Sales Automation Blog



             


Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Microsoft Dynamics AX-GP-NAV-CRM: Trends and International Recommendations

Microsoft Dynamics project ? or formerly referred as Project Green should unify and modulate all Microsoft Business Solutions ERP applications: Microsoft Great Plains/Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Navision (former Attain) Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft (Navision) Axapta/Microsoft Dynamics AX. The challenge of unification probably will result in quality change for the unified interface, such as Web/Business portal/Microsoft Outlook & MS Office integration, Deployment of new technologies, such as Microsoft Sharepoint with workflow automation. Plus the development platform for Microsoft Dynamics products should shift from proprietary tools, such as Microsoft Dexterity, C/SIDE, MorphX (no confirmation for Axapta yet ? but we guess it should follow) to C# and VB.Net with VisualStudio. In this small article we will try to orient IT managers in Microsoft Business Solutions MRP products selection for international and regional markets.

? Microsoft Dynamics GP. The regional markets for Great Plains 9.0 and following Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 version will narrow: United States, United Kingdom, Canada: both English and French speaking, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other English speaking countries in Asia, Africa and Worldwide, plus Spanish Speaking Latin America. Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 will not be available for Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland ? the last version localized for these European countries will be 9.0 ? June 2006

? Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Currently Navision has very good presence in Europe, including East Europe: Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia. Microsoft also localized Navision for new markets, where it just moved in: Brazil for example ? it was interesting development in Brazil ? first Microsoft probed Solomon, then Microsoft Great Plains 7.5 and in 2004 replaced it with localized Navision

? Microsoft Dynamics AX. Microsoft Axapta, opposite to Navision or Great Plains where market shares are gained/divided and competition is based on renovations and product improvements, Axapta has great potential yet to be deployed, coming from its modern and very futuristic system design and architecture. Being targeted to upper mid-market and corporate clients Axapta shows very good progress on emerging markets: in Russia for example the number of Axapta installation is similar and comparable with the number of Navision installations. Plus, in 2005 large number of Microsoft Business Solutions gold certified partners rushed into Axapta consulting arena ? this is seen in the USA, UK, Australia and continental Europe. In Brazil currently MBS in local Portuguese Axapta launching mode ? localized for Brazilian tax code

? Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Is planned as front CRM solution for the majority of Microsoft Dynamics ERP system: integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP is available for GP 7.5, 8.0, 9.0 and CRM 1.2 and 3.0, Microsoft Navision ? through third party integrations, Axapta integration is planned. Microsoft has Microsoft CRM as worldwide product, so you should not have any doubts regarding your regional market.

? Competition. Oracle is on the way with Oracle Fusion project, aiming on Oracle Financials/Applications/E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, JDEdwards and potentially Siebel integration. SAP with the purchase of new mid and small market ERP: SAP Business One and Mendocino ? for SAP R/3 is catching up

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.greatplains.com.mx http://www.enterlogix.com.br ) - Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta MS CRM, Oracle Financials and IBM Lotus Domino Partner. Please do not hesitate to call or email us: USA 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918 help@albaspectrum.com

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Friday, July 4, 2008

Microsoft Dynamics ERP: GP, AX, NAV, CRM ? which one to select

Being in MRP implementation, customization, integration, data migration/conversion business for many years, we would like to give you some orientation, in the case if you are on the way of ERP selection for your company. 

Being in MRP implementation, customization, integration, data migration/conversion business for many years, we would like to give you some orientation, in the case if you are on the way of ERP selection for your company.  In this small article we will be talking about Microsoft Business Solutions ERP brands only, you can check our future publication to get similar orientation on Oracle and SAP ERP products.

