Wholesale Finest!

A short sale represents a great opportunity for a homeowner who owes more than their home is worth. Ideally, it gives them a chance to sell their home without owing the difference to their lender. As home values continue to decline, short sales have become one of the most viable solutions for millions of underwater homeowners who are facing foreclosure. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to successfully negotiate a short sale with most lenders today.

A short sale can also benefit the community in which the home is located. Foreclosed homes often stay vacant for many months before they are finally sold. Lenders have a policy of not performing any maintenance or repairs on a foreclosed property. As a result, the home begins to deteriorate and causes the values of surrounding properties to drop. When a short sale is purchased by a buyer or investor, the property is often fixed up and inhabited rather quickly, as these individuals have some real stake in the property. They will not let the property fall apart over time. Thus, the surrounding homes’ values will not suffer.

A short sale is only for the patient, however. A typical short sale process can take months without any guarantee of even being approved by the lender. It’s not uncommon for a month or two to elapse without an update from your lender. It’s important to recognize that the banks are understaffed and overwhelmed with homeowners seeking assistance with their mortgage payments. Homeowners who have second mortgages on their property will have an especially difficult time negotiating a successful short sale. They usually negotiate each mortgage separately, so it becomes doubly long and difficult to accomplish a short sale. You must also prove to your lender that you are incapable of staying current on your payments or paying off your mortgage in full. Your lender will also demand to see the contract between seller and buyer to ensure they are receiving all of the proceeds from the sale. Another point to consider is whether you will have any tax implications after a short sale. The IRS may consider the debt forgiven as income and tax you accordingly. A good attorney or accountant can assist with this. Between foreclosures, short sales, and loan modifications, the banks are beyond their limits. The best way to ascertain if you will qualify for a short sale is to determine how much you will be “short” on the sale.

Here is a basic way to determine just how “short” you will be on your short sale.

1. Home Value/Worth: Determine the approximate value of your home. A good way of doing this is to enlist a real estate agent to perform a Comparative Market Analysis on your property. A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is an in-depth analysis of a home’s current value by comparing properties in its surrounding area that have been sold, current listings, expired listings, and pending sales. A real estate agent uses a combination of these tools to estimate the value of a home.

2. Cost of Sale: This is where you calculate the approximate cost of a short sale. A property sale can include expenses such as broker fees/commissions, advertising costs, legal fees, and closing costs.

3. Total Value of All Loans: Calculate how much you owe on your property (this can include second mortgages, home equity loans, etc. ).

Next, subtract the total amount owed on the property and the estimated cost of the sale from the expected sale revenue. The number remaining is how much you will owe after the sale. This number is a good indicator of your chances of having a short sale approved by the bank. An experienced real estate agent can assist with this.

Here is a brief example:

1. Estimated Current Value of Home = $175,000

2. Amount owed on first mortgage: $200,000

3. Amount owed on second mortgage: $50,000

4. Estimated Sale Cost: $5,000

- Add up values 2,3,and 4 = $255,000

- Subtract from expected sale revenue (#1)

- =$80,000. This is the amount you are “short” and will need your lender to forgive.

Anyone can negotiate a short sale on their own, but this could be detrimental to the outcome. Having a professional negotiate a short sale for you can significantly increase your chances of success. With so many fly-by-night companies cropping up, it’s becoming difficult to hire someone you can trust. A law firm is always the best option when seeking to hire someone to negotiate on your behalf. A law firm is familiar with your State and Federal laws, and is also bound by them. Most lawyers will not risk their license and livelihood to make a quick buck off a consumer. Your lender will also take requests from a law firm much more seriously, and your short sale can move along much more quickly. An important obstacle to avoid during a short sale negotiation is a Promissory Note. A promissory note is essentially a promise to pay the bank back the difference after a short sale. This is very bad for the homeowner trying to negotiate a short sale, because it leaves them responsible for the balance of their loan. An attorney can assist a homeowner with dealing with a Promissory Note, but there are no guarantees.

Fortunately, lenders are beginning to understand the benefits of a short sale. The Comptroller of the Currency showed that lenders completed three times the amount short sales in the 4th quarter of 2008 than in the first quarter of 2008. Now is the best time to try to negotiate a short sale with your lender. They have begun to realize that in many cases a short sale is a better alternative to foreclosure. After a foreclosed home sits and falls apart over time, it becomes extremely difficult for the lender to sell it at a competitive price. A short sale also gives the homeowner the responsibility of making their home “sale ready” to increase the chances of selling the home for a fair price. This helps the lender recoup more money than they would from attempting to sell a foreclosed property that has fallen apart over time.

If you would like more information or need assistance with a short sale, please contact the CreditLawGroup at (800) 508-0041

How would you like to coach a team that wins at the sales game like top-ranked teams win in the NBA, NFL, and NHL?

Why wouldn’t you? Who’s better at producing consistent winning efforts than professional sports teams?

Business?

Education?

Government?

You gotta be kidding!

Professional sports teams excel where business, education, government and science fail because professional sports teams invest in developing extraordinary coaches who develop extraordinary players capable of winning games, lots of games.

