Category Archives: selling

Organized Chaos!

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I wrote about our move almost a year and a half ago.

Over the course of 8 working days we moved the office and machinery from 18,000 SqFt to 22,500 SqFt, with more expansion room available. The company is in a larger more modern facility, one building versus two.

We ran customer jobs right up until power was cut and the machines were moved out. From a delivery standpoint only one order went late. We opened Monday with our most critical machines operating.

The fundamentals of 5s and Lean begin. The shop is now set up for better more efficient operation. Is it perfect? No! When jumping on the “Continuous Improvement” train, it is never ending. We will be moving and tweaking forever.

We are looking forward to shaping our destiny and becoming a better company to operate, a better place to work, and a better supplier for our customers.

Then we were in “Organized Chaos” mode. Now we are better — still in somewhat “Organized Chaos” mode. Getting better every day!

Make 2018 your best year yet!

 

Customer contact and follow-up!

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Ask a sales person –

“When is the best time to follow-up with XYZ customer?”

“When is the best time to follow-up on a recent quote?

All too often we hear, It’s too early, or I am not sure now is the right time, or I don’t want to bug the Buyer/Customer/Etc.

Have you ever taken the time to think about “Follow-Up” in selling? It is estimated that you need 7 contacts with potential clients/customers before a transaction happens.

I am self-taught in selling and when I found a really good system I latched on to it. I have studied and used the Sandler Selling system for many years. (I would be happy to provide my contacts to anyone interested.)

One great technique that I learned and use is the Sandler Technique of using an Up-Front Contract with potential customers.

 Simply ask the prospect/client for the next time contact would be appropriate. Set an exact date and time if possible or get at least a time frame for contact — Then do what was agreed upon!

Too many times I have had sales people working for me or trying to sell to me stop — after the very first call.

Never get caught in this trap — It’s too soon to call — “Oops” now it’s too late the order was let to someone else.

Make 2018 your best year yet!

 

AS9100d / Lean Manufacturing / Efficiency / Bottom Line!

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AS9100d / Lean Manufacturing / Efficiency / Bottom Line!

I was introduced to one of the latest quality systems of the time in 1997. The Boeing quality system. We passed in December 1997 and never looked back.

I have always embraced the latest quality system available for the company.

Last month our company passed and moved from AS9100c to AS9100d quality system.

10 years ago I was introduced to “Lean Manufacturing” and after a bit of non-belief from employees, I made “Lean Manufacturing” a permanent part of my organization. Now in a new company I plan to again go completely into “Lean Manufacturing”. It can be done in a job shop. It definitely worked in my last company.

Couple the efficiency gains of “Lean Manufacturing” with the really good principles of the quality system AS9100d and really good things happen to the organization and the bottom line.

You can end up doing a whole lot more with a whole lot less. Our previous company went from $4 million in yearly sales with 90 employees to producing $15 million in yearly sales with 91 employees.

This stuff works — But — only if top management believes and works through the processes of quality and “Lean Manufacturing”.

Sounds almost too good to be true. I lived it. It works. Let me know your thoughts, and/or, contact me with questions.

Remember it is time to get ready for 2018. Get ready to make 2018 your best year yet!

 

Sales goals 2018! Are you being held accountable? Do you want to be held accountable?

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Sales goals 2018! Are you being held accountable? Do you want to be held accountable?

Soon the next year 2018 goals will be set for sales!

As a salesperson are you ready to go get them? If you are setting high aspirations and goals for next year's sales, are you being held accountable? Can you hold yourself accountable? Can you see the year through and complete your sales goals?

Unfortunately there are many sales people with very loose structure. The boss says go forth and bring home business, with no discussion of how much or what type. There is no discussion as to how the business is going to be brought in.

I do have an accountability group of various sales people wanting to figure out how to have accountability for their actions and report on how well, or not well they are doing.

Finding these type sales people is difficult. Most don't want to report and have accountability. We have had our group for several months this year. A small group and already have seen drop off because recording behaviors and adhering to them is difficult.

The core group that we have believes in recording, reporting and discussing weekly sales efforts. AND, they are ready to talk about what went wrong, what went right, how much success they had and what they want to do to get better next week.

Not for faint of heart or excuse makers — we do now have 3 openings.

Are you ready to watch sales go to another level? Let me know.

I hope 2017 is ending as a great year. Get ready to make 2018 even better!

 

 

 

2017 – Will sales goals be met?

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Is your sales team on track?
Are your sales people working or resting on their laurels? Are they selling more products to current customers rather than going out to do the harder work of landing new customers?
Your sales force may not need an overhaul, but if the idea of having a well-developed sales pipeline seems like a pipe dream, it’s time to fix the process.
All too often companies think that the key is to just hire more sales people.
Focus on how customers prefer to buy. Knowing customer preference can ultimately help you see how many salespeople you need and how best to use them.
I developed a point system with minimum monthly requirements of face-to-face visits, meaningful telephone conversations and other customer contacts (ie – Email, Mail, Corporate social media contact, Etc.)
The point system eventually allowed us to understand that within our industry, we could develop a sales person to be at a $3 million yearly sales run rate within 18 – 24 months.
We could then predict sales and company growth.
Do you have a tracking system to determine if sales are on track?
Do you have a process and training to keep your sales group on Track?