  • ?Legacy? vs. ?Modern? ERP.  It might not be the focusing question, however we?d like you to look at the ERP products from this perspective: Java/EJB Sun Microsystems conception is less then 10 years old, and now Microsoft .Net/C# construction is in the process of getting market from Java.  Similar time test should be given to ERP system ? if the system has legacy architecture ? it might be candidate for replacement or be seriously re-written/renovated.
  • International aspect.  If you think your company is and always be focusing on the US market and will do business with local folks only ? this paragraph might be skipped.  For the rest of us ? and we are in this cohort ? we should watch closes Microsoft Business Solutions international policies.  When Great Plains Software and Navision Software were independent software vendor and being forming their international policies completely independently from one another ? both had intentions to expand to all the world markets: USA, Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, South and Central America.  Now, when Microsoft sells all former GPS and Navision ERP products ? it can choose one product over the other to promote on the regional market ? simply due to the fact that it has to invest into ERP localization.
  • Microsoft Dynamics GP - Great Plains.  Great Plains Software pioneered in the earlier 1990th with its graphical and DB platform independent product for Mac and Windows: Great Plains Dynamics.  The shell was written on C programming language and was named Great Plains Dexterity.  Currently with Microsoft Dynamics project initiative ? Microsoft renovated Dexterity ? it supports now COM object calls and so XML web services, but it is not pure .net application/shell ? Microsoft is investing in web interfaces for Microsoft Dynamics GP ? Microsoft Business Portal for GP is very good example.  Microsoft Dynamics GP incorporated all the best technologies from Microsoft Office to .Net, but its design was done more then 10 years ago.  Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 is available in English, Latim Americal Spanish and Canadian French, plus German, Dutch and French/France versions will be available for version 9.0 only ? they will not be supported for future version of Dynamics GP.
  • Microsoft Dynamics NAV ? Microsoft Navision - Navision Attain.  Navision Software was established in 1994 and since then it gained European ERP mid-size and portion of USA market, especially for light manufacturing.  Navision success should be attributed to Denmark software development market miracle of earlier 1990th.  Navision went even further into graphical and DB platform independence ? it designed its own database platform ? C/SIDE ? Navision separated SQL coding from the database itself.  Currently MBS promotes Navision on MS SQL Server platform and its database independence is losing its actuality.  Navision was localized by MBS to the majority of East European, South American and other emerging markets ? if you are in Europe, South America, Asia and looking for supported reliable solution on your regional market ? you should look at Navision first.
  • Microsoft Dynamics AX ? Axapta.  Axapta was the newest ERP designed by Navision Software prior to its acquisition by Microsoft.  The architecture is dated at the end of 20th century.  Axapta needed some time for Microsoft to get upper mid-market ground ? traditionally occupied by SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, JDEdwards.  Currently Microsoft is localizing Axapta to Brazilian market ? due in April 2006.  Very good chances are in East and Continental Europe, including UK.  In 2005 US Microsoft Business Solutions regional and nation-wide VARs invested into Axapta consulting practice ? training and certifying consultants, marketing campaign, etc.  Very good chances for Axapta for US mid-market and and upper mid-market clientele and prospects
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 or simply Microsoft CRM 3.0 is promoted by Microsoft Worldwide.  So, do not question it from the international perspective ? you will have integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP, Navision (through third party integration), Axapta ? in progress, plus with IBM Lotus Notes Domino ? via Alba Spectrum Lotus Notes integration.

Please do not hesitate to call or email us: USA 1-866-528-0577Free Articles, 1-630-961-5918 help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.greatplains.com.mx http://www.enterlogix.com.br ) - Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta MS CRM, Oracle Financials and IBM Lotus Domino Partner, serving corporate customers in the following industries: Aerospace & Defense, Medical & Healthcare, Distribution & Logistics, Hospitality, Banking & Finance, Wholesale & Retail, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Placement & Recruiting, Advertising & Publishing, Textile, Pharmaceutical, Non-Profit, Beverages, Conglomerates, Apparels, Durables, Manufacturing and having locations in multiple states and internationally.
We are serving USA Nationwide: CA, IL, NY, FL, AZ, CO, TX, WI, WA, MI, MA, MO, LA, NM, MN

 

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Monday, June 23, 2008

CRM Budget: How To Bring Your CRM Project In On-Budget


It seems that having a project come in On-Budget is the and holy-grail of project management, especially when it comes to CRM projects. With their 70% failure rate, CRM projects represent a significant risk to a small business' financial health and warrants more "measure twice, cut once" consideration before beginning.

Coming in On-Budget does not mean you managed to squeeze your project into whatever arbitrary budget you came up with when you first started. It also doesn't mean that you started with an overly generous budget.

It does mean that you develop a budget that takes into account an analysis of 4 critical areas:

1. PAYOFF. You need to know exactly how your CRM system is going to generate ROI. This will help you focus your project on the right areas. By knowing how you expect payoff to be achieved, you can plan to achieve it.

