However, in reality, there are many companies where sales management is not functioning well and is an issue.
If sales management is not done properly, there will be a gap between the goal and reality, such as sales performance being steadily improved, but in reality, it will be far short of the target. On the other hand, if sales management is done properly, you will always be able to know the next action to take, which will lead to sales efficiency.
In this article, we will introduce in detail the seven sales management items necessary for sales efficiency and the tools used for sales management.
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The role of sales management is to canada telegram phone number list centrally manage the sales activities that sales people have been doing individually and to improve the sales power of the organization.
Sales management involves customer management, goal management, behavior management, task management, schedule management, etc. The purpose of sales management is to streamline sales activities and achieve sales goals by properly managing these.
Rather than managing each one individually, we aim to streamline sales management by managing them in a comprehensive manner. As we will explain in detail in the latter half of the article, using tools such as CRM (customer relationship management system) and SFA (sales force automation) is also necessary to streamline sales management.
Why sales management is necessary
The purpose of sales management is to streamline the activities of not only individual sales people, but the entire sales organization.
In an environment where you are busy with non-sales tasks and miscellaneous work, you will not be able to devote your efforts to sales activities. By properly managing sales, sales people will be able to focus on sales activities.
Sales management, which was previously left to individuals, is now done by the entire sales organization. By improving the efficiency of sales activities, sales power will be strengthened, which will lead to improved performance. The purpose of sales management is to properly manage the sales organization.
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Five benefits of sales management
There are five main benefits to sales management.
Leads to clarification and sharing of goals
By conducting sales management, sales goals can be clearly set and shared throughout the organization. This allows the entire sales team to work toward the same goal, leading to improved performance.
Visualization of project information
By conducting sales management, the progress of projects and the results of sales activities can be visualized and management becomes easier. This allows sales managers to give appropriate instructions and sales representatives to proceed with their work effectively.
Sales knowledge can be shared
Through sales management, knowledge sharing within the sales team is promoted. By exchanging information and sharing success stories between sales representatives, the skills of the entire sales team are improved.
Leads to efficiency of work
By introducing a sales management system, business processes are organized and waste is reduced, improving the efficiency of sales activities. In addition, information sharing between sales staff becomes smoother, reducing task duplication.
Avoiding personalization
By managing sales, information and know-how can be shared appropriately within the sales team, preventing sales activities that are dependent on individuals. By avoiding personalization, even when a sales representative resigns, handover work and project progress management can be carried out smoothly, minimizing the impact on performance and contributing to the sustainable growth of the organization.
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Seven sales management items necessary for sales efficiency
Sales efficiency leads to the achievement of sales goals.
Not only sales goals and current sales management, but various other management is also necessary.
Let's take a closer look at what kind of sales management is necessary to achieve sales efficiency, including each role.
Sales person who manages sales with a tablet
Customer management
Customer management is the management of negotiations with customers, service and product purchase history, progress status, etc. Without customer management, you will not be able to propose appropriate products and services based on customer data, and you will fail to convey what you should convey at the next sales meeting. The more customers a salesperson is responsible for, the more difficult it will be to manage customers.
Therefore, we recommend using an SFA (sales force automation) system. In addition to managing basic customer information, it also has management functions such as negotiation progress, order probability, and sales management, making customer management easier.
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Task Management
Task management refers to the management of tasks and work that need to be done. If you are overwhelmed with multiple tasks, you may forget what you need to do or not be able to perform the tasks in the proper order. By managing tasks properly, you will be able to complete them in an efficient order without missing anything.
The manager gives tasks to each salesperson, but basically they have to manage the tasks themselves. Using a task management tool will allow you to manage your tasks more efficiently. Various functions are available depending on the tool, such as task deadlines, alarms, and color-coding to make it easier to understand.
Schedule management
Schedule management is the management of the future schedule of each sales representative. Set the date of customer negotiations, support, and sales for each sales person.
Schedules must be set based on customer information, such as the date of past service purchases, the date of support requests to the call center, and the date of negotiations secured in the previous sales meeting. In addition, depending on the progress, the schedule may change, so it is necessary to have a system in place to follow up on each individual schedule.
Goal management
Goal management manages whether reasonable goals have been set to achieve the goal and whether the sales representative is convinced. It is also the role of goal management to set goals slightly above the current ability and encourage the growth of sales representatives.
However, since the abilities of sales persons differ and are also affected by competition with competitors, sometimes the original goal may not be reached at all. In cases where it is clearly impossible to achieve, it is necessary to adjust the goal. Setting unreasonable goals or goals that are not self-motivating can lead to a decrease in motivation.
When setting goals for sales, it is important to control them by setting goals that are just right and achievable if the salesperson tries hard, and to motivate them.
Behavior management
Behavior management is managing what actions are being taken to achieve the goal. While goal management manages the degree of goal achievement, behavior management manages the "process" to achieve the goal. When reprimanding a salesperson who is not producing results, do not just look at the results, but pay attention to whether they are taking actions that will enable them to achieve the goal.
To properly operate behavior management, it is important to provide guidance based on the specific reasons why the goal cannot be achieved, such as why they failed to contact the decision maker or why they failed to close the deal. Since what "can" and "cannot" are different for each salesperson, managers who manage behavior are required to provide guidance that suits each individual.