And that’s a nugget of truth that ought to excite even the most jaded sales manager . . . don’t you think? If an extraordinary coach in the NFL can develop extraordinary sports players, why couldn’t you or any other extraordinary Sales Coach develop extraordinary Sales Players?

It’s no accident that successful professional teams win off-field before they ever win on-field. No team reaches the NBA playoffs, plays in the Super Bowl, or wins the Stanley Cup simply because it pays big bucks for talented athletes. To make it to the top of its sport, a winning team, like a winning business, has to play well in every facet of its operations or . . . lose.

You know better than anyone that that the sales game is tough these days. In fact, it may well be tougher today than ever before for even the best sales professionals to generate consistent revenues and profits. You and your sales force work your hearts out, day in and day out, struggling against determined competitors to sell your products and services to prospects and customers who demand everything and more: the lowest possible price, immediate delivery, unblemished quality, plus instant, first-rate service.

Talk about tough!

How can you rise above the fray, how can you set yourself and your sales team apart from your competitors, and how can you achieve the consistent success you so richly deserve?

Simple . . . you find new business models, new strategies and new tactics to cope with the unprecedented challenges you face in the sales game today.

Where can you find these new business models, strategies and tactics?

Like we said before . . . look no farther than professional sports teams.

When you compare the way business plays the sales game to the way professional sports teams play their games, you discover some interesting dichotomies.

First and foremost, no matter what it says, business doesn’t really demand the most from sales professionals . . . not really. And, because business isn’t seriously serious about holding individual sales professionals accountable for their failures to perform, the typical sales organization loses nine out of every ten sales it attempts to close.

If you applied this win/loss record to the National Football League, which plays 18 to 20 regular season games a year, the typical NFL team would win 2 or fewer games a season.

Unlike professional sports coaches, sales managers typically stay out of the action on the sales playing field. Sales managers don’t have time to work the sidelines like an NBA, NFL, or NHL coach because they’re too busy behind their desks with sales projections, profit and loss statements, personnel problems, factory politics, and company politics.

If professional sports teams played the same way most sales organizations play the sales game, NFL quarterbacks would run failed play after failed play, quarter after quarter after quarter, with no input from coaches. If professional sports teams operated the same way most sales organizations operate, Major League Baseball pitchers would walk player after player, inning after inning, while managers shuffled papers behind desks in offices far away from the action at the ballpark.

Because management is typically out of touch with the sales game, most sales organizations seem to be perfectly willing to put up with sales managers who consistently run bad plays or no plays at all. And, as if that isn’t bad enough, these so-called sales managers seem to be willing to hang on to field sales people who consistently fail to generate a return on the company’s investment because they consistently fail to achieve performance goals and sales projections.

Business doesn’t lead . . . business follows economic cycles . . . and that’s why business gets sales people-bloated during good times and goes sales people-lean during tough times.

When the economy is strong, when sales are easy to come by, business tends to get greedy and tries to snatch every available dollar by throwing too many sales people after what ultimately turns out to be too few sales opportunities.

And then, when the economy falls into a slow cycle, business panics, decides to put survival ahead of greed, and cuts back.

But then, when the inevitable recovery comes along, business gets caught flat-footed and winds up throwing too few people at too many opportunities and scrambles to catch up with demand, creating a costly cycle that plays havoc with sales, profits, and people’s lives.

Business is scary different from professional sports in one particularly harmful way: When business loses, it tends not to accept responsibility for its own failures. In fact, instead of looking to itself to make necessary changes and improvements to strengthen its ability to sell, business tends to blame outside forces including ad agencies, competitors, the government, even customers, for its problems.

The world sees that when a professional sports team loses a game or a season, it doesn’t waste time playing the blame-game. Professional sports teams take immediate responsibility for their failures because nothing, not politics, not money, not even relationships, changes a professional sports team’s motivation to achieve defined performance. Failure to perform (Win) causes the team to make immediate changes in management, coaches, players, training, or whatever else it takes to turn things around.

Business bounces from loss to win to loss because it is unwilling or unable to look at its problems objectively and invest the resources necessary to consistently train and motivate sales professionals who are capable of and interested in performing at the top of their games.

Professional sports teams, on the other hand, accept responsibility by investing whatever it takes to prepare coaches and players to compete and win against their toughest competitors . . . year in and year out.

So, what does this mean to you?

It means this: If you’re serious about winning at the sales game, you’ll study, adapt, and apply the same strategies and tactics professional sports teams use so you can effectively prepare yourself and your team to win against your toughest competitors.

Sales managers will become Sales Coaches.

Sales people will become Sales Players.

And, sales meetings will become sales practices.

After all, if you can’t coach your sales team to renew and reinvent itself as well as a professional sports team to win more sales, more profitably, more often, against even the toughest competitors, in changing market conditions, your customers and prospects lose, individual Sales Players lose, the team loses, and so do you.

Whether you’re a sales manager looking for a breakthrough to increase sales and profits, or a sales professional needing to increase personal income, or a dealer principal wanting to improve return on your investment, your mastery of the skills and techniques we present in this book will undoubtedly help you fully achieve your goals.

