As you begin 2010 many of you have made decisions to reduce the number of sales reps and employees in your respective organizations. Congratulations, you have cut out some of the fat from your organization. The bean counters and stock markets should probably be happy with you.

Everyone has heard the saying, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it?” One of my favourite bosses used to say, “if it ain’t broke then break it.” In today’s business environment adaptivity is the key to survival. Let this blog be a wake up call for the pharmaceutical industry. There are fundamental flaws in your business model. It is broken! If you think that cutting people is going to fix the fundamental issues then you will be in the same boat next year and the year after that.

Have you considered whether your business model actually makes sense? Have you asked your customers what they want? Do your sales reps actually make a difference when calling on their physicians?

Have you asked yourself why physicians don’t want to see reps any more? Have you asked physicians how you can better address their needs? I was at my doctor’s office a few weeks ago and we got talking about the Pharma industry? I asked “what do her reps do when they come by the office”.  My doctor told me that the rep drops off samples and sometimes review papers. I then asked if she could name any of her reps and the answer I got was “no”.

Given that there are few new products launches do we still need detailers who drop off samples and make no connection with the doctor? Does your selling model allow your reps to sell? Does it encourage your reps to make a difference?

Presently pharmaceutical companies spend a considerable amount of money having front line sales managers to support their reps.  How many FLM actually understand what their role is? How many go out with a rep and at the end of the day make no impact on from a coaching perspective?

One thing I learned early in my career is that sales/profitability hides many evils. As you look to improve the profitability of your organization here are some of the evils you need to confront when developing a sustainable business model.

1. How can you create moments of magic for your physicians so that they want to see your reps again?
2. How can your sales people actually have an impact on their physicians prescribing behaviour?
3. How can you develop front line sales managers who can have an impact on their sales team and physicians?

The one caution I would make to many of you is not to make the same mistake of going back to the same consulting organizations that have told you in the past to simply add additional sales force. The same consultants that create bi-ads and tri-ads (they must be m-ad).What this industry needs is creative approaches to solving the fundamental evils that are inherent in the detailing business model.

I encourage you to freely comment on my thoughts and exchange your ideas on how we can bring this industry back to its glory days.

Each month you will find the Top 10 Sales Articles of the Month at www.topsalesarticles.com. You can also cast your vote to determine the top sales article of the month.

Once a year the top articles of each month compete for the Article of the Year.

I am proud to say that my article

“5 Ways to Gauge Your Sales Managers Coaching”

was voted as the Top Sales Article of the Year 2009.

I would like send a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who supported me as well as the panel of top experts who also voted.

Thanks also to Clayton Shold at Salesopedia for publishing my article.

There were many great articles written in 2009, and I’d highly suggest that you check out the excellent articles from the 2009 Runner-ups:

• How to Shorten Your Sales Cycle? by Tibor Shanto
• No, You Don’t have to Cold Call — Ever, by Paul McCord
• E Mail is the New Phone, by Kendra Lee
• Your New Referral Network: Its All About The People You Know, by Joanne Black

And I’m honoured to be in such great company.

___________________

The panel of experts includes:

• Jonathan Farrington
• Nigel Edelshain
• Terri Dunevant
• Cindy King
• Craig Klein
• Bill Sayers
• Dr. Greg Stebbins  
• Paul Simon

These and many other valuable sales articles can be found on the sites below that feature thought leaders in the area of sales and sales management.

• Eyes on Sales
• Sales Gravy 
• The Sideroad
• Ezine Articles
• Build Your Own Business
• Best Management Articles
• Sales Resources
• http://www.topsalesexperts.com/

The past year was very challenging for many sales managers, but now it’s 2010 and we need to look ahead. Have you increased your sales targets? How will you ensure that your team delivers the goods? 

From a personal perspective in leading sales forces and working with sales leaders, I’ve seen that too many sales organizations operate well below their potential. The regions that do the best are ones that are led by STAR frontline sales managers. Studies show that:

• The No. 1 performance factor for salespeople is the quality of their manager. A high-quality manager has far greater impact than skills training or compensation, according to CEOs across the globe.

