it, then the answer suggests itself. And thank God!

Answer only two questions:

  1. Is your sales manager best seller and does he close more deals than all other employees?
  2. Have you experienced sales fluctuations of more than 10% since you had to replace a good sales manager with another one?

If "yes, it is" and "yes, there were fluctuations", then - YOU DO NOT HAVE A SALES DEPARTMENT!

So what is sales management?

Some say a lot of buzzwords about how complex and multifactorial this process is. Others, more pragmatic, argue that this is when real incomes match the desired ones. But is this an indicator that the company has sales management?

Such a result can be obtained with the answer "yes" to the above questions. Only this is the execution of sales plans, and not sales management.

Sales management is, firstly, creation of a sales system capable of functioning effectively in the absence of its developer or creator.

And for this you do not have to work "Chapaev ahead on a white horse", making a third, or even 50% of the plan. This only says that the head of the department is an excellent salesman, but a weak organizer. His time is spent not on organizing the work of subordinates, but on his own successes. (It's another matter if the pay system doesn't pay decently for managing sales rather than sales.) You need to work smarter, not harder. Sales department- the key structure of any enterprise, no matter what the enterprise does. Obviously, the presence of such working there should be a department not only in structures related to trade or production, but in all organizations that receive money from someone else other than the state (and even here it is needed, such a department!).

The first task of the leader sales service consists in creating such a sales system, which it took him no more than 20% of the time to maintain in combat readiness. Yes, good system I have to sell myself!

Second task consists in the constant development of the created system, improving it, adapting to changes in the market. It's like a good engine - you just need to fill it with oil regularly. There is absolutely no need to sort it out every six months.

So, let's talk about sales management as a system. The days of the first five-year plans and heroic enthusiasm are over. Market, however!

So, sales management- this is

  1. sales planning,
  2. sales organization,
  3. sales motivation,
  4. sales control
  5. in this sense, nothing new! And, of course, we all understand perfectly well that the times when "we sold" have already passed, now "they (buyers) are buying."

Novelty can only consist in one thing, and, in our opinion, in the main- in the execution of each stage of this plan.

Sales planning: this is your analysis of sales (in units and money) for the previous period (which you have chosen), and then long-term (a year or more) and short-term planning.

There are two key points here:

1. Planning is always worth it. This creates certainty and discipline in spending (provided that we make plans close to reality). In large companies, the issue of planning does not arise, but this issue also applies to small firms. Another question is how much to do it in them. Important - in writing, even in the form of squiggles in the owner's notebook. And we need to plan so much that not only there is profit and profit growth, but also production workers (warehouse, designers, plasterers, electricians, etc.) can (manage to) produce (purchase, bring, print, gouge and plaster, etc.). ) what the sales service will then sell. Our business often sins with the principle "the main thing is money in advance, and the war will show the plan."

2. Planning is guesswork. And such fortune-telling - on graphs and tables is as effective as fortune-telling on cards and coffee grounds. It is important not to replace the end with the means. Planning is only necessary to prioritize. This is his only task. And to make yourself dependent on the letter of the plan is not entirely reasonable. Treat it like a fortune-telling, and use your plans with this irony.

Sales organization.

Everyone should have enough. Everything you need to sell must be in right time in the right place. It is also important to effectively pass information and orders from top to bottom and to provide feedback. It is necessary to ensure that all participants in the sales process understand the goals and objectives, corporate principles and methods, the place of each and the common cause. That is, day after day (usually at planning meetings) to train your staff in these principles and methods. Practice shows that on the 30th day of repetition, even the most obscure principles firmly get into the head of an employee. They do not even need to be explained - it is at the level of a reflex.

It is imperative to plan personal sales volumes for each employee and weekly reconcile what is planned with what is. It perfectly organizes the employee.

And finally, in general, the creation and rallying of the team ( teamwork), or debugging the system according to the principle "there are no irreplaceable people" and "the train runs on schedule". Which strategy you choose is not important (this is a matter of your personal preferences). Much more important is the sequence with which you put this choice into practice and into your daily work with your subordinates.

