Managing Sales & Marketing Actions

Matrix Key:  Financial Viability - Marketing and Sales - Managing Actions

"Sales are contingent on the attitude of the salesman, not the attitude of the prospect." - William Clement Stone

If you are going to be successful at marketing and sales, your actions must reflect your commitment to the sales process.  You must have a disciplined approach to managing your sales and marketing actions.  Sales requires a lot of constant effort in order to keep clients moving along the sales cycle and to keep new opportunities coming in to your pipeline.  If you're not careful, you can easily drop something out and lose an important deal.  You can use the WholeLife Matrix as a guide to managing your sales actions.

The most successful salespeople know that these four attributes are essential to an effective sales process:

1. Training
2. Attitude
3. Setting Goals
4. Time Spent in Sales and Marketing

The best salespeople understand that they need continual training to stay on top of trends and technology.  They set specific goals so that drive their actions.  They spend time every day in sales actions, and they know that a good attitude shows through to prospective clients and keeps them in the game when times are tough.  There will always be days when you want to throw in the towel, but if you focus on consistent sales and marketing actions, you will soon find yourself in the winner's circle.

Are You Ready to Win?

New Year, New Strategies

"If your team is going to win, you need to play better than the other quarterback." - Peyton Manning, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts

This is the first of three blogs that will address simple strategies for getting yourself off to a good start in 2010. Some of them are conceptual, and some are activities or resolutions that will keep your business healthy and fit in the coming year.

The first step is to look backward. Take a few minutes to analyze what worked in 2009. Some things to review are:

• Where did you make money?
• What products sold the best?
• What key decisions did you make that improved your bottom line?
• What systems or processes did you change that resulted in greater efficiency or cost reduction?
• What lessons did you learn that you can take into 2010?
• What risks did you take that paid off?

Make a list of things that worked and acknowledge your success in those areas.

Next, look at what didn't work. Did you have employees that didn't function as a team? Did you have expenses that trended sharply upward? Where did you lose money or time? Make a list of these things and rank how they impacted your bottom line.

Once you have a handle on what worked and what didn't in 2009, it's time to look forward and make a comprehensive plan for 2010. Here are some key questions to ask yourself when developing your winning strategy:

• What is your primary goal or company directive for 2010?
• What is the biggest challenge your company faces in the coming year?
• What is your sales target? Your net profit target?
• What percentage growth are you after?
• Are you ready to commit to your company's plan? What does being committed to that plan look like?

There are bound to be questions that are germane to your particular business or industry. make a list and be honest with yourself about possibilities and challenges that you face. Consider working with a business coach who will hold you accountable for your intentions and keep you on the path to winning results.

Next in the Series: Winning Stories from 2009

Are you ready to win?