The Grover Group Sales Blog
April 1, 2007
This month's article is about how sales managers can behave on sales calls with their reps. I am writing it because I feel that sales managers often behave as "sales manglers" when they go on collaborative calls with their reps.
March 1, 2007
Most companies expect their salespeople to develop new business. If they have sales managers, they generally expect the managers to drive salespersons toward the holy grail of generating significant new business.
February 1, 2007
‘Tis the season for trade shows, exhibits, expos-name your flavor. They abound throughout the country. It seems as if every industry provides its channel partners the opportunity to come together during the fall season.
January 1, 2007
Distributors of commodities have difficulty persuading customers and prospects to buy from them. In most distribution channels, there are hundreds of competitors who are anxious to take business away from the incumbent, or holding on like a vice grip to the business they have in place.
December 1, 2006
Theory: Salespeople are motivated by money. Nonsense: If they were, all of them would be successful. Theory: Salespeople are motivated by strong leadership especially strong sales managers. Nonsense: Maybe so, except do the people leading understand what leadership means?
November 1, 2006
This is a quick one. A no brainer. You are at a local business gathering. You meet a complete stranger who has an interest in you and your business. He says, "So, what do you do?" What is your answer?
October 1, 2006
Simplicity. Saying what you need to say in as few words as possible. Writing key messages, whether in e-mail, word document, whatever, with a clear and distinct "point of view." Focusing on the client, the recipient, and what they need to understand and know in order to act on your request. Listening, whether in person or on the phone, to the person with whom you are communicating.
September 1, 2006
Have you ever received an invoice in the mail, and avoided opening it? Or, have you been unpleasantly surprised by an excessive charge that made your blood boil, or at least cause a slight stomach growl?
August 1, 2006
Decades ago, a popular group wrote a song that included the lyrics, "War, what is it good for?" The answer, as you may recall: "Absolutely nothing." This song still resonates in my brain, almost 40 years later. In fact, it could have the lyrics, "Wholesale Distributors, what are they good for?" substituted, (well almost, there are a few more syllables), in place of the more famous lyrics. What would the answer be, I wonder? Have I assaulted your sensibilities? I hope that I've at least made you a bit uncomfortable, or at least curious.
August 1, 2006
I fear that many people in the sales profession don't really consider themselves professionals. This lack of pride in the profession of selling, coupled with a lack of self-esteem, can create enormous difficulties.
July 1, 2006
Readers are barraged with articles about everything under the sun. In fact, there are so many sources of information available that the average person probably tunes out most of it, even stuff that is important. Perhaps you are one of those people. If so, you have already bucked the trend by reading this far in this particular sales treat.
June 1, 2006
I have spoken to a number of companies about their sales performance over the past few years. Often, the key managers/owners I speak with perceive that the root cause of their sales team's mediocre or flat performance is due to the sales manager. Either there is no formal sales manager in place, or the sales manager in place is ineffective.
April 1, 2006
Recently, I authored a "white paper" for the NPTA Alliance whose objective was to learn what suppliers valued about their distributors. The survey that we utilized asked suppliers in the NPTA Alliance wholesale distribution channel a number of questions around key categories and functions that distributors provide.
March 1, 2006
My family and I recently spent a few days on the "Disney Wonder" cruise ship. When we arrived, we were almost immediately greeted by Mickey Mouse. Then, as we walked to board the ship, there was a station set up that provided "hands free" hand sanitizing. Being a former "jan/san" guy, I was intrigued with the product and the device.
February 1, 2006
Recently, I made a huge selling error, one that is likely to be shared by a number of zealous salespersons throughout the country. Specifically, I made the mistake of being too persistent in my desire to gain a prospect's commitment. As a result, the contact went from being my advocate to being less than enthused about endorsing my work with her company. As a result, I lost the sale. Have you ever had this happen?
January 1, 2006
Last month, I wrote about the importance of being able to define your business in 10 seconds or less. ("So what exactly is it that you do, in less than 10 seconds?") When given the opportunity, it is important to answer "what exactly do you do?" in a catchy and fun manner. This captures the person's interest, and gets them to ask why people see value in working with you.
December 1, 2005
When another person asks you what you do, resist the temptation to spill your guts and impress the individual with the latest "business speak," guaranteed to appear unoriginal, phony and totally boring. Rather, make your first response unique, fun, and designed to get the person to ask you more. In other words, resist the temptation to tell everything, instead focusing on getting the person to beg for more.
November 1, 2005
Have you ever been guilty of relying upon the wrong advocate in a business situation? Have you ever pinned your hopes on a customer contact who has assured you that all of your hard work will gain the order, and it falls through? I know that I have.
October 1, 2005
It would be presumptuous for me to create a "new" character that portrays the sales representative's world in 2004, essentially as an update to what Arthur Miller created in Willy Loman in his classic play, "The Death of a Salesman." I am not attempting to do that, as this article contains no poetry or prose that can come close to helping you to understand the depth of excitement, and despair, that today's salesperson experiences day to day.
September 1, 2005
If you were to invest years of time, and hundreds of thousands of dollars or more into the development of your product or service, would you have the people representing your company go out to your customers and other stakeholders behaving like disconnected, untrained "professionals"? The answer, I imagine, is probably, "no."
September 1, 2005
Most kids have certain habits they develop while they are growing up. Many of these habits, thankfully, go away as the kids turn into adults. One of my youthful habits was my insecurity about my pet turtles. I needed to check on them every five minutes or so to be sure they were still alive. Now, fast forward about fifteen years. During my training as an outside sales representative, my Sales Manager used to tell me to "plant seeds" every day. Having grown up in a suburban environment, I had no idea what he was talking about.
