to win more orders. Once a week owners or managers need to meet with sales people, review the sales efforts of the previous week and have a plan for the coming weeks. A sales plan starts with knowing how much business is required to cover overhead and desired profits. You need to determine how many phone calls, appointments, and face to face meetings can a sales person make in a week and how many sale persons are needed to meet sales plan targets. To find out it is best to ask your salespersons then keep track of their performance. Many companies have discovered that an effective sales person will average a minimum of three to four phone calls per hour and two to three face to face meaningful meetings a day. Though these figures do not sound much but it is sufficient if sales persons are calling the right prospects. One company has set its sales minimum performance targets at 30 phone calls per week, 10-15 face to face meetings (interviews) each week and 8 bids or proposals per month. These figures are the minimum required. It should be kept in mind that telephone calls are primarily to arrange appointments with persons involved in decision making.
have written sales systems and marketing plans that enable their sales people to work effectively and aggressively in getting more business, new customers and contracts.
Sales Management Made Easy
Having a sales plan begins with a business owner or sales manager requiring sales people to a required standard of performance excellence. That means sales people are required to maintain a certain number of calls per day, as well as a number of actual face to face meetings per week, a certain number of proposals per week and total proposal number per month. Keeping score enables you to know what how you are doing. Selling is a numbers game. When knowledgeably competent sales persons make regular calls on good prospect who require the services you offer then you will get your share of the business. If you fail to make the sales calls then more likely your competition, who probably do make these calls, will get the business. Just like in basket ball, it is the team that makes the most shots that win the game. Remember always that the more sales calls the more signed construction contracts you will achieve. Having sales people keep score and records is usually a challenge because sales people traditionally do not want to be tied down to a set number of required calls. They like to be free. They do not like to keep record of numbers and be held accountable to a minimum standard. In short they do not like the discipline of a written plan and they feel that their ability to talk convincingly will give them the success they need. Regrettably without the discipline of a written plan and the minimum numbers that the plan demands will usually result in failure with the sales people not able to deliver the results you are looking for
Construction Sales Tracking
Have your sales persons focused on the right projects and new customer targets by managing the process. Once a week (usually Mondays) check your sales performance, reviewing every construction sales lead, phone call and customer meetings with your salesperson. Make new lists of customers to call so that salespersons are focused on big prospects.
Sales people have the tendency to stop going for new accounts as they get comfortable with their routes and customers they have. Your weekly meetings should encourage them to be on tack calling on old customers and new prospects. Keeping records will keep sales people focused and the tracking system will enable you to know how your sales persons are doing.
Sales Call Reports
Salespersons shall maintain a record of all calls to prospects. These calls will include the following: 1) Date; 2) Type of Call; 3) Name of Prospect or Customer; 4) Contact Information; 5) Customer need and opportunity; 5) Date and time of follow up. “Type of Call” refers to the kind of contact with customer, be it a phone call, sales interview, bid offering, etc. Phone calls and emails are primarily to set appointments with customers. As earlier mentioned, in basketball games are not won in how good one is in dribbling or passing but in taking good shots at the goal. In selling only face-to-face meetings are effective. Customers do not tell you what you need to know about the potential project. Also you start to build a relationship in face-to-face meetings. Here you are able to read your customer’s body language. With more meetings their will greater chances of success to happen. Calling on good prospect more frequently is the key to success for any sales team. J. Paul Getty once said: “Rise early, work late and strike oil!” In sales we can say, to be successful:”Rise early, work late and strike often!” Based on articles by George Hedley and Chris Ashworth
Keeping Track Records
Owners and managers must keep track of weekly sales efforts and the numbers on how sales persons are performing if they are
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