Collect Those Receivables!

Collecting receivables has been compared to going to the dentist – but that is unfair to dentists. At least it’s unfair to the dentists I know.

When you enter into a transaction – a simple transaction – you agree to provide products or services by a certain time; and the customer agrees to pay for those products or services by a certain time. Anything outside of that generally costs the other party money in one way or another.

By not collecting receivables when due you are:

• competing with the banks by providing free financing
• foregoing the opportunity to reinvest that money in your own business and earn a return on it
• increasing the risk of total loss with every day that passes

Excuses I hear for not collecting what is due when it is due include the fear that the customer will take his/her future business elsewhere. Is that the kind of customer you want? Quite frankly, you will have no shortage of customers if you don’t require payment!

Call your overdue customers and politely remind them the account is past due. Ask exactly when (date) you can expect payment – and call them back if it is not received. Be firm.

Making collection calls is not pleasant, but successful business owners do not hesitate to collect what is due to them.

Business owners who make a point of proactively collecting receivables are the ones who get paid. If your receivables are overdue, it’s likely your own fault.

 

JP Roszell and his partner Verne Milot work with business owners who have the burning desire to take their businesses to the next level – whether it’s past the energy-draining and cash-consuming start up phase (which can last for years) or to the level where profitable growth takes place without the owner’s personal day-to-day involvement. Verne and JP work directly with business owners to improve ALL aspects of their businesses.

With regards to selling, JP has had a lifelong passion for sales and sales people. His sales groups have successfully built profitable sales at every company with which he has been associated, from the smallest to some of the biggest companies in their industries. He knows what it takes.

Looking for more than a business coach?  JPand Verne are different. They have been there, and if they can’t help you, they will say so. 

Call today – JP can be reached at 705.725.4104  or email him at JP@Growth-Associates.com

 - Verne can be reached at 905-688-2226 or email him at Verne@Growth-Associates.com

What is the True Cost of Sales Training?

Have you honestly considered the true cost of sales training? Such an evaluation should include:

• •         direct fees
• •         transportation to the training
• •         meals and accommodation
• •         ‘opportunity cost’ of being away from the territory
• •         materials

 

When you add these up, the total cost of a two or three-day sales training regimen is very, very high. If you have actually looked at these costs, chances are good that you have cut back on sales training – and that is understandable, particularly if you achieved no measurable, observable changes in results or behaviour.

Traditional sales courses are not only expensive, but intense. Most are 16 to 24 hours of lecturing. The better ones have some hands-on role play or other reinforcement techniques to try to drive behaviour change but we all know that there is a finite limit to what can be absorbed in one training course. That explains the lack of permanent change in the participants’ selling approaches and techniques. Within a week or two, they understandably revert to what they know best – what they did before they took the course.

So now you have a double-whammy: expensive training, marginal results.

Selling is a complex profession. It requires aspects of psychology, understanding human behavior, communications (listening is a part of communication), motivation and a host of other disciplines. In fact, an argument can be made that a true sales professional has mastered a skill set as broad or broader than most other professions … yet so many companies fail to require anything much beyond ‘product knowledge’ which is more often than not the most easily obtained knowledge of all, and thanks to the internet it is knowledge that prospects easily access on their own.

Effective sales training takes time. It takes practice. It takes repetition. It requires a coach – just as becoming a competitive swimmer or golfer requires coaching. It needs to be administered in digestible, structured pieces that are not individually overwhelming yet fit together in total. And it must be part of a sales system that measures the processes and results.

What it does NOT have to be is as expensive as a seminar that takes your people away from their territories – and fails to produce measurable, observable changes in results and behavior.

 

JP Roszell and his partner Verne Milot work with business owners who have the burning desire to take their businesses to the next level – whether it’s past the energy-draining and cash-consuming start up phase (which can last for years) or to the level where profitable growth takes place without the owner’s personal day-to-day involvement. Verne and JP work directly with business owners to improve ALL aspects of their businesses.

With regards to selling, JP has had a lifelong passion for sales and sales people. His sales groups have successfully built profitable sales at every company with which he has been associated, from the smallest to some of the biggest companies in their industries. He knows what it takes.

Looking for more than a business coach?  JPand Verne are different. They have been there, and if they can’t help you, they will say so. 

Call today – JP can be reached at 705.725.4104  or email him at JP@Growth-Associates.com

 - Verne can be reached at 905-688-2226 or email him at Verne@Growth-Associates.com

Money as a Motivator?

It’s hard to disagree with James Goldsmith, often cited as saying “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys” BUT … that is a poor argument for the claim that money is a motivator.

Study after study indicates that money is at best fourth on the list of effective methods of motivating employees, yet far too many companies (and sales management) spend inordinate amounts of time (and money) trying to fiddle with monetary-based compensation schemes in the hope they will find the magic bullet to drive performance. Why is that? I suggest it’s because compared to more effective methods of motivating people, it is the easiest and can be put in place by even the least competent managers.

Motivators that rank ahead of ‘money’ include:

• the opportunity for personal growth
• a challenging and meaningful work environment
• recognition and appreciation (non-monetary)
• a sense of belonging to a team

For a company that already has a competitive, equitable salary structure in place, the four elements cited above will drive performance higher than if those factors are ignored and money is used as the sole motivational tool.

I agree it’s easier to just retool the incentive plan year after year in the single-minded belief that money is a motivator, but the best companies do not default to the easiest approaches to managing people. They invest time and effort on what truly works.