August 1, 2005
Recently, I wrote about the problems that arise when suppliers periodically conduct ineffectual, unfocused and disengaged distributor sales meetings. More specifically, I alluded to the problems that often occur resulting from poorly planned, monotonous, one-directional, "telling" distributor sales meetings conducted by well-intentioned suppliers.
July 1, 2005
Habits are hard to change. If they weren't, they wouldn't be habits. Do you ever think about what causes you, personally, to change the way you do things?
June 1, 2005
As I was walking back to my car after attending a recent Cleveland Browns game, my seven year old son's hand in mine, we slowly walked past a non-descript person who was standing by the curbside. He was non-descript, save for the paper cup he had in his outstretched hand that had a few coins rattling within. The hundreds of people walking past took little note. After all, beggars are common on downtown streets, especially when sporting events spew out the thousands of people at the end of each game. In fact, beggars work hard to get the same prospects both coming and going.
May 1, 2005
I spend a lot of time working with companies who are trying to improve sales performance. Not surprisingly, the sales area seems to get a lot of attention when company profits are down.
April 1, 2005
I have been reading a lot about "competitive differentiators", or more plainly, the things that make some companies stand out from their competitors. Most companies seem to know what makes them distinctive, at least compared to their poor-performing competition. These messages are boldly stated on their websites, brochures, business cards, voice messages on "forever" hold, etc. Examples of some of these reasons why customers must change: "Quality." "One-Stop Shopping." "Next Day Delivery." "Broad Product Selection." "Technical Expertise." "Experienced Salespeople." "Locally owned and operated." "Nationally owned." "We understand customer needs."
March 1, 2005
I heard a street definition of the word, "insanity." "Insanity" was defined as "doing the same things twice and expecting a different result." In looking at the things many companies do as they are identifying and hiring sales managers, it is apparent that insanity pervades the wholesale distribution channel.
March 1, 2005
In my last article, I recalled a conversation my son and I had about my new car. As you may remember, he took an approach that many salespeople take with their customers. Specifically, he explored my interest in a new car by telling me what he thought I needed. The result, you might recall, is that he "didn't make the sale."
February 1, 2005
If you are a salesperson, sales manager, or someone involved in sales, then you'd better read this. I'm about to share an experience that epitomizes the phrase, "getting a taste of my own medicine." Having made my living as a sales professional, I got a "flavor" of how some of my customers must have felt while I was selling, courtesy of my son.
January 1, 2005
With 2003 upon us, it is time to take the plunge and state what may be obvious to sales professionals throughout the country. Isn't that what New Year's resolutions are all about? After all, most resolutions are just commitments we make to do what we have known all along.
December 1, 2004
Recently, I presented a program at a manufacturing client's national sales meeting. My topic was, "Am I Telling Too Much. Need I Ask?" The presentation was built on the premise that most salespeople tend to get into the mode of showing and telling what they can do for their customer, before investigating and understanding their needs.
November 1, 2004
I am often amused at the predictions of each week's football game scores that appear in the local newspaper, or in the office pools, local delis or other venues where personalities attempt to become "sports" experts. Inevitably, surprising things happen to these well-thought out predictions. Half the time, it seems, they turn out to be wrong!
October 1, 2004
What would be a parallel to divorce in the business world? You might suggest the breakup of a company into smaller parts, or the dissolution of a corporation. Or, you might offer the severing of a relationship with a long-term supplier, or customer. Maybe you might think of changing a relationship with one of your key banking institutions, marketing firms, heating and air conditioning contractor, the list goes on.
September 1, 2004
Let's face it. Most sales managers were probably pretty decent salespeople. With some rare exceptions, most sales managers put up some great numbers while "in the field." As a result, their companies recognized their talent, and promoted them into positions of leadership. Ideally, the newly appointed sales manager would spread his wealth of knowledge and skill upon the flock, and everyone on the sales team would prosper and live happily ever after.
August 1, 2004
Recently, I had a horrendous customer service experience. I detail it in this month's article because I think it is applicable to any business involved in the business of satisfying customers.
July 1, 2004
Have the life changing events of the recent past impacted you at all? Of course they have. Are there any specific events that have really made an impression? I can cite two that have made a large impact on me. They both relate to the notion of teamwork, and its incredible impact on the performance of an organization.
June 1, 2004
Let me reflect upon a letter from a former sales person that was sent to me on the occasion of his retirement several years ago. John had desire. This was clear throughout his career. John has since died, unfortunately not able to enjoy more than two years of time once he hung up his sales spikes. In the letter, John thanked me for a wonderful retirement party. Significant to me were the numerous exclamation marks and upbeat superlatives he used throughout his note. John had been battling prostrate cancer for several years before he decided to retire. John never allowed this battle to noticeably pervade his spirit, his demeanor, his courage, nor his constant smile and tenacity to service and support his customers. John's letter reminded me of an adage that I suggest any sales manager or sales professional keep in mind.
May 1, 2004
Sales meetings can be the most wonderful method for a distributor and supplier partner to communicate and act upon critical information. The problem is, most sales meetings are really lousy.
April 1, 2004
I recently did some work for a manufacturer who was working to find ways to enhance its relationship with its industrial channel distributor partners. I learned something.
April 1, 2004
Everyone is concerned about the soft economy. We look at the daily news and see market indicators that show how marked productivity is off. We see core industries such as steel in severe decline. Unemployment rates are increasing.
March 1, 2004
I spent a lot of my professional time in my career at National Paper and Packaging focusing on our strategic supplier partners. I held the philosophy that "a product well bought is half sold." While it is always great to have a low product cost, the real essence of this philosophy is that a distributor who works to enhance his supplier's performance and results will ultimately hold the advantage in the competitive marketplace.
February 1, 2004
I am often struck by the responses I receive from salespeople about the status of their quotations.
