Morgan Marketing Solutions, Inc. - Insightse-LetterSeptember2006.htm - enhancing profits through better marketing

INSIGHTS & JOY

A business newsletter with Pizzazz!

"We help leaders become better marketers
using a holistic business approach!"

September 2006

Don't forget to reward your good sales managers with more than just an occasional pat on the back. Remember, good sales managers are sometimes hard to find and even harder to replace! My recent discussion with a young salesman prompted me to again ponder whether or not you can really motivate a salesperson. My thoughts are this month's insight.

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IN THIS ISSUE

Really, can you motivate a salesperson?

Smiles make the day!

$ Million Marketing Tips

Amazing Facts!

Marketing Facets - The Market Focused Guide to Company Analysis

Really, can you motivate a salesperson?

I was chatting with a young salesman last week. He is a representative for a large company and he was grousing about a recent day spent with his sales manager. He related that his manager came from a different division and does not yet have a detailed understanding of the product line or product capabilities. They made two calls that day.

One call did not result in a sale and the sales manager was of no help during the interview. Later, the manager took extra pains to criticize in a very negative way, offering no helpful ideas on how the sales representative could have improved his presentation. The day seemed to be turning into a salesperson's disaster.

The other call went very well and a large order was closed. Again, the manager sat mute during the entire sales interview. Later, the intrepid sales manager phoned headquarters with the good news...and gave himself credit for having closed the deal that day! For the salesman, the thrill of the sale was gone along with its positive boost in self-confidence.

My young friend was angry and frustrated. "When I don't get the order, my manager jumps on my back and issues veiled threats about losing my job. When I succeed, he takes credit for the sale. I feel like throwing up my arms and quitting when he's around or on the telephone. I'm one of the company's best producers year in and year out, but I try to avoid him when I can. He can't help me, but he can sure throw a wet blanket on my whole week. How do jerks like him get to be sales managers anyhow?"

His story made me shake my head. I have seen similar situations many times. It seems that management, especially sales management, is far more likely to demotivate sales people than to motivate them. In fact, I question whether a manager can really motivate a salesperson. Having been on both sides at various times, I tend to think that sales people motivate themselves for the most part. I would love to have a dollar for every time a salesperson has told me that his or her own office is more of a problem than the competition!

I don't recall ever gaining any extra motivation from films or rah-rah presentations. I believe that the motivation to gain business is embedded into good sales people. A salesperson has an internal need to persuade others and to achieve goals. I still get an emotional high when someone tells me, "You've got a deal."

Perhaps the best role for a sales manager to adopt is as a positive coach and troubleshooter. The best sales managers I have known stay in the background, solve problems, act as a helpful tool when called upon, celebrate individual successes, give full credit to the salesperson, and act as their team's coach, mentor, and protector.

As a sales manager, I often thought that my most important job was to help my sales people by removing the internal obstacles that stood in the way of their field efforts. Problems like slow price or credit approvals, backorders, shipping delays, and oppressive administrative work are issues that an experienced sales manager can address for his team. Being the team's cheerleader and coach is much more fun than being the feared and hated supervisor who quickly chastises failure and takes personal credit for each success.

Fortunately, a salesperson's record of achievement is there for all to see. The sales manager's boss will surely be able to tell how much of a salesperson's success is really attributable to the manager's effort. Given the transparency of any sales manager's tendency to usurp credit for his salesperson's success, I continue to be amazed by the number of incompetent managers still in place. They do seem expert at one thing, finding new methods for de-motivating their front-line sales professionals.

Company officers should be alert for the telltale signs of poor sales management. The most obvious one is turnover. When top producers begin to leave, the first place to look for a solution is within the ranks of first line sales management. You cannot depend upon exit interviews to point out problem managers. Those leaving often give other reasons for changing jobs. They may not want to give the real, negative reason like, "My sales manager is a complete jackass." Another area to examine is compensation. If the company or division has recently modified its sales compensation plan, check the effect the change had on each person who quit. Finally, don't forget to examine your own policies and actions. Are you part of the problem?

Reward your good sales managers with more than just an occasional pat on the back. Remember, good sales managers are sometimes hard to find and even harder to replace!

