- Changing market conditions
Market conditions can change rapidly. A sales and marketing manager must be
sensitive to change and be able to react quickly to adjust to the changing
market.
As well, conditions can vary greatly between sales territories. As a result, it
is necessary to be regularly updating the business plan and target market
analysis to ensure a flow of new business.
New business is the lifeblood of any organization. It is, therefore, important
that sales managers train salespeople to:- Territory time management
A territory manager will commonly have one hundred or more clients and
prospects. In some businesses, the number could run to two hundred or more.
To handle this, many clients and prospects require efficient time management
as well as directed and motivated activity.
It is normal, in a week, for most businesses in a metropolitan area to make:
Naturally, there will be some differences between businesses and their type of
product or service.
Each territory manager should break down the customers and prospects in their
territory as outlined for the target market exercise and plan the call frequency
that each will receive. The frequency can vary greatly in some businesses
depending on the selling cycle for the clients and services.
Do thorough territory analysis and planning
Concentrate on and reinforce areas of strength
Control and minimize areas of weakness before they become problems
Eliminate weak areas altogether in some cases
Lessen the impact of weak areas of the business by diversification or
addition of new business segmentsMake five to eight physical face-to-face calls per day
Make ten to twenty phone calls per day to arrange future appointments
Call on twenty-five to forty clients and prospects per week
Make fifty or more cold phone calls per week