2 RISK. You need to figure out where the risk is in your project because "risk=expense". By figuring out what can go wrong, you can take measures to minimize and contain that risk.

3. SERVICES. Be sure to fully account for the variety of services that will be required. A few often overlooked areas that can increase your services bill significantly include: meetings, testing time, debugging time and "while you're here..." time.

4. TECHNOLOGY. Choosing the wrong technology is can be a huge waste of money. From the worst case scenario of a totally failed project to having to spend extra money to make the wrong software do things it wasn't intended to do.

What makes putting together a realistic budget so difficult for small businesses is that it's not what they do and they don't have the experience of having done several before. It's not what they do. So, they rely on the Sellers of CRM who have their own vested interest in not scaring off their customers with numbers that are perceived to be too expensive.

By putting together a realistic budget, you may very well find that the project is going to cost much more than you were intitally prepared to spend. It's best to find this out now and before you "sign on any dotted lines".

If you do find out the project is going to cost more, here are a few ideas of what to do:

- WAIT & SAVE. Perhaps you need to wait 6 months until you have a bigger budget. Use this time to get prepared for the project: learn more about the software choices, make sure you're business processes are as fine tuned as they can be, and focus on how CRM software will generate ROI.

- GO AHEAD. It may be more money than you were expecting, but may still be within your budget. If you're clear on how the CRM system is going to generate ROI and you're otherwise ready, go for it!

- SCALE DOWN. If you have a very clear idea of how the CRM software is going to achieve ROI and you can't afford the full project, focus in a smaller area to begin with that will have a payback. Use this payback to help fund future projects. It's always a good idea to start with smaller, high-payoff projects first.

- FIND MORE ROI. If you have a really clear and compelling business case for how a CRM system is going to improve your bottom-line, it's much easier to find the necessary funds to implement it.

- DOUBLE CHECK. Make sure you're choosing the right technology. Cheap software can often be expensive to implement. Double check to make sure you're basing your budget on the right CRM software. You may find that a software that costs more in licensing, ends up being an overall more affordable solution.

Coming in On-Budget means you started with a realistic budget. The Insider's CRM Success System goes into great detail on how to develop a realistic budget and provides the control forms and worksheets you'll need.

About the Author

Scott Gingrich is the creator of The Insider's CRM Success Toolkit, the world's most complete and only guaranteed approach to successful CRM projects.www.thecrmcoach.com.

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Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Microsoft CRM in Brazil: implementation, customization, support overview for consultan

We expect substantial number growth of Microsoft CRM implementations across Brazil and the need for Microsoft CRM implementation, support, tuning, reporting, training services, especially in such business metros as So Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Manaus. 

We expect substantial number growth of Microsoft CRM implementations across Brazil and the need for Microsoft CRM implementation, support, tuning, reporting, training services, especially in such business metros as So Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Manaus. 

Microsoft Business Solutions CRM is present several years on the US software market plus it makes advances in Europe.  We expect substantial number growth of Microsoft CRM implementations across Brazil and the need for Microsoft CRM implementation, support, tuning, reporting, training services, especially in such business metros as So Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Manaus.  In this small article we try to project US market lessons on Brazilian business climate.

  • Sales.  Microsoft CRM in opposite to former CRM leaders, such as Siebel, Onyx, Saleslogix doesnt need hard pushing sales efforts.  It also should probably not be sold to the company top management, but rather to IT department enthusiasts, who are in charge for specific legacy business system support and data fixing.  Microsoft CRM is very simple from business logic and intuitively understood by IT group.  It is rather very simplified version of full-featured CRM, such as again Siebel.
  • Installation.  Microsoft CRM should be either hosted or installed by in-house IT group.  And this is due to the fact, that MS CRM utilizes all the resent Microsoft technologies: MS Exchange Server 2003/2000, Active Directory, MS SQL Server, Crystal Reports Enterprise, MS Outlook client, Microsoft IIS, .Net components, etc.  This makes installation sensitive to existing setup of the above components
  • Implementation.  The crucial in the implementation is Workflow design, which should be probably done by consultant with IT in-house specialist.  This process doesnt require a lot of business consulting knowledge and in our experience company middle management actually makes suggestions in the time of initial presentation.  In the case of MS CRM Sales module the workflow should organize leads processing up to the point of closing the deal and following invoicing.  When workflow is realized sales team works as excellent orchestra.
  • Customization.  Usually MS CRM ties together existing legacy business systems and replaces large portion of them.  Typical case if you are freight forwarding client and have cargo tracking system you should more likely have lookup from the MS CRM account screen to the customer current shipments statuses.  This is usually made as small web application, created in Visual Studio.Net with MS CRM SDK and SQL queries to legacy database.
  • Support.  Because MS CRM is web application it can be used by remote users and automate operations across the whole Brazil and even Worldwide.  The same should be said about MS CRM support your Microsoft Business Solutions CRM Partner can support your installation remotely from say office in So Paulo as if it is located across the street.