Once you have reviewed, re-learned, and applied everything this book offers, all you have to do is expect to win and you will.

* * * *

The old days when the typical sales manager was an authority figure whose primary responsibility was to manage the time and efforts of sales people are as far gone as black & white television, carburetors, and whitewall tires. Also gone are the wasted days when field sales people were forced to scramble around their territories, struggling to make arbitrary quotas just to keep the boss happy.

Those were baseless quotas that required sales people to make so many cold calls, personal calls, and telephone calls each day . . . all of which had to be documented with a wilting stack of call reports to be turned in every Monday morning to the Sales Manager who desperately needed to make sure sales people were working.

And sales people were working alright . . . writing up call reports every Sunday night to be turned in Monday morning!

Ah, the good old days.

The field sales game, like every other aspect of business-to-business business, has undergone incredible cultural, social, and technological changes in recent years. Cell phones, laptop computers, online literature and specifications, and Email have given the average sales professional the ability to fast-track the sales process like never before.

Because information is so widely available and easy to access these days, prospects and customers have the power to place you and your competitors on a level playing field.

So, companies that insist on hanging on to outmoded, traditional sales methods and marketing approaches do more harm than good to their sales and marketing efforts. Restrictive policies (call minimums, call reports, arbitrary office reporting days and times, etc.) are a complete waste of time because they suck the energy out of working hours and therefore don’t do anything to generate sales or profits.

The more time sales professionals spend with customers and prospects, the more they sell and the more they earn. If a sales person can’t devote the time required to get face-to-face with prospects and customers to develop working relationships, to objectively assess product and service applications, and to put a human imprint on the selling process, sales will go to the competitor who does.

What’s important to today’s buyer is not whether you claim your yellow widget is cheaper, will last longer, or is more popular than the other guy’s orange widget . . . what is important to today’s buyer is the critical answer to a critical question: Can I trust this person to sell me the right product or service for the right application for the right price so I can get my money’s worth?

Buyers want to know they can trust you and your company to make every possible effort to protect their investment by ensuring that the product or service they buy will maximize productivity and thereby provide a fair return on that investment.

When you’re able to create that level of trust with a prospect, you’re guaranteed a sale.

As you work your way through this article and the series to follow, you’ll learn everything there is to know about virtually every significant business strategy and technique – aligning priorities, benchmarking, competitive analyses, coping with culture change, cutting overhead, goal setting, and managing resources effectively . . . necessary to effectively and quickly increase sales and profits . . . whether you’re selling software systems or Caterpillar

Latest sales research on sales performance points to sales professionals who are looking hard at sales effectiveness to combat the toughening market conditions.

The CSO Insights report; “Sales Performance Optimisation”, shows the 2nd highest priority for sales management for 2009 (number one is no surprise – increasing revenue), is improving the effectiveness of their sales teams. This report has been compiled from research covering all continents and over 1,500 companies. The profile of the companies included is a broad mix of B2B, B2C, product and services companies.

As budgets are tightened, sales teams either work harder or smarter. This article finds that the firms that have a higher attainment of quota achievement are the ones who choose to work smarter, placing as much emphasis on the science of sales as the art of sales. The difference in quota attainment for the companies who work smarter is significant (13%). In all categories of sales activity they out perform their rivals.

Reading further into the 230 pages of the report it becomes clear that there is no magic pill or killer activity that on its own will secure overnight success. What it does show is that the smarter approach is made up of a number of small improvements across a range of sales activities.

I have taken a cross section of the research material and identified the areas which I believe can be implemented without the need for any fanfare or major programme. If executed consistently by sales professionals, who want to raise their game, they will make a positive difference; the research shows this to be the case.

So, let’s start with the raw material of sales, leads. The report found that 63% of companies identified lead generation as an area in need of improvement. Only 25% said that their lead generation met their expectations. Given that leads are so important to the achievement of quota, why is the situation so poor?

The traditional alignment issues between sales and marketing are often blamed. The report, whilst acknowledging this as a potential concern, focuses more on the task of generating leads. It was found that firms who invested more in the quantity and quality of leads had a higher rating in terms of the sales team’s assessment of the leads generated. The impact of feeding the top of the sales funnel is obvious, but if the quality of the leads is not right then the performance and effectiveness of the team is impacted. It reminds me of the old computer adage of “rubbish in, rubbish out”. The trouble is that often by the time the rep realises the lead is rubbish, time and effort have already been spent.

Therefore, it is no surprise that the report shows “revising/enhancing our lead generation programmes” in the top three priorities for sales effectiveness for 2009. We have seen many examples from our clients where this issue has been tackled head on. Whilst the problem cannot be fixed overnight, sales and marketing could consider the following as a way of generating the right quality and volume of leads:

“One trend in sales performance that has continued to deteriorate over the past several years is sales reps’ ability to convert leads into opportunities”. This is not something most organisations want to hear, as the implications all round are not good.

In their own admission, a surprising 48% of companies declared that this conversion ratio is in need of improvement. The report shows that there is a marked difference between firms that focus on researching the opportunity prior to calling on the new account and those who declared this area is in need of improvement.