Once again, we note that it is important to correctly understand the role of the head of the sales department here: not a "playing coach" (which occurs all the time), not "Chapaev in front with a saber on a war horse", but precisely according to the principle "victory was forged in the silence of the offices." Otherwise, what will you do when such a "chapay" does not swim across the river? Start over with a new person?

That is why the organization of sales is, first of all, ADMINISTRATION of sales. Yes, exactly, the head of the sales department is the sales manager! And his task is in the field of administration, so that everything for sales people is in the required quantity and at the right time. And he must ORGANIZE it (others can or should do it).

Sales motivation.

The main resource of any business is people.

"All business transactions can ultimately be reduced to three words: people, product, profit. People come first. If you don't have a solid team, there's not much else you can do." says Lee Iacocca.

Employees must to want sell and serve customers. Buyers should like buy from you. Even if your business is diamond mining, everywhere the speed of application execution, order with documents and the absence of any difficulties during the contract play a major role in retaining buyers. These two things are the basis of sales motivation.

Most of the approaches to employee motivation that we know come down to 7 considerations:

  1. Each employee is motivated by his own. Flexibility in the reward offer.
  2. When assigning a task, show both the benefits of winning and the consequences (for you or the firm) of failing.
  3. Catch people on good. Praise them as soon as you notice the slightest success in business.
  4. Punish or reprimand immediately and inevitably. Why don't people put their fingers in the socket? An electric shock is inevitable, he cannot be persuaded not to beat him. The punishment should be the same (as well as praise, by the way).
  5. Your task is not to do it yourself, but to inspire an employee to do it. If you do something for an employee, then as a manager you have failed.
  6. Encourage employees to plan their work in advance and make independent decisions within their competence. Don't get into it.
  7. Give employees a vision next stage his career.

In our opinion, many leaders are skeptical about the theory of motivation and the techniques described in books, because they did not have the perseverance to instill the system they liked.

In fact, it is not so important which way of motivation you choose - fines, multifactorial salary, bonuses or some other. Commitment and consistency in its implementation is important.

Motivating customers to buy is also easy. The difficulty lies not in the idea, but in its constant implementation. Attention to the client and the desire to help - this is what, with the average market level of product quality, will provide you with leadership. It is fundamentally important, once you set a high bar, to keep it at the same high level always, or even raise it even higher.

Sales control.

This is tracking just a few indicators. First, you need control the questions that you answered yourself, when they were engaged in the analysis of their position in the market and sales planning.

Second - who, where, when and how much sold. In accordance with the sales plan. Easily achieved with a single question at the daily planning meeting of the head of the department.

Third - control of the passage of orders and orders from top to bottom, feedback, work quality. An order stuck for more than one working day is a signal that something is wrong in the system. This means that measures must be taken - to remove unnecessary links with an iron fist, to transfer people from controlling authorities to executive ones, etc. In short, everything that will allow the sales service to engage in core activities and be as open as possible to any information, including orders from the management.

In the control system, it is important that the control system be as simple and transparent as possible - this is the key to its effectiveness and reliability.

This is how the key points of organizing the sales system in the company look in general. In subsequent articles, we plan to describe in detail and accurately the execution of each stage of sales management. In the meantime, I would like to dwell on the metaphor.

Sales management when it is set, it is like brushing your teeth in the morning.
It is done regularly, takes little time, gives a feeling of confidence and a permanent visual effect - the feeling that there (in the mouth, in sales) "everything is in order."

Alexander MAKAROV, "Project" DEVELOPMENT "(Ulyanovsk),
Andrey DUROV, Viessmann LLC, Moscow,
Vitaly ZHANDAROV, "Project" DEVELOPMENT "(Ulyanovsk).

"Sales management" is a complex, multifaceted concept, to which, however, a generally accepted approach has not yet been formed. Some experts consider it as a management issue, and first of all by people who are engaged in sales (including recruitment, motivation, training, etc.). Others believe that sales management is primarily channel management. Quite a lot of attention is paid to the need to automate the process of interaction with customers, which is also called sales management.

SALES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Considering the concept of "sales management" we will proceed from the fact that it includes both people management and process management in the field of sales. From our point of view, sales management is an area of ​​practice that is formed at the intersection of management, marketing and the actual art of sales. Therefore, we include the following elements in the sales management system:

  1. Determination of target customers to whom the sales system is directed:
    • target segments (their needs, requirements, channels (where they buy), price category);
    • strategic and "supporting" niches;
    • strategy and tactics for entering new niches.
  2. Distribution channels used:
    • types of distribution channels used;
    • collection of information on potential channel participants (distributors, dealers, etc.);
    • needs, requirements, channels (where they buy), price category, conditions on which they would like to work.
  3. Channel management:
    • sales planning by channels and between members of the same channel;
    • package of conditions for each channel;
    • management of incentives for distributors: bonuses, promotions, training, merchandising;
    • communication management: constant collection and exchange of information with channel participants;
    • control over distributors: payment; control over prices and quality of service;
    • evaluation of channel participants / adjustment (conditions, client base).
  4. Organization and strategy of the sales department:
    • tasks and functions of the sales department;
    • structure, staff of the sales department;
    • the principle of distribution of functions in the department (by territory, by customer groups, by product lines, etc.);
    • technical support of the sales department.
  5. Sales department management:
    • regular planning and control of the work of the department and its employees;
    • recruitment, selection and adaptation of employees;
    • employee motivation;
    • training, exchange of experience, general debriefing;
    • assessment of the work of the department, calculation of the cost of sales, regulation of sales costs;
    • assessment of the personal effectiveness of employees.
  6. Personal Selling and Relationship Management Skills:
    • search system for potential customers;
    • skills effective sale(determining the type of customer, his needs and adjusting to him; presentation skills; skills in negotiating with customers; counter-argumentation and closing a deal);
    • level of service, after-sales service;
    • accounting and analysis of personal sales data.
  7. Adjustment of the sales system:
    • assessment and adjustment of the entire sales system (at least once a year).

Despite the increasing attention and interest in sales management, very few companies today can cover all of the above elements of the system and build them at a high level. Therefore, in Russian firms, only individual elements of the system are well developed so far. To achieve the effectiveness of all elements, it is necessary to go a very long way.

Most Russian enterprises started building a sales system with the simplest and most concrete elements, leaving the complex for the future. It's kind of a feature. Russian business: start with what seems clearer, more specific and promises quick results. That is why in Russia such concepts as mission, strategy and other "abstract" managerial terms are still "in the pen" - they seem to many to be too general and not promising practical benefits. So it is with the sales management system. More or less well developed elements of "organization of the work of the sales department", "management of the sales department" and "personal sales skills". More conceptual directions, such as "determination of the target client", "distribution channels and their management", are still functioning very weakly.

So, we can distinguish the following positive trends in the field of sales management.

In general, attention and interest in this area is growing.

Companies are increasingly trying to reorganize their sales management system. Many start by trying to understand the current situation and understand what is good and what urgently needs to be changed. Quite often, such work goes like component general restructuring of the company, especially with a change of ownership or major changes in the management team. As they say, such transformations require "fresh blood" - new employees who can impartially assess the current practice and will not cling to outdated, but familiar and well-established schemes.

This is one of the first activities that are carried out in the process of mergers and acquisitions that accompany the current "quiet" redistribution of property.

So, for example, when a holding in the processing industry was formed, the sales function was first separated into a separate unit and rebuilt. Relations with clients were completely revised, there was a complete rejection of barter, a strict deadline for deferred payments was introduced, a new batch was not shipped if the client had a debt, a deadline was set for clients to submit applications.

More and more companies are starting to use such a management tool as sales planning.

If earlier it was quite often possible to hear that you need to sell "the more the better", and it is impossible to plan anything in our life, now such statements are less common. More and more companies are introducing into the practice of management the preparation of regular sales plans and reports, they are starting to keep simple records and are trying to analyze turnover indicators in dynamics. All this gives the activity meaningfulness, orderliness and predictability.