Good luck implementing, customizing and reports designing and if you have issues or concerns we are here to help!  If you want us to do the job - give us a call in So Paulo: 55-11-3826-3449, 55-113825-2586! help@albaspectrum.com

Author is MS CRM Specialist in Microsoft Business Solutions Partner Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) Navision, Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving client in Brazil, USA, Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Malaga, Seville, Buenos Aires, Mexico and having locations in multiple states and internationally

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Saturday, March 29, 2008

The new Customer Relationship Management CRM functions

C.MeloPublishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your website or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required.

The new Customer Relationship Management CRM functions

By J.C.Melo

The Customer Relationship Management CRM system was born because of the need for a software to analyze customer's data - as for example its preferences - changing rough data that usually exists in any customer's database, into important information about the same customer. That is to say, a new modern sales & marketing tool.

In this first period the data of an online and real-time accounting & management system was analyzed by this stand-alone CRM software, and in the following period those accounting & management systems integrated this initial marketing & sales functions of a CRM.

Soon after, this new accounting & management system - now integrated with the CRM functions - included a Call Center system of the last generation with or without a voice processing system - input and output - through the telephone system usually so loved by us.

Soon after appeared an obvious question: If the CRM support my customers, why don't change it to support all the external functions of my company, as for example my suppliers, distributors, representatives, branches, affiliated companies, employees's families, etc., each one with different needs and processings?

This is the current Customer Relationship Management CRM system, for everything concerning the external world of a company, and consequently its original name no longer represents its current functions in spite to be widely used.

Today we should split the IT system of a company in two great sides but in the near future will be only one system:

1. Enterprise Resources Planning ERP, for the internal world of a company, on which we will write another article in the near future,

2. Customer Relationship Management CRM, for the external world of a company.

However it's absolutely necessary to understand that a CRM is not a software package that can be installed and immediately will be ready to work, but yes a system that obligatorily should be implemented by IT specialists together with the whole company in a continuous job, besides to be adapted to the specific needs of the company. And because the CRM was not interpreted correctly by a large amount of companies, recent research showed that 42% of purchased CRM systems are inoperative for been interpreted as a push-button software.

However if very well designed and installed, a CRM is a powerful tool for a company to grow on this digital business Century, certainly surpassing your competition and generating reasonable ROI Return on Investment.


The new Customer Relationship Management CRM functions

By J.C.Melo

The Customer Relationship Management CRM system was born because of the need for a software to analyze customer's data - as for example its preferences - changing rough data that usually exists in any customer's database, into important information about the same customer. That is to say, a new modern sales & marketing tool.

In this first period the data of an online and real-time accounting & management system was analyzed by this stand-alone CRM software, and in the following period those accounting & management systems integrated this initial marketing & sales functions of a CRM.

Soon after, this new accounting & management system - now integrated with the CRM functions - included a Call Center system of the last generation with or without a voice processing system - input and output - through the telephone system usually so loved by us.

Soon after appeared an obvious question: If the CRM support my customers, why don't change it to support all the external functions of my company, as for example my suppliers, distributors, representatives, branches, affiliated companies, employees's families, etc., each one with different needs and processings?

This is the current Customer Relationship Management CRM system, for everything concerning the external world of a company, and consequently its original name no longer represents its current functions in spite to be widely used.