We have all heard the more common example of the five Ps that goes along the lines of “Poor Preparation leads to Piss Poor Performance”. The first impression a prospect has of us is all important, and will shape the way the meeting goes. So, why do so many reps not undertake adequate research? The report points to the internet and the vast amount of data available. One quote the researchers got was “I know the data I want is in there, but I don’t have an easy way to find it”. Worryingly, we are hearing the same comment made about company’s intranets or portals. In fact one was described to us as a black hole, once in there you never come out, let alone find what you are looking for.

What to do? The report is suggesting that some sales operations and training groups are stepping up to find ways to help the sales teams quickly pull the information together. But, it seems to me that there are two strands that should be explored here. The first is identification and access to the data, and the second is the willingness to undertake the task. When I was sold to as a senior manager in large organisations, I felt the lack of research on the part of the sales executive in front of me was a serious lack of respect for me, my time and the company they were representing. If I’m not alone in feeling this as a buyer, and I don’t think I am, then the message is clear.

Shifting the conversion ratio just a few % points can make a world of difference to the chances of making quota. Whilst there are no overnight fixes for this issue, there are some things that are worthy of consideration:

A SVP of Global sales once said to me that, “bad news early is good news”. In the same vane the report suggests “if you are going to lose a deal, lose it early in the process”. This is often easier said than done, especially if you do not have that many leads or opportunities.

The issue is one of ensuring time and investment is spent on opportunities that have a higher propensity to close. The report suggests that qualification, as well as positive commitment signals from the prospect, is a good indicator that the sale is still on track. The researchers also found a very strong correlation between the strength of the relationship and the rep’s ability to qualify/prioritise opportunities. “Nearly 80% of firms who attained a value-add relationship with their customers either met or exceeded expectations. Only 16% of firms operating at a vendor relationship level were able to attain similar results”.

Given that hope is not a sustainable strategy for winning business, reps might like to consider the following approaches:

This should be a complete no-brainer of an activity, but over 48% of firms said this was an area requiring improvement. It goes hand in glove with the next section on farming existing accounts, but it seems to be more a more complex issue than first indications suggest. The research shows 3% more firms are declaring the need for improvement over last year.

The issue seems to be more acute with companies that have extensive product or service lines. In these cases the ability of the sales rep to cross sell depends, to some extent, on their product knowledge and the underlying business benefits they can deliver.

However, the research found that additional product training did not make that much difference. Where there are signs of the situation improving is where companies are investing in Sales Knowledge Management solutions to help capture and share more of the how best sell a particular product or solution rather than just have good product knowledge.

This is an easy area to understand, but the solution is more complex than just raising the product knowledge of the sales team. Companies should also consider:

Given the commonly held view that an existing customer is somewhere between 6 and 10 times easier to sell to than a new name, it is surprising that 57% of firms surveyed reported this as an area that needs improvement. It would appear investment is being made in account management but it is not necessarily translating into the level of additional revenues expected.

We find that account management is either managed in a fairly loose way or is managed through a rigorous account planning process to bring a level of business return and control. The main instrument used in the latter is the account plan. The common view of account plans is you hate them or love them, rarely is there any middle ground.

The account plan should be appropriate to the task in hand, e.g. if the objective is to build the relationship and drive the revenue then the plan should focus on people and opportunities. We have seen too many plan structures which, in my view, are plans for planning’s sake. Consider the following in terms of helping to drive more revenue from your existing accounts:

It is clear to us that our opening comment of “there is no magic pill or killer activity” that will cushion the pending sales crunch but a solid review of the basics will produce benefits and from the findings of this report will keep you ahead of your rivals. We mentioned Sales Knowledge Management (KAM) earlier in this article and we would like to finish by listing the top three KAM priorities for 2009, you could do worse than to consider investing in some or all of these.

Sales Knowledge Management improvement priorities for 2009.

Sales programs and sales training courses can prepare a sales professional for advancement, and keep a sales manager prepared to manage, train, and motivate their sales staff for continuous improvement and a continuous increase in sales.

Sales courses from sales training courses and sales programs will give the new sales manager the background needed to fluently handle the transition from a staff sales professional to a respected sales manager. For a sales manager to be respected, and thus effective, the sales staff must be able to look up to the sales manager for insight, fresh ideas, consultation, management and motivation. Sales programs for sales managers supply the sales training needed to develop a well-respected sales manager that continuously develops and improves with his staff.

Sales programs with sales training courses for sales managers offer training on advanced sales skills as well as sales managerial skills. If a company will not pay for sales manager training, it is still in the sales manager’s best interest to continuously improve his / her skills so that he may effectively perform their managerial responsibilities. Whatever sales and managerial skills are gained can be carried throughout the sales manager’s career.

It is, however, in a company’s best interest to make the investment in sales programs and sales training courses for their sales management. Sales training is contagious. Sales skills gained through sales courses from sales programs will be passed on to the sales staff – assuming the sales manager has refined their communication skills to include one-on-one mentoring, sales training, and on-the-field evaluation and follow-up. If sales training skills have yet to be gained, there are sales programs and sales training courses for sales managers that can train the sales manager to train the sales staff. Investing in sales programs and sales training courses for sales managers is making an investment in your sales manager – and getting a profitable return from your sales staff.

