Salesperson

Salesperson

• Sales manager duties

  A good sales manager can increase sales 20% -- but that comes from good management, not through selling that amount.

• When to pay salespeople their commissions

  Notice that most of the activity from your sales staff comes around paydays. If I sell a job this week and have a chance to get some money from that job, there is more incentive for me to sell that job this week than next.

• Best way to present change orders to clients

  Even though your job is in the field, when you're working with a client, you become a salesperson for the company.Otherwise, clients may assume the change is free or won't affect the schedule.

• Think about the purpose behind each task

  There's a difference, and the extent to which you, your employees, and subs understand and pursue your purpose has a lot more to do with your success than how you think about and even perform your tasks.Your best field staff understand the difference between task and purpose because, even though...

• Change in the approach to compensation

  Some roofing, siding, and window companies still sell at 300% to 400% markups, with salesmen paid commissions in the 10% to 15% range. In the general remodeling market, on the other hand, the average sales commission is 6% to 8% of total cost, with the commission jumping to 10% on a project in the...

• Building Relationships: Qualifying Questions and Trial Closes

  Qualifying questions tell you what prospects look for in a relationship; trial closes tell you if you're building one.Poor or improper communication results in an unfavorable value judgment and a drop in perceived value, leaving the prospect two choices: To go elsewhere or to do nothing.The only...

• Face Off: Should I train my sales staff on the job or use a professional sales training program?

  My company has eight salespeople, including me, and our top producers have no formal sales training. Working closely with another more experienced salesperson, especially if they're good, is the best way to develop these skills.

• Who Sells Well?

  I'm often asked what type of person makes the best siding/roofing/window salesperson The learning curve on these products is shorter than it would be for full-service remodeling projects. Someone good at generating his own leads will enjoy more success here, because the need for exterior products...

• How to Prosper in a Down Economy

  In 1991 to 1992, when the economy last slowed, Swing Line was a five-year-old corporation with $1 million in annual sales. Swing Line is ready for this downturn, and when the upswing comes, we will be one of the prosperous survivors. --Ken Moeslein is president of Swing Line Windows, Pittsburgh.

• Knocking on doors still works

  In my opinion, the quickest, least expensive lead any salesperson could hope for is the "knuckle" lead -- knocking on doors.