Today we should split the IT system of a company in two great sides but in the near future will be only one system:

1. Enterprise Resources Planning ERP, for the internal world of a company, on which we will write another article in the near future,

2. Customer Relationship Management CRM, for the external world of a company.

However it's absolutely necessary to understand that a CRM is not a software package that can be installed and immediately will be ready to work, but yes a system that obligatorily should be implemented by IT specialists together with the whole company in a continuous job, besides to be adapted to the specific needs of the company. And because the CRM was not interpreted correctly by a large amount of companies, recent research showed that 42% of purchased CRM systems are inoperative for been interpreted as a push-button software.

However if very well designed and installed, a CRM is a powerful tool for a company to grow on this digital business Century, certainly surpassing your competition and generating reasonable ROI Return on Investment.

J.C.Melo is a 73-years old IT professional with 54 years of experience in computer science & technology entrepreneurship. He was the owner of the first minicomputer factory in South America and Consultant for the U.S. Government in several contracts. Now is the CEO of the organization
http://mba-open-university.net

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Monday, January 14, 2008

The Lazy Way To Create Effective Customer Relationships Using Email AutoResponders!

You want to build trust through constant communication. Constant communication is your ticket to building trust and credibility with your prospects and customers. Of all of your marketing efforts, this is possibly the most important key to your success. People are more apt to do business with you when they trust you. Offline though, this may be an expensive endeavor; especially when using postal mail. The Internet however, opens up a whole new playing field.

Use Sequential (Email) AutoResponders You can automatically and almost effortlessly stay in touch with your prospects and customers for as long as you like using Sequential autoresponders. Almost effortlessly means, you do have to create some messages to send to your prospects, or at least have them created for you. All you have to do then is load your email autoresponder with your messages, set the delivery schedule, and voila; you're on your way to increased sales and profits.

Sequential autoresponders allow you to send a series of timed messages to your prospects and customers at set intervals. It's been proven that it takes approximately 7 contacts with your prospect before he/she will buy from you. This information has been re-hashed and regurgitated so much that it's a wonder many people don't know this already. At any rate, it's true.

Online, sequential autoresponders allow you to do this effortlessly, effectively and automatically. I like the word automatic. That means I don't have to touch it. I Set It And Forget It! ... And so can you. All you have to do is get your hands on a good autoresponder! There are many autoresponder services available on the Internet today, even my own, but more on that later.

Keep in mind, there are NO envelope, stamp, and envelope-stuffing costs associated with using sequential autoresponders, and no advertising costs. These costs can get outrageously high if you're running a sizeable campaign. With sequential autoresponders, you only have a nominal monthly service fee. If you've got a good product and marketing campaign, your sales will more than pay the measly cost of your autoresponder service, many times over.

Do Not SPAM Your Prospects!!! Give, teach, and/or train your prospects with good quality content or just some product/service updates. It's okay to make offers inside your messages, but I would not do it in every single message. Why? Because, personally I hate being on lists that just promote - promote - promote! You can get promoted to anywhere online, so why would you want to see it in every single email message you get? There are some others that would dispute this, but it's your call. I know, "I", tend to stay subscribed to the lists that don't view me as simply another $dollar!

...So, what I am saying is, GIVE your prospects/customers something. Don't just take - take - take. Even if what you're giving is just Good-old, Rock-Solid information and advice, give it to them and make it as clear and as concise as possible.

Call Them to Action! I know I just told you not to take-take-take from your prospects and customers, but I also told you, it's okay to make offers too - Heck! - that's the purpose of your autoresponder anyway - to make you money! You decide how often you want to make product/service offers. You can always ask your prospects to click through on a link, to call you, or email you to take advantage of your special offer at the end of each message; however, don't try to sell them a different product every time you contact them, unless this is the nature of your business.

Again, give your prospects and customers good information they can sink their teeth into, or maybe even give them some freebies (good ones) then, ask them to click through to your website or affiliate link, or ask them to fill out a form, email you, or call your office.

Happy E-mailing!

Ettione is the Automation King, specializing in E-Business Automation. Visit his website at  http://www.prowebware.com/list_management.html to learn more about Effortless, Email Marketing using AutoResponders.