• The No. 1 manager activity associated with rep success is coaching. It is the single most impactful activity that frontline sales managers perform. Studies show that effective coaching can raise sales performance by as much as 20%!

• The No. 1 reason why top-performing sales reps leave an organization is their relationship – or the lack of it — with their manager. Great frontline sales managers do a far better job retaining top-performing salespeople.

Sales managers need to ask themselves the following questions:

• Are you convinced that you are the key to unlocking the performance of your teams?
• Do you know what STAR sales managers do differently?
• What do STAR sales managers have in common? What are the factors that make them more successful than their competitive peers?

For me the short answer is focus. STAR sales managers focus more on key activities that drive sales performance. STAR sales managers that are strong coaches and spend more time coaching their reps to improve performance. STAR coaches focus on one key area at a time, e.g. skill, competency or behaviour, for each of their salespeople. They maintain that focus on a specific skill until there is a marked improvement. Not until the sales rep demonstrates an 8 or 9 out of 10 in that specific competency will the sales manager shift the coaching focus to a new area.

Without a doubt, STAR sales managers spend more time coaching than their counterparts for two reasons. First, they realise they get their biggest ROI on time spent when coaching and second, they are good at it. Sales managers who are STAR coaches and enjoy seeing their reps develop will naturally spend more time coaching. And the evidence supports the fact that sales reps who receive more coaching achieve higher levels of engagement and realize better sales quotas than their counterparts who receive less coaching.

Managers who want to be STARS in 2010 should understand that the quantity and quality of coaching will have a major impact on their sales results. You can be the driver of your own success.

With so many competing responsibilities for managers, it is critical that more time is spent on activities/tasks that drive sales. STAR managers spend a greater portion of their time interacting with customers. It is not the manager’s role to complete the sale but instead to focus on supporting his or her salespeople through the selling process. Managers who provide that support will deliver far better results overall.

On the flip side, average managers spend a greater proportion of their time on non-revenue generating activities. Average sales managers manage from the comfort of their office. They are focused on administrative work, approving proposals and reviewing reps’ activities.

If you want to be a top 20% performer and generate 20% more sales in 2010, you need to focus your time and energy on supporting revenue-generating activities. The sales managers who decide they will spend more time coaching and less time pushing paper will be the ones who succeed. The choice is yours.

Wishing you STAR Results in 2010!

Coming up to the New Year there are a couple of things you can count on as sales professionals, one of which is that you quota will rise.  That’s not bad, it is just a fact, so the question becomes what can you do, now, to ensure that you can deliver.  The question comes down to how you can become more effective in what you do in the process of becoming more productive. 

To help you and your team achieve this we have brought together three sales specialists to share specific things you can do going into 2010 to get and stay ahead of the curve.  Over the next three days we will present three posts focused on things that impact how you sell, and how sales managers can help their teams succeed.

In addition to my post, you will also have the opportunity to get input from:

1. Myself

2. Trish Bertuzzi – Founder, President and Lead Strategist, of The Bridge Group, Inc. – Inside Sales Consulting.

3. The article below is a guest post by Tibor Shanto, Founder & President of Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., and creator of Objective Based Selling. You can find Tibor on twitter at @renbor.

A few years back, in a piece in the Harvard Business Review, it was stated that an 8% improvement in the productivity of your existing sales team will result in the same sales growth as if you were to add 27% more reps.  I am sure the numbers may have changed  in the three years since it was published, the underlying reality has not.  In fact what has changed is the ability of organizations and managers to add headcount, in the post-Lehman Brothers-era, cost restraint is the overriding mantra.  So with the added stress and demands on the average sales rep and team, the question becomes how to achieve this productivity without distracting the team or breaking the camel’s back.

To me if you have to focus on only thing it would be time allocation to improve sales velocity.  If you can focus your resources on better opportunities, you will not only move them through the process quicker, but create a way to not deal with opportunities that either will never happen or whose time has yet to come.  If you can allocate your time to those activities that have the highest RPA Return Per Activity, while developing the discipline to only execute those activities that move a sale forward, than you will increase productivity and sales closed.

