The Sales Head Office; Selling and Sales Management

Here is a short list of some books I’ve found useful and recommended to my sales teams:

The idea of the VITO letter comes from a mid-nineties book by Tony Parinello called Selling to VITO. VITO stands for Very Important Top Officer.

Basically, the VITO letter is supposed to get you in front of that hard to reach executive. Whether or not you believe in the effectiveness of Parinello’s version of the executive letter, there is no doubt that it makes sense to use a number of different mediums to reach decision makers.

One of those is the standard letter. A well crafted message followed by a phone call is always be a good practice. It is a great way to turn what would have been a difficult cold call into an easier, warm(ish) follow up call.

Below is a letter for you to start with. Please note that it is canned and bulky and I would never send it out as is, there is to much going on. I only include it as a guideline. If you really want to catch VITO’s attention consider adding a bold quote at the top of the letter, something very relevant to their business. Talk their language and do your research before sending. And most of all make sure you follow up with a call or you are wasting your time!

{Insert your mailing address}
{Insert your city, state and zip code}
{Insert your telephone number with area code first}
{Insert your e-mail address}

February 1, 2007
{Insert recipient’s mailing address}
{Insert recipient’s city, state and zip code}
Dear {Insert appropriate title (Mr., Ms., or Dr.) and the recipient’s last name}:

I am writing to introduce you to Your Company business management services and the benefits we can deliver to you and your business through Your Companies Network of over 5000 connected locations across the world. We offer a full menu of services that are part of most every company’s daily business needs.

Our Companies network reaches across nine countries with more than 5000 digitally connected locations, offering 24-hour access to leading-edge technology for product 1, product 2, product 3, product 4 and product.

Our Company employs over 100,000?associates and 10,000 technicians to ensure that you have the products you need, when you need them, and with the unsurpassed level of quality and service businesses have come to expect from us.

As the world’s leading provider of?product 1 and business services,?Our Company?is able to extend our efficiencies and knowledge into your organization to help your company increase productivity and, subsequently, reduce costs. Your employees will spend less time with product and more time with customers. You will spend less money on product 1 and maintenance contracts.

At Our Company, we customize our solutions to fit the specific needs of your business, and we have the flexibility and scalability to act as a supplemental resource or to manage all of your needs as a committed outsourcing partner. We will conduct a free evaluation of your business management needs and develop a solution that is right for you. We will also dedicate an expert Account Manager to your company who will work with you to continually find ways to support your business.

I plan to call you {insert day and date} to discuss scheduling a needs analysis for your business. In the meantime, I have enclosed here a brochure that outlines our services and the benefits of putting Our Companies Network to work for you. If you would like to contact me before this date, please feel free to call me at {insert your telephone number}. Otherwise, I will look forward to speaking with you {insert day or date}.

360 degree feedback survey’s are a great way for managers to solicit feedback from their boss, direct reports and colleagues. The purpose of a 360 degree feedback survey is to help managers learn more about their perceived strengths and weakenesses and ultimately to identify opportunities to be more effective.

For The Business, 360 degree feedback surveys offer a glimpse into the mindset of the field salesforce, and how they percieve their managers overall effectiveness. The process can be an eye opener and the unknown is likely the reason that most organizations avoid doing annual 360′s.

If you find yourself in or leading a 360 make sure you choose people who you believe will provide honest, useful feedback. Choosing your best bud in accounting, because you know he’ll give you great feedback, will not help your development. The idea here is to get a good sample of constructive feedback so take yourself out of your comfort zone and include people that may not provide glowing reviews. Choose people that you interact and collaberate with regularily, even if there has been tension between you in the past.

Point to consider on 360 Degree Feedbcak Reviews:

When Choosing Respondents:

360 degree feedback, presented properly, is a great way to solicit confidential feedback from the field. Great managers will respect the results and work to address open issues.

I’m in the process of recruiting for two open territories. Below are a few of the questions that I’ll ask in an interview, in no particular order. The bullets are potential follow up questions.

What does a great day selling look like?

• How many face to face calls, telephone calls happen in a great day?

How do you manage your day?

• How do you prioritize?
• How do you handle distractions?
• How do you balance strategic and tactical activities

Tell me about your strengths?

• Identify some weaknesses and how you manage them?

Tell me about your greatest sales accomplishment!

What does great teamwork look like?

• How do you handle a difficult team member?

What resources and tools do you need to be successful?

What do you need from your manager?

What are the traits of a great sales rep?

Tell me about the last two sales or business books you’ve read? (If they can’t remember or can’t answer this question, don’t consider them for anything other than entry level – the best reps are always improving their craft!)

• What is your favourite book on selling?

Tell me about your most difficult sale

• How do you handle client stalling
• Tell me about a recent sale you lost to a competitor
• What would you have done differently?
• How do you handle selling to a team of buyers?

and last but not least

Why the hell should I hire you?