S4Sales

Howdy!  I’m Jim Peters and every month or so I will be bringing some ideas around improving your position in the marketplace.

Many people I speak to want to do better in sales.  If you’re not one of those people, thank you so much for dropping by, but this page is probably not for you.

Most businesses are expert at what they do, but by the very nature of business, they have to get their heads around concepts, principles and processes that are outside their core competency.  Most accept that they need to master finance, for instance, and invest exorbitant (but necessary) amounts in finance systems and an understanding of the P&L.  They put in systems for quality, manufacturing efficiency, logistics, HR, OH&S, Payroll, Planning, Order Processing, EDRMS, CMS, CRM, ERP, MRP, BI, IMS….. and isn’t there one for PMS?  I’m not sure… but I’m certain many of these same businesses never put together a complete system to ensure their sales initiative is successful or they rely on a so-called “sales professional”.

In an article in the Harvard Business School’s online Working Knowledge (published Aug 13, 2008), HBS Prof Emeritus Abraham Zaleznik says that even after thirty years he still believes that “Managers are oriented to process, while leaders are attuned to substance. Process is concerned with establishing procedures for solving problems, while substance deals directly with the problems at hand. Process is soon related to obsessive thinking and depressive emotional states, while substance energizes and draws on imaginative thinking. Managers tend instinctively to delegate; leaders like to get involved in working toward solutions to substantive problems.”

There’s no use becoming depressed about sales or the economy or the success you’ve had up until now.  For those who are ready to put some vision into their planning, even the recession is an opportunity for success.  I was visiting with a CEO last week who is in line for a business award because he has had nearly a 20% year on year improvement in an industry where many companies are failing and nearly all are going backwards.  There is always an opportunity if we’re ready to seize it.

Over coming months, we are going to look at a system that virtually guarantees success in selling your products or your service, enables you to be realistic in assessing your probability of success and delineates a roadmap to increased sales.  It’s my intention to help you become a leader in advancing your sales results and the rewards that attend them.

Thought for the month: “Why do you think people want to buy what you have?”

Jim is the author of S4Sales –
Published by IJN Publishing & Production
SAN – 902-9524
ISBN – 978-0-9806705-0-9
Sydney Australia 2009

All content on this page – © & (P) IJN Publishing & Production 2009

All rights reserved – This material may not be copied or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the publisher.

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