Manage internal stakeholders of you company: A sales guys prespective

 

Sales guys need to battle with every internal stakeholder to capture an order, so how do you manage this challenge?

 

“Your Approach will differentiate and decide Your Success in Sales”

 

Sales man need to battle many odds within the company he work:

 

Ø  Price you need to offer to your prospects or existing customers will depend mostly on company policy and not on market dynamics. If your segment has more players then you will be on tenter hooks as thoughts on how to manage price war will drain you mentally.

Ø  Time management for price approval: Your order realization will depend on how quick you derive customer expectations from your decision making authority, if you are given that liberty to decide pricing you are the luckiest sales manager/account manager, if you do have to expedite to different levels above you are in a danger to loose customer’s timeline to win the order. In turn you will be questioned on why you didn’t follow up meticulously.

Ø  You bagged customer order but arranging Stocks will depend on inventory management as SCM team will weigh its options to support all respective locations. If you have the luck you are through with supply else you are game of pulling other stakeholders who are involved will start as SCM sometimes doesn’t own or manage your pain.

Ø  Margin demands: Margin/contribution/profits on executing order will be a silent killer as some companies do not open this affair to the salesmen but try to hide around the point frustrating you.

Ø  Managing Customer contacts: Now a days purchasers/operations/SCM teams of customers need manoranjan (entertainment) which need to managed parallel to the official dog fight for sale, this process is more disputed and most discussed, battling this issue is not easy when your company has strict compliance on extra affairs with customer.

Ø  Dispatch: Last mile you have to set up your dispatch team to align with customer callups as you are the frontline customer contact you will have to follow up for deliveries, transporter will keep reminding you that his vehicle is arranged, truck driver will keep chasing you for customer contact and will ensure that you guide him till he reaches the delivery location.

 

Any other odds that bother you???

 

Be a successful B2B sales professional

Keep monitoring customers in key Industrial segments and industries that contribute more on Volume as your production targets will be met, your key partners in progress like transporters and other critical vendors will be kept busy, your inventory rotation will be healthy.

 Try to increase your orders and sales during events and festivals: when you are driving sales related to fmcg and white goods Products. Sometimes demand can be derived on season based especially in Agri based products. Your efforts should be to derive best share of customer demand during their season.

Location based: Focusing on next door customers will have its own advantages as these customers will add value and volume.

Better Pay masters: You will always have a good value addition when your sales Cycle rotation is quick. "Quote-Receive PO- Receive Payment-Supply"... that's it your sales cycle is realized.

 Always respect and be thankful to your regular customers who give regular monthly orders as these customers are critical to maintain parity in Production during on season and off season. These customers volume may be low but their volume keeps your business sustain.

Avoid hopping customers as they spoil your rate. These customers are very opportunistic as they negotiate every order, they enquire with every supplier. If required sell at your rate to maintain your terms. 

Always share Market insights of your products. Share price trends of your raw materials to make Customers feel that your pricing is in sink with market direction. Try to share best practices in using your products and services to cement your relationship.

Types of Customers in Sales and Marketing

 Any Manufacturing or services company will broadly have three main types of customers/accounts: Key Accounts, Medium Range Accounts and New/Low Volume customers

40% focus should on Key Accounts as their volumes decide your direction of sales targets. Key Accounts or big volumes driving customers demand more attention and focus by virtue, so our daily sales routine should start with monitoring the current sales status and organise all the modalities. Please note if your major customer sneeze your management will get fever so be careful with the top 5 or 10 Key customers. In tough market conditions like what we are in now these big customers/companies in your list cannot afford to completely shut down so their continuity will ensure your continuity.

 

30% focus on Medium Accounts whose sales volume is neither low nor high compared to your top 5 or 10 volume contributors. These customers are slowly getting used to your product/services. If you feel your share is nominal your further efforts should be to increase your volumes. Keep an eye for any cross selling opportunities also to derive more value from this customers and ascend them to key customer in your region. Business from these customers will be volatile for a while as you will be competing for customer’s share so the more you assert for your share the better you can fetch.

 

30% focus on New and low volume customers as these are in nurturing stage and need special attention to bring them up the ladder. We need to regularly tap them to show your eagerness to associate with new prospect. We have to ensure that continuity is established, once continuity is established customer will slowly develop comfort and trust in your product/services and on your company. Be judicious on quantity of time you spare on low volume customers as your time is valuable you can afford same amount of time to every customer.

 

Any other points to add, please comment.