Becoming a supersales chief

By Bill Blades William Blades, LLC Gold Canyon, Az.

QO GOES your sales

L)chief, so goes your sales group at largeand your sales volume.

One of the toughest decisions a ceo has to make is selecting the head of the sales department. A company's growth to a large degree will depend on who has the responsibility for sales. Some of them are heroes, some goats. For the heroes ...

* Seff improvemenl is crucial. I haven't met anyone with a BS or a BA degree in "Vice President of Sales." I always start my consulting process with helping the v.p. get better. His improvement will lay the path for everyone else's,

A v.p. who looks busy is not necessarily effective. Efficiency is "doing things right;" effectiveness is "doing the right things." Big difference. An effective v.p. focuses on two areas: his sales group and clients. Major time on major things, minor time on minor things. Focus on helping your group obtain and retain clients. Everything else is the small stuff.

* Recruiting must be an on-going process where recruiting is done when you do not need anyone. This helps you to select the right people by interviewing them at least three times to include an informal meeting in a restaurant. Recruiting only when you need someone is bad business. A rushed decision made because you urgently need a body will probably haunt you down the road.

The v.p. of sales should process a personality profile on applicants. Taking time to thoroughly interview is an investment that pays dividends.

* Sales and marketing plans are a must. This is your blueprint for every major activity for the year. Deadline dates must be applied to the majority of the items in the plan. The plan must be reviewed monthly with the purpose of meeting or beating the deadline dates. This eliminates corporate drift. The plan need not be fancy with color graphs and mundane data. Just include the major activities that you need to do to grow your group and your sales.

* Sales meetings should have several goals. First, that it will be the best sales meeting the organization has ever experienced. The next meeting. however, should then be the best one ever, and so on. Making every sales meeting the best one is a tall order, but it is a responsibility nevertheless.

Charge the meeting with energy and activity. Create a fun environment so individuals look forward to coming. Provide training that is practical and targeted to the group's needs. An abundance of product training does not turn an average performer into a great performer. Sales training is the priority, followed by product training.

The v.p. must hold the group accountable for what they learned at the meeting. If not, many people will go into the field with old skills and habits. Monitor, monitor, monitor.

* Coaching is more important than training, because a one-on-one session is targeted only for the one individual you are meeting with. Salespeople are like thumbprints-no two are identi- cal. Each has different skills and areas for improvement.

Don't rush your one-on-one sessions. Your people want to know that you care about them and they want to be listened to. If you have recruited the best sales force possible, get ready to give them your best coaching.

* Target Accounts are major clients you want to land, those with whom you want to increase your volume and those who you never want to lose. You must invest adequate time with these clients.

Work on delegating tasks that consume your time so that it can be invested into major salespeople who handle major clients. When delegating, think of little things that can help you pick up an extra five minutes a day. If you just gain five minutes daily, that is 20.5 hours annually! Then find another five-minute time waster and you now have saved l0 minutes daily or 41 hours annually.

Work towards being the ultimate delegator, which would be to assign someone to sit in for you in the dentist's chair. When you get that good, call and tell me how you pulled it off.

* Elevate expectations of every individual because everyone can get better. When you invest in training and coaching, always assign new skills and ideas for the individual to act on. Otherwise, your training dollars and time will be wasted.

Think about what each person needs to improve upon and assign two to six specific challenges you will ask/demand that he act on. Think of the following areas for each salesperson: organization, prospecting. time utilization, planning, presentations skills and closing techniques.

If the v.p. is dedicated to personal improvement, he's earned the right to ask everyone else to get better. Don't ask others to do what you won't.

* Motivation is critical for a sales group. They want to work for a leader, not a boss.

Bill Blades, CMC, CP$ is a professional speaker and consubant specializing in sales and leadership issues. He can be reached at 480) 671-3000.

Recruiting only when you need someone is bad business,

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Pick's Building Material. West Covina, Ca., has been acquired by Steve Thurgood, ex-Landmark Building Products, and Chuck Daughtery...

Goodman Lumber Co., San Francisco, Ca., unable to reach an agreement with its landlord, is liquidating its inventory and will close in August after 50 years ...

Califurnia Do it center opens its 10th store this month in Mammoth Lakes, Ca.

Orban Lumber Co., Irwindale, Ca., has closed after 96 years

HomeBase has broken ground for a new location in downtown Los Angeles, Ca.

Builders Discount, Los Angeles. Ca., has closed its 180,000-sq. ft. store after 42 years; Home Depot reportedly is interested in the site ...

Winroc Corp. has acquired 6year-old wallboard distributor Wasatch Building Materials, Layton, Ut.; founder Terry Smith stays on as gen. mgr. of Wasatch's new Layton Division ...

Illinois Vattey Buitding Supply, Cave Junction, Or., has completed a 10,000-sq. ft. addition including a contractors service counter, rental center and more room for paneling. mouldings, hardware, paint and otherproducts

Lowe's Cos. is moving its western regional offices from Carlsbad, Ca., to a 13,534-sq. ft. suite in lrvine, Ca. ...

Home Depot this month opens a 115,050-sq. ft. store in Golden, Co.; a 120,150-sq. ft. unit in San Jose, Ca., and a 105,700-sq. ft. replacement store in Thousand Oaks, Ca. ... the chain agreed to sell Maytag and Jenn-Air appliances, three months after dropping

Whirlpool (see Feb., p. 53) the company received the 2000 Outstanding Corporate Growth Award from the Association for Corporate Growth International

Home Depot has leased a Yacant Builders Square in Glendale, Co., it will expand and reopen early next year; has broken ground in South-Central Los Angeles, Ca., for a December opening; paid $24.2 million in cash for 42 acres in Glendale, Ca.; agreed to build a 115,000-sq. ft. store on 33 acres in southeast Boise, Id.; is considering a unit in N*p", Id., and a second store in Long Beach, Ca., and is suing the city of Sherwood, Or., for failing to rule on its application within the required 120 days

Poyless Cashways plans to convert an undetermined number of its 150 stores to a homebuilder focus; Ksn Kuehn, ex-Wickes Lumber, has joined Payless Cashways to help with the transition as v.p.-professional sales ...