To achieve this you will need to understand two key things:

1. What activities you should allocate time for and in what proportion?
2. What does the right prospect look like?

While number one is the more important, you really can’t deal with it until you answer number two.  The good news is that it is not as hard as it may first sound; it is laborious and dry work at times, but once you have the basic template, it is easy to update and will pay ongoing dividends. Go back and look at all the deals you have won over the last 18 months, and see what are the most common attributes shared by these.  Don’t just do it on an account basis, that is what these companies have in common, but also on a deal basis.  How did the deal unfold, number of meetings, people involved, roadblocks, accelerators, language, bet right down to cellular level.  Why did they engage with you in the first place, did they engage right away, or did you have to nurture them for a while; if yes then how long, what did they respond to, what were they hoping to accomplish, why did they not engage right away.  As a rule, if you are not the number one sales person in your company, you want to spend time looking at the above factors for the best rep at your company, really park your ego and make some money.

Do the same for deals you lost or did not happen, look at the ones you lost early, half way through your predictable cycle (you’ll know what your cycle is from doing the above), at the end of the cycle.  Again, how did you engage, were they in your lead pipe (different than your prospect pipe which active opportunities) too long or not long enough? 

Once you have done this, you will have two profiles, ones that you want to pursue vigorously, and those you want to avoid like Tiger does the media.  In some ways the economic climate over the last 12 – 18 months provides a good time to do this exercise, as you can truly see who clearly fits in to each group.

Now you can focus on who and how to best engage with the type opportunities that will help you work with people who will act like your successful deals.  When you engage with these people they will move more predictably, not always faster.  Remember that velocity involves both speed and direction.  There is an optimal speed, and when you reach it, it is not a good use of resources to keep pushing.  Where you can add to velocity and results is by fine tuning your direction, and when involved with the “right” prospect, their direction, after all you have the advantage of knowing because you did your work and went after them for a reason.

While it may be obvious, it is worth pointing out that the biggest impediment to productivity is time and resources spent on prospects that will not close NOW, this is why we raised nurturing leads.  Some are not ready NOW, so let’s manage them, put them in the “leads funnel”, which should have rules and attribute like your sales funnel. 

Once you know who (specifically), and how, and how long, you can now allocate time to those activities that are necessary to consistently execute, and not allocate time to things that don’t lead to sales.

Eliminate waste; accentuate the right activities, easy 8% right there.

I am very excited that my article “5 Ways to Gauge Sales Management Coaching” (below) is one of the top 12 sales articles of 2009. Voting is now taking place for the Top Sales Article of the Year. Please help me by casting your vote. Click here to vote.

5 Ways to Gauge Sales Management Coaching

A highly successful vice president of sales recently shared his frustration with the members of his sales management team, who he felt were focused only on results. He worried that they were not spending any time developing their salespeople.
His longer-term view is based on the belief that developing people to the best of their potential improves performance and retention, and it also helps develop a pool of succession candidates.

Most sales leaders would agree that coaching is the most impactful activity a sales manager can do to drive sales team performance. Studies reinforce this by showing that above-average coaches deliver 20 percent more sales.
 

The challenge?
Sales management coaching is the weakest-performing activity among managers. How do you know if your managers are effective coaches? Here are five ways to find out.

1. Asking vs. Telling
If most of a manager’s interaction with his salespeople includes the words “do this” or “why are you not doing that?” your manager is in “tell mode” rather than “coach mode.” This is highly directive and subservient communication. It does little to motivate salespeople, makes them feel like robots, creates mediocre performers, and strains their relationships with their manager.
Coaching is about asking thoughtful questions. It is based on the belief that individuals have the answers to their own sales challenges. The manager’s role is to help individuals develop their ability to self-direct and solve their own problems. A coach would spend a majority of the time asking “how do you think you can best accomplish this goal?” or “how would you like to address this opportunity?”
Spend 15 minutes in one of your manager’s sales meetings and you can quickly determine which mode she or he operates in.