Training courses from sales programs can provide sales managers with the skills they need to manage job constraints that are unique to sales management. Sales programs and sales training courses are available that train sales managers in advanced time management skills, territory management, assessing the strengths and weakness of the sales staff as individuals and as a team, coaching, influence, staff communication, and setting sales goals for a team.

If the sales manager has gained the responsibility of hiring and firing with the newfound management position, sales programs for sales managers can also provide traditional human resource training. Sales programs and sales courses are widely available that can train sales managers to screen potential members for the sales staff, interviewing techniques, evaluation techniques, the legalities of discrimination and sexual harassment, the selection process, and the new hire acclimation process. Sales courses from sales programs for sales managers can also include training in evaluating staff for sales performance reviews and effective staff-management communication skills.

Sales programs and sales training courses are an on-the-job necessity for sales managers. A company that invests in sales training for their sales managers will see the return in the higher efficiencies and stronger selling skills that widen the on-the-job time frame to allow for building more profitable sales that would otherwise go unrealized due to inefficiencies and lack of skills. Sales programs and sales training courses for sales managers will get the sales managers managing the sales staff more efficiently, so your company can spend more time managing the higher profits from the increased sales that accelerated due to your investment in your sales manager’s training.

An introduction to a sales lead management system.

In today’s marketing world a sales lead management system is more important than ever before. Many companies are elevating their expectations, which demand better leads in a shorter amount of time. Essentially a sales lead management system helps in the process used to find leads quickly, nurture those leads, then analyze the leads and distribute them to members of the sales team. The basic goal of a sales lead management system is for sales teams to cultivate good customer relationships and take new leads and turn them into sales opportunities and ultimately happy customers. Many companies have been facing budget cuts and need more than ever to find effective ways for a sales lead management system to be used. One good way to maximize a sales lead management system is to use technology that has been made available to sales lead management teams in the past few years. A sales lead management system is easier to use than it ever has been before and uses the development of new sales lead management system tools that have been made available to businesses today.

Quantity of leads is not as important as quality.

Many businesses and sales lead management teams have found that the quantity of leads is not as important as the quality of leads. Finding quality leads is very important and it is an important aspect of a sales lead management system to find leads that are of high quality. Sales lead management teams should not worry about how many leads they come up with as much as they should focus on how many sales have been generated by those leads using the sales lead management system. When many sales are being made it shows that the sales lead management system is being handled in a good manner. A sales lead management system and team should be careful to have quality performance throughout the sales lead management system and its’ processes. Sales lead management teams should also be sure that methods of the sales lead management system result in sales and good profit for the company.

New sales lead management systems help produce quality leads.

Some companies have made their sales lead management system and teams generate large amounts of leads; however these large numbers of leads can be worthless if they are not of high quality. There are new marketing tools that can help a sales lead management system and can help sales lead management teams to make sure that their leads are quality leads. Marketing tools can also help to assist a sales lead management system and team to find a meeting place of both quantity and quality. When a sales lead management system is used to help produce large amounts of quality leads it will bring about a greater amount of sales for the business. It is important that businesses find new ways to use a sales lead management system to help prioritize and organize their leads so that they can be used in effective ways. One great new method that sale lead management teams are using today to help aid in organization and prioritization of leads is a sales lead management system of software. A sales lead management system software is an invaluable aid to sales lead management teams everywhere and can help to lead to more sales being made and more profit being brought in for the company.

No matter the size of the company a sales lead management system is important.

Whether the size of the company is large or small, finding quality sales lead management system software will help a sales lead management team to become more productive. Sales lead management system software can help your sales lead management team build important customer relationships and will also help your sales lead management team work to establish more quality leads for your business. Sales lead management system software will help to keep your leads organized and will assist with sorting out your leads so your sales lead management team can find the best quality leads and spend more time following up on these leads. If your company implements sales lead management system software, you will see a better quality of leads and these quality leads will result in more sales being made and more profit for your business.

There are many benefits to having a sales lead management system.

There are many benefits you will experience when you implement sales lead management system software into your company. A sales lead management system can help your sales lead team to maximize their sales efforts. As the sales lead management system helps you organize and prioritize the leads for your company, your sales lead management team will be able to properly support to those leads. Your sales lead management system and team will also be able to spend more time working at building quality customer relationships and cultivating quality leads. As you organize your existing leads with a sales lead management system you will be able to handle the leads you already have in an appropriate and timely manner.

A sales lead management system can help to increase sales.

Another benefit you will find to having your sales lead management teams use a sales lead management system will be an increase in sales that are made. Using a sales lead management system will help you to keep your sales lead management system processes streamlined and working effectively. You entire sales lead management team will be able to access all of the leads at the same time and a sales lead management system will help you keep these leads organized as well. As your sales lead management team uses the sales lead management system to keep contact with current clients they will be able to increase customer loyalty and will also be able to help encourage future business with these customers. Using a sales lead management system will assist you in building the productivity of your company and helping to insure that your business has a great future. As your sales lead management team begins to use a sales lead management system, your company will experience growth and success.