Anniversaries: Pan Lumber, Hillsboro, Or., 70th ... McGuckin Hardware, Boulder, Co., 45th ... We stern Hardwood Association, Camas, Wa,, 45th ... Composite Panel Association, 40th ...

Wnot:snrns/tmurrtrur:ns

Willamette Industries is closing its Dallas, Or., plywood plant June 23 due to dwindling demand ...

Capital Lumber Co. has formed a new operating division, Capital

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Announce your recent expansion, promotions or other company changes in the next issue of Ihe Merchant Magazine!

Just Fax news to 949-852-0231.

Building Materials, Phoenix, Az., specializing in "specialty commodity" products for pro yards; Van Vanderhoff, ex-Mallco and Huttig, is division mgr.

Louisiana- Pacific was fined $95,000 for six safety violations relating to last year's explosion at its Olathe, Co., OSB plant that killed one worker and injured a second (see Nov., p. 36) ... L-P will open its first wood fiber composite decking plant in Selma, Al., in the middle of this month and hopes to add a second location by 3rd quarter 2000

Boise Cascade's Medford, Or., plywood mill is now fully operational after being rehuilt following a 1998 fire

Martin Brothers Wholesale Lumber Co.,El Cajon, Ca., closed after nine years; Al Martin is now purchasing mgr. with Martin Furniture, and outside salesman Mike Eberle joined Hampton Lumber, National City

Spruce Computer Systems has joined the National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association's Manufacturers and Services Council ...

The Collins Companies, Portland, Or., received the Business Integrity Award for large companies from the Better Business Bureau of Oregon and western Washington...

New Web site: Curt Bean Lumber Co., www.curtbeanlumber.com.:.

Housing starts ffi March (latest figs.) dropped 1l.2Vo to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.6 million ... single family starts inched up marginally to a 1.31 million rate, multifamily plummeted 41 .OVo to a rate of 295,000 units ... permits fell4.5Vo to 1.58 million units ... in the West, starts declined 4.5Va to a 379.000 rate.

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Listings are often submitted months in advance. Always verifu dates and locations with sponsor before making plans to attend.

Lumber Association of California & NevadaMay ll,2nd Growth meeting, Radisson Resort-Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, Ca. ; (916) 369-7 50r.

International Building & Construction Trade Fair 2000 - May 16-19, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China; 0086-21-6255-6311.

National Sash & Door Jobbers AssociationMay 18-21, leadership conference, Crown Plaza Resort, Hilton Head Island, S.C. ; (800) 7 86-7 27 4.

Lumber Association of California & NevadaMay 19-20, insurance trust meeting, Harrah's, Stateline, Nv.; (916) 369750 l.

Do it Best Corp.May 20-23, spring market, Indianapolis, In.; (2r9) 748-5300.

Sales: Call Phil Robbins Toll-Free at 1-877-880-HLPC (4 572\ CAIL FOR A FREE SAII4PTE!

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PH: 503-698-5678 Frx 503-628-6018 Hrl-rssono. On.

Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers AssociationN4ay 2l-24, annual convention, Cloister Hotel, Sea Island, Ga.; (703) 2641690.

Furt

Inland Empire Hoo-Hoo ClubJune 2-4,49th annual Ladies Weekend, Hyatt Regency Suites, Palm Springs, Ca..; (909) 59 1-4861.

Lumber Association of California & NevadaJune 8, associates/dealers golf tournament, Rancho Solano Golf course, Fairfield, Ca.; (916) 369-7501.

Western Material Handling ShowJune 14-1.5, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, Ca.; (800) 548-1407.

Black Bart Hoo-Hoo ClubJune 17, wine & unwind, Ukiah, Ca; (707) 462-3700.

Western Hardwood AssociationJune L7-20, annual meeting, Sunriver Resort, Sunriver, Or.; (360) 835-1600.

Forest Products SocietyJune 18-21, Wood Odyssey 2000 & annual meeting, Lake Tahoe, Nv. (608) 231-1361.

Umpqua Valley Lumber AssociationJune 2l-23,2nd annual mill week, Roseburg, Or.; (541) 957-0206.

Western States Roofing Contractors AssociationJune 2224,trade show, Reno, Nv.; (604) 462-8961.

Western Building Show (PCBC)June 27-30, Moscone Conference Center, San Francisco, Ca.; (800) 956-'1469.

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Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association - July 10, WOOD Committee annual golf tournament, The Ranch Country Club, Denver, Co.; (303) 7930859.

Temperate Forest Foundation - July 12-15, Redwood Teachers Tour, Fortuna, Ca.; (503) 579-6762.

Lumber Association of California & NevadaJuly 14-16, 2nd Growth weekend getaway, La Quinta, Ca.; (800) 2664344.

International Lawn, Garden & Power Equipment ExpositionJuly 22-24, Kenncky Exposition Center, Louisville, Ky.; (800) 558-8767.

Black Bart Hoo-Hoo Club - July 23, golf tournament, Ukiah Municipal Golf Course, Ukiah, Ca.; (707) 462-3700.

National Retail Hardware AssociationJuly 23-25, annual convention, Deerhurst Resort, Huntsville, Ontario, Canada; (3r7\ 290-0338.

Timber Products Manufacturers - July 27-28, annual meeting, Hotel Edgewater, Seattle, Wa.; (877) 535-4646.