At the enterprise, on the initiative of the new marketing director, sales plans and reports were introduced. The head of the company, who was skeptical about this tool, began to regularly review documents, gradually got used to them and began to use them for decision-making. If the reports were suddenly delayed, he began to experience anxiety, not owning the situation, although for more than five years he managed without plans and reports. According to this manager, he began to feel that he was in control of the process and really managed the business, whereas before he believed that he could practically not influence sales volumes and everything depended on the market. Not surprisingly, the dynamics of sales has become positive.

More and more attention is paid to professional development of sales specialists.

The need for continuous training of sales managers is recognized today by most managers. In addition, the demand for sales professionals currently outstrips supply. Therefore, today it is often easier and more profitable to train a specialist on your own than to look for and invite an expensive and experienced professional.

Even small companies, which are not able to pay for external training of employees, organize training within the company, introduce mentoring and exchange of experience.

The head of the sales department of a small trading company has introduced the practice of weekly discussions with his employees about the results of the past week. At these meetings, the most difficult case of the week was chosen and dealt with by joint efforts. Such meetings were held in working time, and, nevertheless, all employees gladly took part in them.

Increasing focus on customer focus and maintaining relationships with regular customers.

Many companies develop internal corporate codes and customer service standards, introduce systems for interacting with regular customers, and try to automate this process. There comes an understanding that regular customers- it's profitable. And indeed it is. Loyal customers provide the company with at least 3 benefits: stability, reputation and cost reduction. Having reliable connections with regular customers, the company has the opportunity to plan its work, and hence income for a longer period. On the other hand, good planning ensures the best organization work, best service due to more rhythm production process and lack of emergency. Ideally, regular customers become adherents of the company and begin to voluntarily and for free advertise it.

The majority of companies successfully operating in Russian market, has a 5-10-year history, a period for which, in any case, stable connections are developed, and its own client base is created. More and more companies are "launching" CRM (customer relationship management) projects.

For example, one B2B service company developed a customer relationship system that included:

  • Strict control over compliance with quality service standards. The standards regulated the entire process of interaction with customers, in particular, the terms and form of responses to customer requests, the package of documents provided to customers, and the rules of business etiquette were clearly specified.
  • Magazine for customers, which described the new range, held surveys, quizzes, made presentations by company executives.
  • Seminars for clients with an overview of the situation in the industry and answers to questions.
  • Customer satisfaction surveys. Collection of their comments and suggestions and other sections.

At the same time in Russian organizations many aspects of sales management have not yet been sufficiently developed. Let us dwell on the main negative aspects that are still present in the work of many enterprises.

IDENTIFYING THE TARGET CUSTOMER

Quite often, the company lacks the very concept of " target client". Anyone who wishes can become a client, and it does not matter whether it is profitable for the company or not. Moreover, not all companies calculate sales efficiency, sales costs and even product costs. Therefore, the company works with all clients in a row. From the point of view of business efficiency, not any increase in sales is good for him. certain group customers - target segment. This point is often forgotten, and a situation arises when, as a result of an increase in sales, a company reduces profits. That is, a target client can only be when the benefits from increased sales cover the costs of finding and attracting a client, processing deals, servicing, and other costs.

The target customer is the customer whose needs the organization can satisfy as fully as possible, while following its strategy. In other words, cooperation with the target client is beneficial to both parties. It is much better to refuse a non-target client altogether (for example, by recommending him where it is better to contact) than to serve him badly (for example, due to lack of time), cause complaints and worsen his own reputation. Or the client himself will refuse to cooperate with the company if the working conditions become unacceptable for him. The most advanced enterprises are already seriously dealing with the problem of optimizing the customer base. To do this, first of all, it is necessary to develop conditions for cooperation with customers that are beneficial for both the company and target customers.

For example, on one large enterprise light industry large distributors with a stable position in the market, with a built management system and focused on consumers of the lower middle class, young people 20-35 years old, were selected as the target client. Such distributors were required to have established links with retail chains, shopping malls and shops. For such a target client, the following working conditions were developed:

  • 100% advance payment;
  • the minimum purchase amount is 5 thousand;
  • monthly reporting (sales volumes for each item, prices, complaints and suggestions from customers);
  • ensuring representation of at least 50% of the company's assortment;
  • discount system for purchases over 10 thousand, for the frequency of purchases more than once a week, for cooperation over 1 year.