Avidian offers a great sales lead management system.

One company that offers excellent a sales lead management system that will be an invaluable asset to your sales lead management team is Avidian. The Prophet sales lead management system that Avidian offers will have a great affect on your sales lead management department and your entire company. Prophet sales lead management system is based on Microsoft Outlook and can be used in a variety of ways to help your company. Prophet sales lead management system is cost effective, easy to use, and it will help your sales lead management team to increase productivity. Avidian is dedicated to excellence and this company will stand behind their sales lead management system and offers a 30-day no questions asked guarantee. When purchasing a sales lead management system from Avidian you will be able to rest assured that this company is one that cares about the integrity of their product.

A sales lead management system is important to the success of a company.

An effective sales lead management system is important and sales lead management teams need to come up with quality leads. Technology can help companies today by offering new ways to organize leads such as a sales lead management system. If your sales lead management teams works together to help make your sales lead management system better and as they use a quality sales lead management system, you will find your company increasing the amount of sales made and the amount of profit generated. If your company uses the technology available to help your sales lead management system and teams then more quality leads will help to result in more sales. A sales lead management system is important to every company and when it is used correctly with modern technology your company will find long-term benefits and gain.

About Avidian Technologies:

Avidian Technologies is a software company specializing in creating software solutions for users of Outlook and Exchange. Prophet, developed by Avidian Technologies on the .NET platform, is the leading contact management and sales CRM software built in Outlook. The company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. For more information, please visit http://www.avidian.com or call 1-800-860-5534.

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Car auctions online:Unlike in the past where only car dealers and realtos had special licenses to attend this auctions today this have changed dramatically because of the Internet, It is now possible for anyone to easily join the auction online which in turn enables you to save a lot of time and money. It is therefore important for you to attend and buy from this auction centers and online auctions inorder to cut the enormous expense of storage and maintenance of these thousands of cars and homes.

When you buy seized cars don’t think that these cars are always in bad shape, you will be surprised to find some of the cars in brand new condition with their warranty still on them and you can get a background check on the vehicle you wish to buy and the cars for sale auction usually give information of all the vehicles on sale. No need to wait, save time and money now. Visit best car dealers blog now and Join cars for sale 2009.

Find Used Cars Online – Used cars for Sale:

Sometimes when people want to buy a good pre-owned car for a low price they go to government-sponsored automobile auctions. Because the government is not allowed to make a profit on the cars it auctions off, there are plenty of opportunities for people to find incredible deals at government car auctions. Most of the cars sold at government auctions have been seized from people who for one reason or another were unable to make payments on their cars. These cars are then repossessed by the lending institutions or banks that provided the automobile loans that were used to buy the cars in the first place. Other automobiles that are sold at government auctions come from people who failed to pay their income tax or other taxes and do not have the cash to pay the government what is owed. The government then liquidates part of the tax cheat’s estate and takes possession of items such as cars. A third way cars come to government auctions is if they belong to a criminal and are taken by the government as a result of a criminal procedure. Sometimes the automobiles sold at government-sponsored car auctions are old fleet cars that were used by the various branches of government. With the exception of the government fleet cars, it is often difficult to ascertain information regarding the history or a car being sold at a government auction. Often, there is no way a person can find out who owned the car before it was seized, why the car was seized and is now in the hands of the government, and what the maintenance record on the car is. While it may be possible to do a background check based on a car’s vehicle identification number (VIN), it is often difficult to get a really good picture of the condition of a car that is sold at government automobile auction. In the days and weeks leading up to some government-sponsored car auctions, customers are allowed to examine the cars, trucks, SUVs and automobiles that will be sold at the auction. However, other government-sponsored automobile auctions where seized and repossessed vehicles are sold do not let people examine the cars closely before they are sold. Car dealerships often send representatives to government auctions in order to buy pre-owned cars at low prices. These auto dealerships will then usually sell the cars they buy at car auctions for prices much higher than those they paid for the vehicles. Like all auctions, customers at government-sponsored automobile auctions must place bids on how much they are willing to pay for the car on the auction block. Whoever makes the highest bid for a car sold at a car auction gets the car. While it is next to impossible to get an automobile loan for the exact amount one pays for a car at a government-sponsored vehicle auction, it is possible to get a loan for a specified amount before one heads off to the auction. It is not unusual for high-end and luxury cars to be sold at government-sponsored car auctions, although most of the cars sold are the normal trucks, cars and SUVs one sees everyday on the road. Visit Best Car Deales Blog for the best deals on used cars

Consumers do not have time to spend hours in front of their computers scouring across Internet looking for products. Consumers are demanding a better, more efficient and less cumbersome way to compare and buy products online. salescircular.com has stepped up to the challenge and has introduced a new way to compare prices online.

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The sluggish economy has had its toll, even on Google where it has recently reduced the size of its sales force. Other companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Apple and Sun Microsytems have also reduced their sales forces. Re-sizing the sales force creates a cascading impact on the sales force and their customers. My experience shows that when this type of change occurs in the field, top line revenue and sales force morale are at risk because of the broken relationships between sales professionals and their customers.