Smiles make the day!
It's just politics...unfortunately

Wouldn't it be grand if politicians would fight poverty with something besides tax increases?

If there were only two politicians left on earth, they would form a new committee!

Many a politician who considers himself far-sighted is a poor judge of distance.

A politician described himself as the backbone of the legislature, but others said they wouldn't go quite that high.

Old politicians never die...but many are reelected far too many times!

The politician, when at a fork in the road, will attempt to go in both directions.

No office holder is as bad as he is painted by the opposition, or as good as he is white-washed by his friends.

If politicians refrained from saying nasty things about opponents, many would be speechless!

It never occurs to some politicians that Lincoln is worth imitating as well as quoting.

Those elected because of their gift of gab are often defeated because of their gift of grab.

Half of all accidents happen at home. Apparently the rest happen in voting booths!

If you lie to people to get their money, that's fraud. If you lie to them to get their votes, that's politics!

The only thing dirtier and harder to clean up than a small boy is politics.

$ Million Marketing Tips

TIP: Assume that you can improve what you are doing...then do so!

TIP: Getting and keeping customers is what business is all about. Marketing is not just a function or department, it involves your whole firm! Help everyone act and feel like a marketer.

Amazing Facts!

1. "I Love Lucy" was banned in some Moslem countries, because Lucy "dominated" Ricky.

2. Only one Texan survived the battle of the Alamo.

3. There are six pounds of pennies in the average American home.

4. 53% of high school graduates and 27% of college grads get most of their information from TV.

5. When in need of inspiration, Beethoven poured water on himself. Today, we can just take a quick shower!

6. Twenty percent of all publications sold in Japan are comic books.

7. Americans consume more than 20 pounds of candy per person each year.

8. Most hummingbirds weigh less than a penny!

Marketing Facets - The Market-focused Guide to Company Analysis

Marketing Facets - The Market-focused Guide to Company Analysis. Marketing Facets is a practical resource for those involved in determining the current health of a company and gauging its future prospects. I designed my 103-page guidebook to be a supplement to other evaluation procedures and information normally gathered during a thorough due diligence or business valuation process. The workbook takes a holistic approach, assembling facts and management assumptions in key areas to help analysts form and support conclusions.

Marketing Facets is a valuable resource to private investment fund managers, individual investors, venture capital specialists, investment banks, and valuation specialists. Marketing Facets can also serve as a guide for C-level executives who wish to perform their own company analysis as part of normal business planning, or in advance of efforts to refinance, acquire or divest.

Marketing Facets is available in electronic form via the Internet, on CD/ROM, or in print with a ring binder.
> Electronic in MS Word .doc or Adobe .pdf format via the Internet @ $79.95
> CD/ROM format @ $85.95 including U.S. shipping and handling
> Ring binder version and CD/ROM combo @ $99.95 including U.S. shipping and handling

Consulting is also available. Please contact me for additional information.
Telephone: 972.931.7993 Fax 972.931.0542 rpmorgan@morganmarketingsolutions.com.

P.S. Ninety-five percent of our engagements originate as a referral from helpful people like you! If you know someone who:

> Wants to develop a more productive marketing program, or

> Needs help building and implementing an effective operational business plan,

I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the situation with you.

Our ideal client is a business owner or CEO between 30 and 60+ years old. Usually with a financial, engineering, or production background. Who is often impatient, and interested in improving company performance. Comes alive when you ask, "How's business?" He, or she, is practical but also enjoys the finer things in life. So, you may see my ideal client driving a Lexus or SUV to Neiman Marcus...and to Sam's Club. Who do you know that fits this description?

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Jose Suarez M., Industrias de Hule Galgo, S.A. de C.V., Mexico City, D.F.

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Richard P. Morgan CMC
Morgan Marketing Solutions, Inc.
Two Galleria Tower, Suite 10008
13455 Noel Road, Dallas, TX 75240-6620

Telephone 972.931.7993 fax 972.931.0542
email rpmorgan@morganmarketingsolutions.com
www.morganmarketingsolutions.com

Author, Marketing Facets - The Market-focused Guide to Company Analysis

"We help leaders become better marketers using a holistic business approach!"

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