Inside Sales Gains Prove Valuable to Bottom Line Revenues

Last week, the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AA-ISP) met for their annual Leadership Conference, which was held this year in Chicago. Sales leaders and sales experts from around the world showed up to share the latest best practices, statistics, stories, and ideas to help Inside Sales gain even more credibility and professionalism.

I wrote about my experiences on Day 1 which you can read here.  Most of the smartest folk on sales leadership were there, even though there were a number of other sales-related conferences going on that week. See below for a list of great folks to follow if you want to learn the best that there is about what veteran Inside Sales writer, analyst, and researcher calls “Remote Professional Selling”. 

The ROI of Working With a Sales Recruiter

Sales is the lifeblood of an organization so when a sales department is expanding or previously filled sales positions fall vacant, it is important to fill openings as quickly as possible with the highest quality candidates possible. Unfortunately, for organizations that do not specialize in sales hiring this is easier said than done. However, positive cash flow and improved hiring ROI can be realized efficiently when hiring through a sales recruiter, since sales recruiters work with established processes in well-qualified applicant pools where there is already experience in marketplaces like yours.

A Sales Recruiter Improves ROI by Filling The Job Faster

Exposed: bank's high-pressure sales culture continues

A Halifax insider describes how the push to 'sell, sell, sell' continues, despite the regulator's finding that such incentive schemes contributed to recent mis-selling scandals

High-pressure selling is alive and well, according to a Halifax insider. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian

An employee of Britain's biggest banking group has described a "disheartening and demotivating" sales culture that pressurises staff into selling financial products to customers in order to meet strict points-based daily targets.

Why Sales Quota Must be Perceived as Achievable

Ok, I’m coming back to the quota discussion.

My last post about quota focused on the importance of quota aligning with business objectives and business strategy. This post is going to tackle perception. The perception of achievability.

RULE 1: Quota MUST BE perceived as attainable.

RULE 2: See rule one.

Selling to The Bottom of the Pyramid

The “bottom of the pyramid” concept is the theory that even the poorest markets in the world can be revenue generating for companies if they tailor their product and packaging to these markets.

This concept was introduced by the Late Professor of the University of Michigan, C. K. Prahlad, in his book The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits. Some well known examples of products that cater to these markets include micro-credit products and selling shampoos in sachets.

A Simple Way to Increase Sales is to De-Pollute Sales Positions

It was much clearer when the sales leader initially hired each sales person. They would have a sales role – either inside sales or outside sales, named accounts or other clear sales position.

There was a job description, so long ago – but in the last number of months or over the last year, things changed. The role morphed so much that at times, the team members are not sure if they are a salesperson or a whole host of other things.

Some roles morph from sales to part-time sales and part-time customer support.

Some roles morph from sales to “all hands on deck – whatever we need”.

Some roles morph from sales into collections.

Some roles morph from sales to research.

Regardless of how it happened or why it happened, there is one thing undeniable.

4 Proven Techniques Using Price Segmentation To Maximize Profits

You know you can make more money when you can charge different prices to different customers. This is price segmentation as discussed in my previous blog post, "How To Use Price Segmentation To Maximize Retail Profits." The ultimate goal is to charge each customer whatever he or she is willing to pay. Of course this isn’t always possible, but here are four techniques you can use to increase your price segmentation.

1. Customer Characteristics

10 Financial Tips for the Prospective Home Buyer

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- There’s never been a better time to purchase a home, with interest rates still very low and a real estate market that has kept home prices depressed.

Still, you shouldn’t run out and buy, which is exactly what got some people into trouble before the recession.

Take your time, assess your finances and make sure all of your financial ducks are in a row: mortgage rates are going to be spiking from historic lows abruptly, and home prices around the country remain depressed, if showing some signs of recovery.

What Are Squeeze Pages?

A squeeze page is very often misunderstood. The biggest error individuals make, is to try to make a sale straight off the squeeze page. This is a definite no, no!

What are squeeze pages?... they serve one purpose - and one purpose only - and that comes down to your list. The squeeze page is specifically designed to build your customer base. A good page is designed to be very simple, in fact, almost sparse. You want to be able to capture a visitor's attention, and for them to react quickly - by taking action - what action? - You want them on your list, they should visit your page, be 'gripped' by your offer, and then fill in their details - usually their email address or email and name.

The four types of sales revenue – and which is best for your business

I want to share with you some important revenue generation concepts that will help you in your strategic analysis and planning efforts.

You're unlikely to read about these concepts in a traditional business planning textbook, and very few accountants even know about them. Yet they are crucial to the development of your business.  What's more, come to grips with these concepts and you will see business growth and development in an exciting, new light.
To illustrate these concepts further take a look at the following matrix I've developed: