May 6, 2009 The New and Frugal Sales Organization The world has been spinning in a recession tidal wave for the past six months. The safe solution for many has been to hunker down and ride it out: budgets are locked up, new hiring efforts are at a standstill, and a new frugality dominates all purchasing decisions. And Americans are saving once again. In January, the savings rate hit 5% of disposable income — the highest in 14 years. Seems everyone is rolling out a stimulus plan: even inside sales organizations need their own frugality plan. Frugality doesn’t mean not spending money. It just means making wiser choices. Instead of taking a big bite, take a small taste. It’s time to think frugally, act frugally, and say yes to “thrift.” Shop for discounts, and cut back on unnecessary spending. You can apply the following 10 tips to your inside sales organization: Cut the expensive field headcount: Customers don’t really care if you have more people on the street, they’d rather have more value on the phone and online. The new hybrid model combines the best parts of the field and inside teams with greater travel and face-to-face meeting flexibility. Use the sales tools you have more efficiently: We’re being bombarded with new sales tools that promise of more leads, increased traffic, and revenue generation. But tools are only as good as the user, and the majority of salespeople are only utilizing a fraction of the tools they actually have licenses to. Before you commit to buying more tools, learn to use the ones you have more efficiently. Use top Sales 2.0 talent: There’s a glut of talent out there, and many are willing to work for a lot less. Regardless of their credentials, ask: Are they well equipped to lead you to a new finish line? Are they selling with old world tactics or have they jumped on the Sales 2.0 train and become savvy salespeople? Provide fresh and relevant sales training: Gone are the days when big training companies soak up your entire sales training budget. Add some variety to your training menu. Hire vendors who are not going to get stale on you. E-learning . . . Is anyone really learning anything? More organizations are looking for alternative e-learning tools to help reduce training expenses. But don’t forget: desktop distractions will work against any virtual training experience. Managers must ignite change: This just in: Managers must climb from behind their heavy workloads and spend time with their teams. Become forward looking and proactive! Your team needs you more than ever now to help ignite creativity, passion, and energy. Replace bullets with images: Help! Your customers have stopped breathing! You’ve held them in “death by PowerPoint” headlock for too long, killing them with bullet points. Freshen your presentation with more meaningful images that grab their attention. Learn how to do your own writing: Do you really want to depend on Marketing for all your writing? Take a writing class and learn how to succinctly and clearly express yourself. Become part of the conversation: Replace some of your traditional marketing efforts with social marketing tools. Look for CEOs who blog, then comment on their blog. Get yourself a Twitter account, plug in your keywords, and listen to what people are saying. (And follow me on Twitter!) Go back to the ones that got away: They’re still swimming around out there—why not try to catch them again? Never assume they remember you (they get a lot of calls), and never assume that what worked for them in the past will work again (your solution may be just what they need today). TeleSmart to the rescue! Times are uncertain, but we’re not! At TeleSmart, we never stop creating new ways to bring relevant and timely training to inside sales warriors. Invest in training now! According to the recent IDC report, Organizations that cut sales training in 2009 will suffer. Organizations that bolster sales training in 2009 will prosper! Training is also a great motivator and confidence builder. For more than 15 years, TeleSmart has been delivering relevant and timely inside sales training. Get your teams certified on the TeleSmart 10 — a proven methodology, and the only one targeted directly at inside sales. Coming soon! The only sales skills sourcebook written specifically for inside sales warriors, and it's written from where you sit: inside the cubicle. Josiane Feigon's Smart Selling on the Phone and Online, due Fall 2009 from AMACOM. While you're waiting for it to come out, download our Inside Sales Trends 2009 white paper and listen to our podcast on the topic.   Hurry, there is still time to sign up for my May 7th Webinar: Join a fantastic lineup of sales experts for the Sales Stimulus Package 2009 Webinar series. Follow us on Twitter and Read the TeleSmart Blog. Check out some podcast interviews with some inside sales innovators and RSS feed. TeleSmart Blog is proud to be featured in Sales Alltop. Josiane's articles featured in: TeleSmart Communications, Inc. 35 Stillman, Suite 206, San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 543-6537 If you no longer wish to receive the Newsletters please unsubscribe here to remove your name from our mailing list.