After the introduction of these conditions, personal work was carried out with each client to explain the new rules. As a result, the client base decreased by 30% within six months, while sales increased by 10%. All this led to a significant increase in the profitability of the business.

This example shows successful experience, however, there are still very few companies that decide on such a restructuring, most companies do not understand who their target client is, and accordingly they can neither develop working conditions, nor decide to lose some part of the clients. Then the client base of the company is 300 - 400 organizations, of which 20 - 30 organizations bring 80% of the turnover (and more more profit), another 100 - 150 companies account for 19% of the turnover. And the remaining percentage is divided between 150 - 250 companies. However, the time spent on serving any client is about the same, and, accordingly, the costs associated with sales, too. Moreover, the "turnover" of the last group of customers is the highest - such customers make one purchase and disappear without a trace or appear for a new batch of products (sometimes just a few pieces or kilograms of goods) after six months.

This is one of the main mistakes in the formation of a sales system. So very important right choice target segment. The right segment is that segment (a group of potential buyers who are similar in a number of characteristics that are significant for the company and react in a similar way to marketing influences) whose needs are this moment are not fully satisfied, and at the same time, the enterprise has the necessary resources to satisfy these needs and receive benefits at the same time.

Once the target segment is selected, it must be carefully studied. However, since the target client is most often not defined, accordingly, it is not studied. It is important to understand what the needs of the target segment are, it is especially important to know if the target client has any needs that are not yet satisfied.

In addition, in order to competently build a marketing strategy and ensure the effectiveness of the marketing tools used, it is necessary to understand the stereotypes of customers, their expectations, and opportunities. Quite often, information about customers is scattered in the minds of employees (especially those in direct contact with customers), but no one collects and systematizes it. And accordingly does not make decisions based on it.

DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

The distribution system of many companies is not efficient enough. When choosing the number of participants in the distribution channel, it is important to maintain an optimal balance. On the one hand, there should not be too many intermediaries, otherwise you will not be able to effectively control them. But there is also the so-called "client-monopoly" problem. These are customers whose purchases account for more than 20% of the company's sales. If such a client leaves, the company expects a serious "failure" in sales. That is why such clients often demand for themselves special conditions, huge discounts, delayed payments, require payment promotions. And companies are forced to make concessions, as they are in a dependent position.

Control over distribution channels has so far been developed in a few companies. Many continue to adhere to the principle of "the customer is always right." Although sometimes this is not the case at all. Only a few companies are psychologically ready not to please customers and fulfill any of their requirements (or vice versa to infringe them in every possible way), but to build mutually beneficial partnerships. However, gradually the situation begins to change. A year ago, when we talked about the need to "clean up" the client base, we received in response not only a lack of understanding of what we were talking about, but also frank horror - how can you refuse clients? Now they began to talk about it more and more calmly, many large companies pursue a policy of reducing the customer base, introducing strict requirements for dealers and strengthening control over them.

In addition, companies usually do not differentiate the terms of cooperation for different distribution channels. Just as different customers have different needs, different distribution channels have different needs. So, for example, for a retail chain trade enterprises reliability of deliveries (on time, in strict accordance with the ordered assortment), delivery, quality of packaging, convenient packaging are important. Whereas for large wholesale organization prices, a varied assortment, discounts for volume are important.

SALES QUOTATION

Undoubtedly, more and more companies use sales planning, but so far planning is carried out in general view. And such a tool as, for example, quotas, is still not widely used. Managers are more often given the task of selling products for a certain amount, but they do not detail the plan by regions, names, customer groups, etc., i.e. do not carry out quotas for sales plans. Naturally, in such a situation, each manager decides for himself how much, what and to whom to sell.

