Why the Inside Sales Model Makes Sense For The Office Technology Industry

Your office technology company is missing a very important part of a successful sales team - and inside sales team. Learn what your dealership has been missing out on - and how to stop letting those sales opportunities slip away. Every dealership wants to grow net-new business. However, using field sales reps as the sole source of prospecting leads to inconsistent results. That’s why most technology companies outside the office equipment industry have inside sales teams with Sales Development Reps (SDR’s) focused exclusively on developing new business opportunities.

As we’ve been coaching and equipping inside sales teams with the latest automated prospecting strategies combined with monitoring market triggers, I’ve become more and more convinced that inside sales team are an effective strategy  for dealers who want to grow new business. Here’s why:
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How To Recruit Great Players To Your Sales Team

A great sales team is about more than great management - it's also about great (sales) team players.As a VP of Sales or Sales Manager, the number one driver of your success is recruiting a great sales team. If you don’t have great players, you’re going to struggle. A sales team is similar to a college football team. If the team recruits great players they are set up to have a good season. If they fail to recruit great players they are a in a lot of trouble.

What can we learn from college football to help us recruit better reps? Here are a few ideas.

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Getting More At-Bats: The New Way To More Buyer’s Short Lists

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Today as the Arkansas Razorbacks get ready to play in the College World Series there is one thing I know for sure: the more at bats they get, the higher chance they will get on base and score runs.  

Whether you are a business owner, sales manager, or sales rep, you need to be involved in as many deals as possible if you want to hit your goals. In sales, you want to make the short list of vendors under consideration. If you make that list, at least you have an “at bat.”

Here’s the challenge: the way buyers make their short list of potential vendors has changed. If you don’t recognize this, you will miss out on many opportunities for net-new businesses.

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What Service Departments Can Learn From Taxis and Uber

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On my way to and from the airport to speak to a group of CDA service managers in Austin, TX, I was forced to take a regular taxi since Uber and Lyft are not allowed in Austin for some reason. After several years of not having to endure taxis, I began to see the taxi cab experience from a new perspective. I now have an even deeper appreciation for what makes Uber special.

Many industries have been built on excellent service. Looking to companies like Uber and adopting what they do right can give us ideas of how to sustain that competitive advantage. (more…)