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Saturday, December 15, 2007

Sales Force Management & Leadership: Increase Profitability By Understanding Your Sales Team

Some people are wildly successful at selling, meeting and exceeding every goal placed in front of them, while others lack either the self motivation or certain key skill sets to get them to their next level of growth and performance. To improve sales in highly competitive sales environments, leaders must create a growth-oriented atmosphere that thrives on constant improvement, regardless of market conditions.

 
Have you ever closely examined why some people are wildly successful at selling, meeting and exceeding every goal placed in front of them, while others lack either the self motivation or certain key skill sets to get them to their next level of growth and performance? After all, they all have the same product, the same tools, and the same compensation structure.  They?ve all been through the same sales management-training program.   In my experience of 25 years selling, building sales organizations and leading and managing thousands of salespeople, the answer has to do with the fact that virtually all sales? organizations are comprised of four different kinds of salespeople:
 
1.   The Performers ? The Top Producers
 
These high achieving sales executives are the best at bringing in the numbers, but chances are that you spend a fair share of your time cleaning up her messes.  Seems like they?re either sky-high or down in the dumps.  When the performer is down, they are out of their selling zone, and productivity comes to a standstill.  But when the performer is up, look out world!
 
2. The Professional ? Another Top Producer
 
This top producer is very consistent, a total team player, even tempered, patient, and consistently bringing in the numbers.  Professionals are also part of the elite members on the sales team, but they seem to be missing some opportunities that would catapult them to super stardom if they made some slight changes to their selling game.  Instead, they stick to self-proven conservative approaches.
 
3. The Caretaker ? Stuck In A Major Comfort
 
These are the sales executives that are simply stuck in their lackluster comfort zones -- giving you a solid month about every third month, or giving you about seventy percent of what they have all the time.   They have the potential, but they?re consistently mediocre.  You just can?t get them to perform the difficult tasks that it takes to produce at top levels with any regularity.  Worse yet, they?re passive aggressive.  You say to yourself, ?If I could only wake them up, they?d be right up there with the best.?
 
I was giving a speech on ?Four People, Four Paths? to a leading company in the California real estate industry where I was emphasizing the importance of knowing exactly who you are.  While I was quoting my book The Four Kinds of Sales People and explaining in detail the struggles and breakthrough opportunities for each of the four kinds of sales people, a woman in the audience yelled out, ?Oh my God, I?m a Caretaker!?  The crowd laughed and I congratulated her on her honesty and pointed out to her (and others who were not so forthright) the tremendous opportunity that existed if she made the conscious decision to change and begin doing the difficult things that it takes to produce top results on a consistent basis.
 
4. The Searcher ? The One That Belongs In Any Career But Sales
 
All sales leaders have made some bad hiring decisions that result in sales reps that just don?t belong in sales.  They perceived a sales career to be easy and they were wrong.  Producing top sales is hard work.  These misfits are consumed with fear, and if truth be told, they honestly hate sales.  They have no real intention of making the necessary changes to be successful.  You?re better off helping them find more fulfilling careers.
   
My point is that while the individual make-up of sales forces may vary, there are always only four kinds.  Management?s goal is to get the best to keep getting better while building a team with as many top producers as possible. That means management must influence those that are ?stuck? in their comfort zone to break through to the next level.  That means management must perform the unenviable task of helping those that don?t belong to find other career paths.  In my experience, management gets too preoccupied with these two challenges and neglects the opportunity to get their top producers to reach for their next level of achievement.  They have more potential.  That?s why they?re the best. And can be even better.
 
If you want sales to improve, particularly in highly competitive sales environments, then leaders must create a growth-oriented atmosphere that thrives on constant improvement, regardless of market conditions.  By the way, that means leaders and managers must also be striving to break through to their next level as well. Sales is about creating and sustaining momentumFind Article, and then creating even more of it.  Consistently.


Breakthrough mentor and sales guru, Chuck Mache, President of Chuck Mache Communications (http://www.ChuckMache.com) has more than 25 years experience in selling, managing, building and leading sales organizations regionally as well as internationally.  In his Brian Tracy endorsed book ?The Four Kinds of Sales People? Mache uses his transforming knowledge and expertise in building heavy-hitter sales organizations to deliver an inspired parable that identifies exactly how and why sales people excel - or don't. Get his book today at http://www.thefourkindsofsalespeople.com/PR/ and increase your organization?s productivity, and profitability.

 

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