2. Time Spent in the Field
Managers tend to spend their time on the activities they are the best at and most enjoy. A manager who is fixated on administrative tasks such as submitting reports on time probably enjoys this activity and is less comfortable coaching. A strong manager recognizes the value of finding creative ways to get into the field and spend more time with his or her reps. Remember that administration doesn’t generate revenue or help develop your salespeople. Conversely, time spent in the field improves your salespeople’s ability to be the best they can be, and time in front of the customer is the best return on investment of the manager’s time.

3. Accountability
Coaching is about accelerating a sales rep’s growth and ability to achieve personal goals and reach full potential. Simply put, sales coaching is a four-step process:
1. It identifies opportunities for improvement.
2. It gains commitment.
3. It develops a plan.
4. It sets an accountability meeting to discuss progress.
Set aside one hour a month to review your managers’ field visit reports. You are looking for progress toward improving one or two areas of a rep’s development.

4. Sales Rep Engagement and Turnover
Many companies track two metrics. First, they perform an annual engagement survey in which the key is to drill down to the level of the sales manager. This provides insight into the differences between managers as well as the managers’ effectiveness in coaching their reps. Effective coaches will score much higher in sales rep engagement. Second, turnover is also a sign of reps’ relationships with their managers. In fact 70 percent of top performers who leave will do so based on their relationships with their managers.

5. Observation
Spend a couple of days in the field each month getting to know your managers. Ask them about their day’s work with your salespeople and find out about their development plans. Ask them about the level and quality of coaching they are getting. Consider sitting in with a sales manager and his rep for a day. You observe the coach at work and get a firsthand perspective on the coaching effectiveness.

Leading Change in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Dan Smith is the VP of sales of a leading pharmaceutical company. He has been a sales leader in the Pharmaceutical Industry for the last 10 years. He has spent most of his pharmaceutical career engaged in various sales and marketing roles. He remembers the days when “we would be adding a new sales force every year or two”. He reminisces about the good old days when he went to extravagant sales meetings in exotic locations, and had fun.

In 2009, Dan recognizes the need to move to a smaller sales force. His company is facing patent expiration issues, having difficulty gaining formulary coverage for new drugs and experiencing decreased access to physicians. Over the past 6 months Dan has worked behind closed doors examining countless sales force alignments, permutations and configurations. He has made 3 presentations to his boss and corporate VP’s. Dan has convinced the executive team that his plan makes sense.

Dan has carefully crafted a new approach to the market place, an approach that involves creating “Moments of Magic” for his customers. He has listened to their needs and is restructuring his organization to be lean and focused. The days of detailing are gone. He knows that sales reps need to move the needle on each and every call. They need to bring value to their customers and drive business forward.

In the days ahead, Dan will implement his restructuring plan. This is when the rubber will hit the road. He knows the subsequent weeks will be painful and challenging. He has a critical leadership role to play. As his executive sales coach I have been privy to his plans for the last 6 months. We have had long discussion about the stress and burdens of his responsibilities. I have been a sounding board and have helped him develop the change management skills necessary to lead the organization’s restructuring.

Dan has hopefully set the table for success. Prior to roll out, Dan has a 4-part plan, which I have detailed here.

1. Have all your ducks in a row:  HR and legal have put all documentation in place. There are packages prepared for each sales rep that is being laid off (severance letters and outplacement service offerings etc.). The people who are going to contact the sales reps have been trained and know how to effectively communicate what is happening. 

2. Act quickly: Even though Dan has tried to keep things quiet, rumours of layoffs will inevitably circulate, creating stress for all. Unfortunately the rumour mill is running wild with fear and negatively impacting morale, focus and productivity. All the more reason to set deadlines and make sure you meet them effectively and efficiently.

3. New vision for the sales organization is in place and ready to roll out: Dan is ready to clearly and concisely communicate his new vision. He is going to explain what the organization will be doing differently. What the new sales structure looks like, and what the new roles and responsibilities for team members are going to be. He has carefully crafted the rationale for the downsizing to share at large.