Three critical questions need to be addressed when re-sizing the sales force:

1. Do you have the right number of sales professionals?

2. Are sales professionals covering the right accounts?

3. Are sales professionals located in the right locations?

The following proven, real-world process can be used to answer those questions:

1. Create database

The process starts with a data template with elements including account characteristics, sales representative assignment, revenue, margin, volume, potential, account profile and sales visits.

The next step is to populate the template with customer and prospect data. Next, the database needs to be segmented. There are a wide range of methods for determining segments based on account characteristics, e.g., industry definition, products, services and buying behavior. The foundation of segments will have an impact on the following steps of the sales deployment process.

Once the database has been cleansed and segmented, estimating potential is the next step. Most companies can collect actual revenue or margin at the account level, but potential is usually not readily available. You could engage the sales force to estimate potential at the account level, or you could use a “mechanical” process. One route is to estimate specific spending at the national level, at the industry segment and at the company size level (either number of employees or annual sales). Then you can estimate potential at the account level. Another means of achieving account potential is more specific by using spending at a geographic level, i.e. spending in Atlanta which may be different than San Francisco. In some industries like pharmaceuticals, data exists that can pinpoint exact spending at the account level. Another option involves leveraging the customer database. Customer characteristics need to be included in the database such as industry segment, number of employees and annual sales at the account level. Based on these customer characteristics, estimators are created based on high share accounts by segment. This estimator is then used as a proxy for potential for all customers and prospects with the same characteristics.

Once you have potential at the account level, a deeper level of marketplace insight can be gleaned. For example, you could analyze market share by product or by industry segment and develop implications for current sales deployment.

The next step is to create account profiles. Account profiles are often based on size of potential and on customer segment. Profiles can also be based on factors other than “size,” e.g. purchasing process, product mix, contracting, etc. For example, all accounts that have greater than $10 million annual potential are in the Jumbo account profile in the Retail segment.

Next, workload can be defined based on account profiles. Workload is an activity-based approach and is the foundation for sizing the number of sales assignments. Workload is defined as the number of sales calls per period required to support customers and prospects. Workload is segregated by customers and prospects. There are several sources of information for designing workload structure: sales force survey, customer survey, sales interviews, previous workload analyses and/or sales process design.

Now that the complete database has been integrated and cleansed, the current sales deployment model can be analyzed for gaps, overlaps and misalignments.

2. Sales Assignment Design

At this time in the process, the database is complete and validated. The account-level database contains customers, prospects, segments, revenue, potential, account profiles and workload. Now you are ready to design assumptions for sales assignments. Sales assignments are groups of accounts that are aligned by sales rep. You need to determine what account profiles will be covered by what sales roles. For example, Jumbo accounts are covered by Key Account Managers, Large and Medium accounts are covered by Account Executives, and Small accounts are covered by Inside Sales Representatives. For each sales role, you need to design the workload specifications based on how many sales visits per day are needed. For example, time allocation for Sales Executives is 60% on customers, 20% on prospects and 20% on non-selling activities. Then, you need to agree on the number of actual days in the field for sales activities. Continuing with the example, there are 150 days available to make customer sales visits, and 50 days for prospects. The design assumption would be 3 sales visits per customer per day times 150 days equals 600 sales visits, and 50 days on prospects for 4 visits per day equals 200 sales visits. In total, there would be 800 sales visits per year. Now that you have the assumption for creating assignments, you can estimate the number of Account Executives needed based on the database. In addition, first-level sales management roles can be estimated based on span of control. This model of estimated headcount and costs (sales reps and first-level sales managers) is then compared to current headcount and costs. Usually, the models are revealing; either the current sales deployment is right or, most likely, there are gaps that need to be addressed.

3. Create Assignments

Creating assignments is the first step of sales deployment implementation in the field. Up to this point in the process, most decisions have been made centrally. Now, local insight and field buy-in takes hold. This is a critical step in the process where the implementation plan is handed-off from central resources to the field. An implementation team is selected, educated and trained on the work plan. Corporate sponsorship and leadership need to be aligned with field senior management. Education and training on the business case for change is developed and delivered by senior management to field sales management levels. All of the data is handed-off to first-level sales management.

When field sales management is educated and trained, an interactive, hands-on sales assignment design session is ready for execution. The input for the design session is the data classified by segment and geography. A software mapping tool is utilized to assist with the facilitation of the session. Participants in the design session are the appropriate implementation resources and field sales management. One of the sales managers is selected to start the process. In addition to the sales manager who has insight on the marketplace, other resources could be involved such as a distribution center manager or a previous sales manager located in the geography. Projected on a wall is a map of the appropriate accounts (based on customers, prospects, segments and or account profiles). The sales manager selects accounts into the first sales assignment. Based on the previous example, the constraint for each sales assignment is 800 sales visits per year. The sales manager completes the first sales assignment and continues with the process until his/her geography is completed. The process continues until all accounts have been grouped into sales assignments. Once the sales assignments are set, the first-level sales management assignments are designed. At this time, the straw model (headcount and estimated costs) is presented to senior management for preliminary approval. Final approval of the model cannot occur until all geographies have been designed. The output from the design session is an account list by sales assignment, account maps by sales assignment, organizational chart, summaries of revenue, potential and estimated costs, and issues and next steps.

