Sales Management Matters

[This is the first in a series called Voice of the Manager, featuring guest posts from member practitioners. This post is authored by Nicholas Kontopoulos, Director Global Marketing at SAP. -ed.] I am passionate about fusing innovative business processes with technology. I have to be: that’s the only way the...Read more

Which sales management decisions have the most immediate impact on productivity? For our money, it’s sales deployment, or how and where to deploy sales resources. Sales deployment decisions include what kind of sellers to use (hunters, farmers, specialists, etc.), how many to deploy, where to put them, and what specific...Read more

The world of the professional salesperson has changed dramatically over the last decade. With more demanding customers, more complex solutions, more intricate buying processes, and more intense competition, the list of challenges facing 21st century sellers is both long and growing. In response, salespeople have changed the way they interact...Read more

Sales Management Association underwriter The TAS Group advises clients on Sales Performance Automation – a “salesperson centric approach to increasing revenue, improving sales forecasts and metrics, and continually reinforcing best practices.” SPA uses technology to enable sales methodology, and deliver just-in-time training to salespeople when it matters the most – at the...Read more

Two executives are given departmental budgets: one is a CIO, the other a Chief Sales Officer. The CIO buys a lot of software and hardware; the CSO a lot of sales training. What steps will each take in order to make sure they get a solid ROI on their departments’...Read more

Sales Management Association underwriter Better Sales Comp Consultants has redesigned its site, which looks great. BSCC's Per Torgesen provides an excellent series of posts there on practical tips for sales compensation plan design. His most recent covers "making the sausage" – the sometimes messy process of creating compensation plans for...Read more

Lots of new college graduates get thrown at sales jobs. Almost none of them planned on a sales career. But sales forces have a persistent need for new recruits, vague qualifications, and the promise of solid income – and that’s a happy combination for many new grads, freshly sobered to...Read more

A sick compensation plan is often the harbinger of much bigger problems with sales organization effectiveness. Diagnose the the comp plan problem quickly enough, and you stand a chance of heading off disaster. Frequent Sales Management Association contributor Scott Sands details how effective diagnostics keep productive sales organizations clear of...Read more