4. Set up individual meetings: Dan believes that it is critical to meet face to face with each employee. Keep meetings brief and factual. Treating those who are being laid off with respect by thanking them for their efforts and offering fair severance packages were important to him. He knew that word travels quickly and the way people are treated on the way out sends a message to the remaining sales people. He did his best to ensure that sales people were being treated fairly in terms of transition packages and with dignity.

Now that word is out Dan has outlined three goals for his sales management team:
 
1. To retain all top performers
2. To regain productivity and positivity as quickly as possible
3. To transition to the new way of doing business

Dan knows that the success of his new vision is dependent on the buy-in of his front line sales managers. For any change management program to work it needs to be led from the front lines. This is a critical time for Dan, as he needs to effectively communicate to the entire organization. His front line managers will look to him for leadership. He will be the role model, his attitude and behaviors through the initial phase will send an important message to the entire team.

Dan has been working on the changes for the last six months. He has had time to deal with his own guilt, anxiety and fears about the impact his vision will have on the organization. His managers on the other hand, are just starting to deal with their own emotions. They have lost colleagues, sales reps and friends. They will have to deal with their emotions, anxieties and grief. Dan and I have developed an approach that will help him transition his organization to the new vision.

1. Win their Hearts: You need to win their hearts before you win their minds. The managers need to believe in the changes and their future with the organization. The real work starts after all the announcements have been made and the layoffs completed. Senior sales management must now focus on the remaining sales managers and sales people. 

2. Be an Empathetic Leader: The key is to be open. Listen. Help your staff deal with their emotions and be empathetic. By showing concern and interest, you will be working towards getting everyone back on board. Set up weekly group meetings to provide feedback on how the transition is progressing. Put out the small fires and try to address them before they become infernos.

3. Offer Support: Your efforts need to be focused on coaching and encouraging people to be successful in transitioning to the new vision. Be available, be present, and be there for your people. You may want to offer your sales manager’s access to an executive sales coach to help them deal with any issues. An executive sales coach can help accelerate the transition by offering an unbiased sounding board and be an outlet for managers to discuss issues that they may not be comfortable raising with you.

4. Promote and Communicate Positivity: You need to exude optimism and a “can do” attitude regarding the transition. Promote optimism and positive thinking in all your communications. Be sure to highlight positive movements and all success stories, no matter how minor. Reward each success and allow the people who adjust quicker to become role models for the team.

As you may have figured out Dan is a fictitious Executive.  He represents any and all VP’s of Sales in the industry who have in the last few months announced downsizing in their organization. I encourage sales managers who have recently experienced a downsizing to share their challenges and successes. Please feel free to provide your first hand experience, I welcome all comments, concerns and issues.

(See next months article, “The Sales Managers Guide to Leading Change).

When I saw this title I was intrigued. As many of you know I frequently write about coaching being the No. 1 management activity that drives sales performance. Gwen Teatro discusses what a good coach looks like. Find out whether you are a good coach. Feel free to share your thoughts on this article.

Coaching is one of those words that tends to lace everyday language at work but I wonder how many people who are supposed to be doing it actually know what it means or what it takes to be a good coach?

I don’t know about you, but there was a time when, on hearing the word coach, my mind automatically dredged up visions of cheerleaders and marching bands and all those sports analogies that we all love to hate but for which we have yet to find decent replacements.

And yet I have come to know coaching as a very powerful tool.  That makes it worth talking about and worth doing.

There is no magic formula for becoming a good coach.  Like most things worthwhile, it takes work. Period.

But, in the interests of starting somewhere, here’s what a good coach looks like to me:

•  A good coach will be genuinely interested in knowing me

This does not mean that I expect you to be my best friend.  What it does mean is that you will make an effort to understand my capabilities, my ambitions and my development needs.  If you don’t take the time to know these things, you will be hard-pressed to know if you are getting my best performance

• A good coach will look past my excuses and challenge me to do my best

Sometimes, I won’t be able to see myself as you see me. Sometimes I will not want to stretch myself for fear that I might fail.  As my coach, you will challenge me to go beyond the unspoken boundaries I have set for myself.  You will not accept my excuses.  You will show your faith in my abilities and my potential to do more by demanding more.  And, should I fail, you will help me to extract the learning from it and move on.

