Salesmen missing the mark

[TreeJunkie]

[ QUOTE ]
When a company gets large enough that there has to be multiple salesPERSONs, I think a structured compensation package is the way to go to keep sales in line with production and company profile.

Eg. A large multi-state/national tree service will value PHC services and large recurring contracts over straight tree work, and therefore will set quotas or goals for the salesperson to hit over time periods. These high profit PHC sales help defray the cost of keeping the other crews out in the field doing the necessary grunt work (all other tree care services) that has to be done to be a complete tree service. In this case, lower $ per man hour rates can be accepted, as long as the high profit services are being sold first and foremost (winter management retreats in the islands don't come cheap).
SZ

[/ QUOTE ]


AGREED!

From what i hear WMC is worth every penny. Looking forward to my first one this Feb.....

Until then we'll be preparing next season Tree/Plant Health Care letters.

 

[mdvaden]

[ QUOTE ]
What do you do when your sales staff are messing up on quotes for jobs? What do you do when they miss hazards of a job? What do you do when they don't understand what equipment can do? What training techniques do you use to remedy this kind of a situation at your company? Sometimes I don't even know if they are on the same planet. The normal means of communicating these issues by telling the salesmen at morning meetings is not working.

[/ QUOTE ]

It escapes reason why any company would not hire someone for sales, who had not done the work professionally and competently for quite a while in the past.

Unless maybe the sales people don't offer estimates until later on, and carry cameras for bring back photos first.

Suppose a Blackberry or iPhone with camera would help too. An easy way to send messages for feedback when someone is slightly out of their league.

 

[treehumper]

What sort of training do they have and continuing ed? Do they have any analysis of job performance by the crews? Feedback between crews and sales on a regular basis, instead of when one or the other has missed the mark, would help in better estimating the work.


Do you monitor the prices of the jobs that are lost to competitors? This way the sales force and you can see the market trends.

Have your salespeople received sales training? This is a technical skill just as much as climbing is. While an aptitude for the job need exist, skill development through proper training of the technical skills will result in better sales. It's not just gift of the gab.

What has helped immensely for sales people I've worked with is talking about the jobs and what went on to understand how the time was spent. This led to a better understanding of the factors that needed to be considered when putting together the estimate.

 

[allmark]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have never done the work, you don't need to be selling it!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]


Although this is true alot of the time Ive seen sales people who never did the work but are very good at successfully selling work. They need to be really sharp and observe how and what is being done.

A good sales person should always evaluate the good and bad jobs to know what made it good or why it was wrong.