Third quarter — Are you making your sales or ready to make excuses?

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Excuses

Third quarter makes or breaks sales success. You as a sales person need to have the pipeline going with plenty of upcoming opportunities working. Many sales people have lead times of 9 to 15 weeks. If you aren't booking orders this quarter you won't be able to fill the last quarter of the year — Then out come the excuses.

Obviously if you haven't completed booking all orders for the year by end of this quarter or early into next quarter sales for the year can't happen.  Management questions of performance will begin.  What is happening?  Where are the sales?

The problem with sales that bothers me most follows:

I've read that more than 1/2 sales people do not have the right skills to be successful. Not because of lack of talent, but the inability of organizations to provide specific tools and training for sales success. Many companies do not have a defined sales process. Many companies don't have a process to share best practices.  Sales managers don't coach sales people. There is often no tracking system. 

With this being true, sales people have no choice but to become excuse making machines. 

Having defined processes based on success are imperative. Over the years from personal experience and really good sales training I have developed a program for sales success. Several sales people from other selling areas have taken this system and developed and adapted it to their specific situation and have attained really great selling success.

Let me know thoughts and/or if you want more information.

Make 2017 your best year yet?

Lean Manufacturing!

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I started on my Lean Journey in 2007. I joined a group of likeminded people wanting to improve Aerospace supply chain. After reading about Lean Manufacturing and hearing testimonials I took a complete leap into the world of Lean. I was producing approximately $10 million per year in sales, had good quality, very low (terrible) inventory turns with only reasonable on-time delivery.

I wanted my Company to be the best in class for our products. I hired two Lean managers, told one to start at the front end of our manufacturing process and the other to start at the end and eventually they would meet somewhere in the middle.

1st year I had no increase in costs. The lean initiatives paid for the two Lean managers. 2nd year my costs started dropping, profit improved and we began seeing improvement in quality and delivery. Inventory started dropping, inventory turns started an upward trend.

I was so naïve those years that I hadn’t realized I wasn’t even in the game for Lean — Yet. Gradually I began to see the benefit for my entire enterprise, from sales, order entry, engineering, and manufacturing through after delivery service.

Do you have a lean understanding or do you view it as a personnel and cost reduction opportunity?

Make 2017 your best year yet!

A good week!

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I have been learning the profession of selling for many years.  I have read and studied many books and articles, and attended quite a few courses and seminars on selling.  For many years, I had a company on retainer to provide continuous sales training for my sales staff.  I have continued using a sales “Cook Book” — a behavioral measurement system for staying in the selling game and meeting goals.

Last week was a good week, making sales goals for the company and continuing with behaviors to get future results.  

Earlier this month I was asked to form a weekly Accountability Group for several sales people.  We have had three sessions and already each of us, including myself, see better sales results.  Our objective is to make sure we are all following the behaviors needed for making sales goals weekly, monthly and for the year.  By leading the group I find myself becoming better focused on making my goals happen. I'll describe more about our group and results in the future.

Are you measuring your daily behaviors to get desired results?  

If you have thoughts on this — Let me know.  If you would like a sample of our measurement planning “Cook Book” — Let me know.

Make 2017 your best year yet!

Give up? – Never!

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“Never, Never, Never, Never — Give up!” –  Winston Churchill

So drive by gyms on the way to work — What do you see? Parking lots with fewer and fewer cars.

Tiresome to write about goals when inside you know that you won't or can't keep them going.

End of first quarter is near. Are you feeling good about the accomplishments so far this year? Will you feel good about completing the first three months.

Interesting question — especially for me. I am pretty much meeting or exceeding my goals set for Q1 of 2017. I always look back and see that I could have done things differently, or better. However, I do feel good with progress made so.

Comments?

Make 2017 your best year yet!

Last month of 1st quarter 2017!

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What is your attitude toward the first quarter of the year?

  1. Are you ahead and going to finish the first quarter of the year with sales, personal, family, financial, etc. goals on-track or ahead of schedule?
  2. OR— Are you the person who says “I did Ok this quarter, just a little or just a lot behind — Not to worry! — I have three more quarters to catch up!”

Like most people I have talked with, we all seem to fall into one of the above categories.

In my career I was the person always going to have plenty of time in the last three quarters to catch-up. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't.

Several years ago I read a great article and when I find it again I will most likely publish it and recognize the author. The gist of the article was to get the feeling of success as soon as possible with new a new year and new goals. Try really hard to get goals accomplished monthly. But — Be extremely diligent in getting the goals completed and even get ahead for the quarter. The feeling of knowing that you are there or ahead is mesmerizing. It can literally fuel you to do better the next month and quarters ahead.

You owe it to yourself and the “Stakeholders” / “Stockholders” around you to be the best you can be.

Make 2017 your best year yet!