• A good coach will hold me accountable for the commitments I make

When a new idea captures my imagination, it is easy for me to envision bringing it into reality.   And yet, while I will understand the importance of it, there will be times when I need your help to stay the course.  Starting is usually easy.  Finishing is harder.  As my coach I will rely on you to remind me of the importance of completing what I set out to do.  And, if I shift my focus, you will help me ensure that my reasons are valid.

• A good coach will encourage me, support my efforts and celebrate with me when the time is right

There will be times when I question my own abilities; when I need guidance and resources to help me do my work and: when I need acknowledgement for the work I have already done.  As my coach, I will count on you to deliver these things at the times when they are most appropriate.  That will require you to talk with me regularly. Our talks do not have to be long but they must be truthful.  The success of our relationship will depend on it.

So, that’s what a good coach looks like to me.  But, what must a person have in his or her own “kit bag” of characteristics before s/he can hope to successfully fill the role of “good coach”?  Well, I expect there are many but the four that come quickly to my mind are these:

• Self Assurance – If you are to be successful in your coaching efforts, you will often have to suspend your own desire for acknowledgement and work in service of helping someone else shine.  This can be hard on the ego and as such, a healthy sense of self, both in terms of assurance and awareness, will be important.
• Self Discipline - As much as it is important for those you coach to follow through on their commitments, it is as, if not more, important for you, as coach to hold yourself accountable for the commitments you make to them.
• Courage – Coaching often requires difficult conversations.  Courage is a cornerstone of good coaching and of good leadership.  For a good coach or leader there is usually no place to hide.
• A sense of humour – Most good coaches know the value of humour, particularly the self-deprecating kind.  It is an essential tool at work and in life. Enough said.

If this is all sounding just a tad onerous, you may be wondering what’s in it for you to be a good coach.  Where’s the payoff?  This is where I think it is:

• When those whom you coach do well, you do well
• When you coach others to do their best work, you get optimal results
• Good coaches are often recognized as having valuable leadership capability.  And that opens doors for you.

If you have an appetite for more coaching observations, you must go to Mary Jo Asmus’ excellent blog post here.  You won’t be sorry. http://www.aspire-cs.com/coaching-if-its-too-hard-do-you-give-up

So, what does good coaching mean to you?  What would you add?  What challenges do you face as a coach?

Gwyn Teatro is a Certified Professional Coach with a Masters of Science degree in Management and 15 years experience as a Human Resources Consultant to Executive and Senior Management in the Financial Services Industry.

Do you know a sales superstar?

AllBusiness and Top Sales Experts want to honor the top-performing salespeople who deliver results in today’s competitive market. You can help make that happen.

We need your nomination. The panel of top sales coaches and experts will select one salesperson each month from among the nominees.

Monthly winners will:

• Be recognized by their peers for their outstanding contributions
• Be profiled in a feature article for AllBusiness and its sister site, Hoover’s
• Receive free twelve month VIP membership at Top Sales Experts
• Receive a signed copy of a panelist’s book
• Be offered the opportunity to receive a free sales profile  

One annual winner will receive a package of sales training and coaching programs (Value $3000), life VIP membership in Top Sales Experts, a selection of signed books from the panel, plus of course the AllBusiness Sales Star trophy.

Top salespeople inspire those around them and help drive company success.

Take this opportunity to recognize them for their leadership and contributions to the selling profession. Nominate a true sales star!

Every nominee will receive a FREE six month VIP Membership over at Top Sales Experts

Full details HERE

PS: There is no deadline for entries each month, all nominations received are carried forward. 

Accelerate Your Business Growth by Diane Helbig

With so many people being downsized or packaged out of organizations many are choosing self-employment in an effort to take charge of their career. With nowhere else to turn, small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs simply cannot afford to fail.

In Lemonade Stand Simple: Accelerate Your Small Business Growth, teaches small business owners, franchisees or anyone considering starting up a business how to avoid the pitfalls so many business owners make.
 

In order to be successful small business owners must be able to sell their product or service. With so much on the line they struggle, or fail, because they simply do not understand the sales process. They don’t sell effectively, and therefore don’t succeed.