4. Role/Fit

The next step of the sales deployment process is to assess and select incumbents into the sales rep and first-level sales management assignments. Data needs to be collected in order to make decisions concerning fitting incumbents into the assignments. Some of the data sources are performance appraisals, self assessments, employee preferences, manager recommendations, relocation desires, etc. Once sales managers have been selected and approved, field sales management is convened (by geography) to fit incumbents into sales assignments. Based on the available data, decisions are made to select incumbents into sales assignments. Some assignments may be left open and could be filled from a different geography or from the outside. Some incumbents may not fit into the new assignments. In those cases, other roles could be an option or sometimes severance. It is possible that some of the sales reps will not accept the new positions. In order to prepare for that event, contingent plans need to be ready. Once the preliminary organization is set, projected actual costs are updated into the model.

5. Account Risk Transition Plan

When the incumbents and/or open assignments are complete, it is possible to determine the account risk of changing one sales rep to another. Since you are changing the key link, the sales rep between accounts and the company, you need to identify and mitigate these risks. The focus is to protect top line revenue during this phase of transition. For some accounts, there may be a significant change, e.g., “I had the same rep for the last five years. Now, my new sales rep is new to the company.” What if the account is a Jumbo account? Other accounts may have the same rep; either way, we need to account for the risks. The data can show the variances at the account level where sales rep changes occur. At least six key risk factors have been identified: account profile, share of revenue as a percentage of potential, sales rep change, distribution center change, customer service change and qualitative assessment. All accounts are rated by the six key factors, and a score is calculated. By leveraging all of this data, a plan can be developed to alleviate the risks, e.g., the accounts with the highest risk score will have a face-to-face meeting with the customer and your Regional VP.

6. One-On-One Meetings

We are almost ready to implement at the street-level. Executive management has approved the organization headcount and costs. Assignments are complete with account lists and account maps. Incumbents have been selected. Account risk transition plan is in place. Education and communication materials have been developed and approved. The key step is a one-on-one meeting between a sales manager and a sales rep. This is the most critical interaction of the implementation. All of the work that has been completed needs to be delivered to the sales rep level. And this communication needs to be delivered flawlessly. If not, all the invested work will be at risk. So, the key implementation role is the first-level sales manager. Make sure that first-level sales managers are prepared for the one-on-one meetings with education, training, role play activities and tools. In addition, the first-level sales manager has experienced first-hand the design of the sales assignments and the process to fit incumbents into sales assignments. If any of the sales managers are questionable about delivering the communication, his/her manager could team for the one-on-one meeting. In addition, since you have identified the sales reps that are at risk of not accepting the new role, they have been scheduled early in the one-on-one meetings, and the contingent plan can be deployed if needed.

Finally at the end of this proven, real-world process, you will be able to answer the question that you do have the right number of sales reps in the right locations covering the right accounts.

The first time you hear or read this mlm training tip it may seem a little odd. But by the end of this article it will make sense to you. The tip is: Never sell what the prospect won’t buy.
How can you accomplish this? The quick answer is: Do not mention to the prospect what you’re selling until you know they will buy it!
It’s as simple as that.
During the qualifying section of the Inviting Formula, you simply ask what your prospect needs/wants or doesn’t want. By doing this, you’re basically asking them what they WILL buy. Once you find that out, use it as your selling point. This is what they will buy! How do you know for sure they will buy it? They said they would!
As an example, if I’m talking with an MLM business prospect who answered an ad for “working from home,” I then ask them why they would want to work from home. If they say, “So I can spend more time with my children” – that is what the prospect will buy!
I don’t know if he’ll buy, “debt free company with 12 international patents.” I don’t know if he’ll buy -”my upline is making $20,000 per month.” But what I know he’ll buy is – “spend more time with my children.” So that’s all I sell!
In another example, let’s suppose your MLM business is focused on selling skin care products. You tell that person you have a product that gets rid of pimples and that person replies, “I don’t get pimples.” Well, you just destroyed your sale. From that point it’s very awkward to back up and say, “Well I have a product that reduces wrinkles.”
Instead, start by asking something like, “Do you use skin care products?” “What do you use them for?” With the answers you get, you’re able to communicate and sell them what they need, not what they don’t need.
A sharp salesperson knows exactly what their customer should buy, even more than the customer. If a person walks into a store to buy a drill bit, for example, the smart hardware salesperson will ask enough questions to get all the information before they make a recommendation. Questions like, “How big of a hole do you need?” “How deep do you need the hole?” “What material are you drilling through?” By asking the right questions, that salesperson will sell exactly what that prospect needs. You see, the prospect didn’t need a drill bit; they needed a hole.
Another angle on this is to eliminate what your prospect doesn’t want and then use that data to figure out the right products for them.
In short the success of your MLM business depends on your ability to sell. A) You must know how to sell your product. B) You have to know how to sell your MLM business opportunity. And, C) you must provide the right MLM training so the people you sponsor know how to do both A and B listed above.