Who’s Tracking YOUR Sales?
At the end of the day, the old adage is true- NOTHNG happens until someone sells something! All the work on inventory controls, personnel management, facilities improvements, etc., mean NOTHING unless you have SALES! So with all the importance placed on making sales, how are you at answering the following questions:
1 - Which referral sources send you the most business?
2 - How do your sales expenses tie to your referral sources?
3 - What do your sales reps do on a daily basis? (Who do they see? When? How are they managing their time?)
4 - How do you measure an individual rep’s performance?
5 - What process do you have in place if a sales rep leaves?
Most infusion companies lack the appropriate tools and processes to answer these questions above. But yet, we all acknowledge the CRITICAL importance of tracking and managing the sales process. Here are a few key ideas to get you started on better managing your sales activities:
Invest in the right Sales Management Tools for your reps. You already spend good money hiring these people, now go and invest the money to properly equip them as well. Look at web-based, PDA or traditional software tools, but make sure it is a tool that works for our unique industry. Ask around for what works.
Make SURE your reps are using the tool. “Garbage In Garbage Out” is true on Sales Tools as well. If your reps aren’t taking the time to update their schedule, or background information on Referral Sources, then the system is worthless.
Monitor Results and Reward Your Performers. If you invest in the right tools, and insist that your reps use them, then you OWE it to them to monitor the results and reward your top performers.
In summary, Cash is King, but you can’t get any cash until you make the sale! And you can’t expect to increase your sales if you don’t have the proper handle on your sales activity. Invest in the right tools and ensure that both you and your reps are using them to their fullest, and watch your profits jump!
Caleb Dixon, Director of Operations,
RemitDATA, Inc.
(check out our new Sales Pro™ web-based sales tool!).