STRUCTURE OF THE SALES DEPARTMENT

The distribution of functions in the sales department is also very often far from optimal. Reserves here can be in a clear distribution of territories, client groups, regions, individual functions. Quite often, the distribution of functions has developed historically and does not lend itself to any logic. It also often happens that the head of the sales department does most of the sales himself in a fairly large department. It also historically happened that he "leads" some clients. The department has grown, employees have increased, and the boss continues to work with clients himself, sometimes supervising up to 50% of the entire client base (in value terms). As a result, he does not have time for management functions.

So, according to a photograph of the working week (WWW) of one such head of the sales department, his working hours (during the week) were distributed as follows:

  • work with clients - 40% of working time;
  • technical work as a department employee - 25%;
  • interaction with other departments - 18%;
  • and only 5.5% - management of subordinates (including all managerial functions: planning, control, organization of work, analysis);
  • the rest of the time is spent on other things.

In other words, about 30 minutes a day were spent on management.

SALES MOTIVATION

Performance-based motivation schemes for sales staff are still rarely used. The most common version of the motivation system is a constant part (salary) and a percentage of some indicator (most often turnover). With this approach, only the overall volume of sales is stimulated, which is often unprofitable for the company. For example, there is a situation when managers provide a fairly large volume of sales, but at the same time achieve this by providing discounts to almost all customers, as a result, the company's profit is sharply reduced. We usually recommend considering the turnover rate in conjunction with the provided profitability of sales, only then it becomes beneficial for both the company and the employee.

But today it is no longer enough just to pay a sales manager a salary and a percentage of sales (even taking into account the profitability indicator). Required integrated system evaluation and motivation. And most importantly, this system should be based on performance indicators of the employee. There should not be many such indicators, and they should be a priority at the moment.

For example, for sales managers, you can use the following performance indicators (in any case, the basis of such indicators is the company's goals):

  1. Volume of sales.
  2. Attracting new customers (number of contracts).
  3. Expansion of orders from existing customers (in terms of value).
  4. Average purchase size.
  5. The term and amount of receivables.
  6. Number and nature of claims (complaints).

In addition, quite often sellers are paid at the highest level, this is always demotivating, and they will sell only as much as it takes to get the maximum payment and no more.

PERSONAL EFFICIENCY OF SELLERS

Until now, despite the fact that sales trainings have become traditional, only a few sellers know how to correctly talk about the product, answer questions, be active, but at the same time not be intrusive. Even fewer sales managers are able to find a new client on their own. A common situation is when sales managers only receive calls and work with those clients who themselves came to their office.

Very often we have to deal with the “customer is dumb” attitude, and this significantly reduces the effectiveness of the seller. Clients feel this attitude towards themselves, sometimes without even realizing it, and refuse to cooperate. The personal effectiveness of a sales specialist is also influenced by his attitude to the sales profession as such. If a person is ashamed of his profession, then he will not achieve success. Best Manager in sales is an active, confident, enthusiastic person who wants to earn more. If a sales rep asks for a salary that is more than 60% of his estimated earnings, then most likely he is a bad sales rep. Quite often, these moments are not reflected either in the selection system, or in assessment and motivation.

ACCOUNTING AND ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION

Until now, few companies can boast of a well-functioning system for recording sales information. Often records are kept in two or even three various systems. Naturally, this makes the data incomparable, and the accounting process loses all meaning. If the records are kept well, the analysis often suffers. The analytical service (or economists) calculates great amount indicators that say little to the manager. Such reports most often end up on the table. Enormous work is being done, but no one uses its results. It is not so difficult to organize analytical activities. The most time-consuming stage is the system development stage. It takes a lot of effort and time to develop a system of accounting and analysis, to establish control over the collection and correctness of accounting. Further, the system functions almost automatically, allowing you to quickly make informed decisions on the conditions of working with customers, and on the assortment policy, and on marketing policy, and on many other issues. Many attempts are now being made to automate the process of keeping track of all customer and sales information, but a fairly common mistake is trying to impose a technical solution on the existing order. As a rule, this leads to the fact that the system often fails, makes errors, and ultimately does not work for the purposes for which it was implemented. More reasonable are companies that first optimize the sales system itself, as well as coordinate all forms of accounting and analysis among themselves, and only then automate the entire process.

