The Economy?

With headlines warning of a possible slip into recession, it is important to re-look at each of our books of business.

A question for all of you to consider is — What new steps are you taking in your sales efforts to build a stronger pipeline to make sure you have a shot at every possible piece of good business in your market?

Share some ideas and possibly get some!

- Linda Richardson

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Richardson
More then just sales training...
http://www.richardson.com

We sell nutritional products and also recruit people to sell, etc. so we have two things to market: products and a business opportunity. The steps we take are:

1. focus to identify niches we've not identified in the past

2. teach/train distributors we work with to do the same

3. do good follow-up

4. increase prospecting activity

MitchM

I think you identify a problem that many companies make when the dreaded 'R' word is used. When a company focuses on anything "new" in response to economic hardship, the knee jerk reaction is in some cases to adopt new tactics, sales processes and methodologies in anticipation without first identifying the current processes within a company and learning where they can be improved. A company's greatest asset is it's own business process that it has developed through historical evolution. This process can be analysed and refined.

In response to the question of building stronger pipelines. A company has the information to judge which areas of the pipeline need working on whether it be in qualifying opportunities or closing sales. My question would be, do company's use all this information?

I've been working very hard on follow up. I'm talking with people who are 3-6-9 months out and I never did that before. It's really hard because the more months out that means the more leads I have to juggle. I'm banking on it working out in the end.