The book provides the clarity that business owners need to be more successful without trying so hard. It breaks down common scenarios, step by step, into techniques just about anyone can employ.

Diane is a good friend of mine and I highly recommend that small business owners invest in themselves and their future.

Lemonade Stand Simple, Accelerate Your Business Growth is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Order yours today!

About Diane

Diane is an internationally recognized business and leadership development coach, speaker, and author. As a certified, professional coach and president of Seize This Day Coaching, Diane works with people starting their own business, salespeople who need and want to improve their skills, and business owners who want to master challenges and realize greater success. She is also co-founder of Seize True Success, a coaching practice dedicated to helping franchisees grow and prosper. To learn more about her coaching practices please visit www.seizethisdaycoaching.com 

With a Dose of Peer Group Discussion and a Leadership Coach to Pump you Up!

Sales leaders need to remember that they too, must regularly upgrade their leadership skills.

There are two critical areas that will help you pump up your leadership quotient.  The most effective ways are networking with a peer group of like-minded sales leaders who face similar challenges and utilizing a sales leadership coach.

As a former sales executive I always understood the importance of investing in my own development and the advantages of networking, and yet I always found myself too busy to do either. Between meetings, presentations, conferences and emails I rarely had time even to meet with customers. Luckily for me, the organizations I worked for always insisted on professional development because otherwise it would have continued to be a low priority.

The reality is, networking with peers becomes more difficult the higher you rise in an organization. Most companies don’t have sales leadership programs for their most senior sales managers, therefore development opportunities must be sourced from outside.

Since leaving industry, I have learned that having a well-established professional network of executives was critical to building my business and a great way to ensure career security. I strongly advise clients to plan at least one networking lunch a month. Realistically most senior sales leaders don’t engage in networking on a regular basis.

It is crucial for sales leaders to raise their leadership quotient since the sales force is not only the company’s most important promotional resource but also usually has the greatest number of employees.  Therefore sales executives can benefit the most from improving their leadership skills.

The Old Way

As a sales leader I would enroll in a 2-3 day leadership course offered by a well-known training organization. The reality was these courses were nothing more than a boondoggle. I would look for a nice location, and get away for a few days. As soon as I got back to my desk and found 400 emails and a packed week of meetings waiting, 90% of what was learned was quickly forgotten. That is the inherent problem with leadership courses offered by big-name training organizations. There is no sustainability built into the program.

In today’s reality, it is increasing difficult to justify the costly $10,000 price tag of a weeklong Executive Leadership Training Course that has little ROI.

The New Way

We have understood that networking and sales leadership training are the key elements to creating a pumped-up sales leader. Through one-on-one coaching, group discussions involving the sharing of challenges and learnings, I believe that sales executives will emerge as the winners in this very competitive and difficult economy.

Now more than ever, they must harness the power of group learning forums supplemented with the sustaining power of leadership coaching.

Is there a solution that enables Sales Leaders to both network and improve their leadership skills?

Examining the needs of the Sales Executive, we developed a networking group called the Sales Executive Leadership Forum. This group is modeled after various successful networking organizations. Our main competitive edge is that we use Sales 2.0 technologies to network people together from the comfort of their work base. Understanding the time pressures that sales executives’ face we have designed a monthly tele-forum-networking group to discuss and learn new approaches to solving key sales challenges.

There are 3 reasons why you should consider joining the Sales Executive Leadership Forum:

1. Both the forum and the one-on-one coaching are all conducted by telephone. There is a relatively small time investment of 2.5 hours per month. No travel costs and time out of the office traveling to meetings. The overall cost of the program is less than $6000/year.

2. You gain access to world class coaches who will help you develop and hold you accountable to building and executing your leadership plan.

3. The small group forums offer many advantages including; getting to know and build relationships with up to 10 other sales executives; a confidential forum to exchange ideas; peer to peer learning and sharing of best practices; and a dynamic learning environment that is personalized to meet your needs.

To build your professional network, improve your leadership skills and increase your market value, invest in your Sales Leadership