Therefore, before proceeding with the optimization of the sales system, it makes sense to identify priority factors that require immediate action, and start changes from there.

It is obvious that it will not be possible to solve all these problems at once. It makes sense to start by looking for the most vulnerable spot. For some, this is passivity in attracting customers or the inability of managers to present their products and respond to objections, for some it is the wrong choice of the target segment or an outdated product that does not meet the needs of modern consumers, etc. Every organization has its own weak point.

What is the main problem? As a rule, it seems to many leaders that all these improvements will not bring results, but that you need to make a lot of efforts, and not one-time and urgently, but every day, without stopping for a second. Nevertheless, the entire history of mankind shows that any purposeful efforts sooner or later give a result.

From this course, you can choose individual trainings to quickly improve the skills of managers in "weak" places. The course covers all aspects management activities head of sales service. The full course can be considered as professionally oriented MBA program for leaders. The program may include the implementation of work projects and the holding of working groups to develop or agree on individual elements of the management system, motivation and long-term planning.

Sales management training for

  • Heads of sales departments
  • Project team leaders
  • Commercial directors
  • Heads of departments for work with key clients.

The result of the training for managers:

  • The quality of management is improving (business is becoming more manageable, predictable, leaving the zone of constant " manual control”, the CONTROL SYSTEM is working).
  • Personnel risks are taken into account and prevented (demotivation, conflicts, sabotage, theft, incompetence).
  • The involvement, loyalty and motivation of employees is increasing (the share of intangible assets in the compensation package is growing).
  • Long-term business efficiency is growing (trained professionals work in the company, personnel potential, planned development).

Teaching methods

Role playing, small group work, business simulations, case work, video analysis, business modeling, skill/technique training in triplets, and other methods of building sales competencies. Up to 80% of the time is devoted to practical development of management techniques and modeling of practical situations.

How to make corporate training in sales management as effective as possible.

How to order? What is the price? What will you get besides the training? What to do before and after training?

Handouts and teaching materials for sales management training

Each participant is given workbooks containing the main theoretical material, examples, cases, exercises for consolidating the material and further practical use, formalized materials for self-development, maintaining the level of knowledge, applying knowledge in practice. Upon completion, all participants receive a certificate.

Training on how to create a sales department from scratch or update the composition of managers on a regular basis. Gives the skills necessary for the manager to qualitatively evaluate his subordinates or potential candidates. As well as technologies for evaluating and adapting sales managers. During the training, it will be possible to simulate a sales team and predict the sales results of this team.

Participants will gain skills How to understand what another person makes decisions on the basis of. How to make the motivation system in the company more efficient and balanced. How to use the motives of employees in the interests of business. How to increase the loyalty of employees to the company and its management. How to manage corporate culture.

The job of a manager is to make important decisions in the face of a lack of time and information. The quality of these decisions determines the rationality of the business, its survival and development. It is also the task of the manager to manage and improve the system of work. Analysis of the situation, taking into account key risks and consequences, a deep understanding of the company's strategy and the importance of the "human factor" characterizes high-quality managers, and the training will be devoted to the development of these qualities.

Participants will gain skills How to find out who makes decisions on the other side. How to show your status without saying a word. How to increase the value of your presentation materials. How to work well in a negotiation team. How to choose the best negotiation strategy. How to use gender differences in negotiations.

Training on how to use the period of change to improve the efficiency of your team. What are the stages of the implementation of changes, and what psychological defenses at each of the stages will the manager have to face. How to manage processes within the team, build a highly functional structure and select the optimal balanced team composition. On examples from management practice, on average and big business we will form and refine effective strategies interaction with work teams during the period of restructuring and the introduction of new standards for the implementation of business processes.

Training objectives: To form an understanding of what skills and competencies are needed at various levels of management. Conduct self-diagnosis in accordance with the presented system models of managerial competencies. teach to see narrow places and limitations of applied management methods. To teach the ability to better understand people in order to form a better management team. Master the tools for managing employees, taking into account their level of professional and personal development. To form a deep understanding of the motives and needs of people and the ability to influence them. Improve the quality of management decisions. Master the approach to management through the creation of a management system.




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