Will doubling – or quadrupling – the pay of your poorest performing employee(s) double or quadruple their performance? Even if tied directly to results, my experience is that it will not. Lazy is lazy is lazy. Instead, invest the time to effectively review their performance with them and agree on a remedial course of action – and move them out if there is no improvement. Do not offer them more money to work harder. It won’t work.

Top performers are top performers, regardless of compensation; they can’t help themselves. Competitive, equitable compensation will help keep them with you, but if you offer them even more money it will not improve their productivity or job satisfaction. Further, if your top performers truly enjoy all four of the elements listed above (plus equitable, competitive pay) they will stick with you even though offered more money elsewhere. It will take a LOT more money for them to leave, because top performers intuitively understand that the increased money is likely a substitute for a less satisfying work environment.

Here is what I suggest, and in fact is what excellent companies do. Apply equal weight in terms of management time, management effort and money to each of five factors – the four elements listed above, plus your incentive scheme. Do not substitute increased emphasis on one at the expense of another.

If you are uncertain about how to create the first four elements, then get some professional help. But whatever you do, don’t fall into the trap of substituting money for the first four.

You should aspire to be the preferred employer in your industry, and unless you work on all of the elements you will never get there. And your company’s performance will reflect that.

 

JP Roszell and his partner Verne Milot work with business owners who have the burning desire to take their businesses to the next level – whether it’s past the energy-draining and cash-consuming start up phase (which can last for years) or to the level where profitable growth takes place without the owner’s personal day-to-day involvement. Verne and JP work directly with business owners to improve ALL aspects of their businesses.

With regards to selling, JP has had a lifelong passion for sales and sales people. His sales groups have successfully built profitable sales at every company with which he has been associated, from the smallest to some of the biggest companies in their industries. He knows what it takes.

Looking for more than a business coach?  JPand Verne are different. They have been there, and if they can’t help you, they will say so. 

Call today – JP can be reached at 705.725.4104  or email him at JP@Growth-Associates.com

 - Verne can be reached at 905-688-2226 or email him at Verne@Growth-Associates.com

the Employee Turnover Paradox

Employee turnover is simple to measure, but the best performing businesses know that understanding – and managing – the underlying variables that drive employee turnover is anything but simple.

The simplistic belief that turnover is bad leads to a paradox: turnover is lowest in poorly managed, poorly performing companies.

That seeming paradox deserves challenging – the reality is that uncontrolled turnover is bad.

Consider three simple observations about employee turnover:

1. in well-managed, high-performing businesses, the poorest performing employees account for the greatest portion of employee turnover – but there is turnover, and it is managed.
2. in low to average-performing businesses, the best performing employees account for a disproportionately large portion of turnover
3. in businesses poised to fail, there is very little turnover at all unless it relates directly to people let go for strictly economic reasons.

 

Scenario 1: Well-managed, high-performing businesses have meaningful performance measures in place, they conduct effective performance appraisals on regularly-scheduled intervals, and they act on those measures and appraisals – providing training and remedial programs for those employees who need them. The company knows who is performing, who isn’t, and makes certain each employee knows where he or she stands. In addition, the company has the right mix of intrinsic and extrinsic variables in place to make it a rewarding place to work. All together, chronic poor performers either leave on their own or are proactively moved out. The best employees stay because their performance is recognized and they are rewarded. Employee turnover is controlled, and optimized.

 

Scenario 2: Low to average-performing businesses have measurements and reviews that range from effective to ineffective, and apply them to some or all employees. They do NOT apply effective measurements and reviews to all employees on a consistent basis. The quality of training and clarity of job descriptions also range from good to poor, and are inconsistent. Universal, meaningful performance appraisals are therefore difficult to conduct and as a result are not completed in a timely, effective basis. Chances are also good that because less attention is paid to the overall work environment, there is no serious consideration given to an appropriate mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators – and if any attention at all is paid to this area, it focuses on the extrinsic monetary variable which (whether you like it or not) has been proven time and again to be a poor motivator. The best people leave this environment when a suitable opportunity with a scenario 1 company presents itself, because they can. Poorer performers are not recognized and handled effectively, and they stay because they typically lack the motivation (and ability/opportunity) to move to a better company – they stay because they can. This type of turnover is clearly sub-optimal. It is not driven and controlled by the company.

 

Scenario 3: A failing company has numerous problems. They hire poorly, train poorly, measure and review poorly (if at all) and the reward system becomes increasingly centered on money – even while it becomes almost impossible to hit any of the monetary-driven targets. Only the very worst employees stay in an environment like this, and eventually the business hits a turning point where it is poised to begin its final, downward descent. The majority of the best employees have left as the company approached the ‘bottom’ of the scenario 2 range (if it was ever a ‘scenario 2 company to begin with) and the company typically puts a hiring freeze in place. From this point, even when economic factors force the owner / manager to let people go, the wrong people are forced out the door because there is simply no ability to define and measure effective performance.

 

Which scenario most closely describes your company?

 

What will you do about it?

JP Roszell and his partner Verne Milot work with business owners who have the burning desire to take their businesses to the next level – whether it’s past the energy-draining and cash-consuming start up phase (which can last for years) or to the level where profitable growth takes place without the owner’s personal day-to-day involvement. Verne and JP work directly with business owners to improve ALL aspects of their businesses.

With regards to selling, JP has had a lifelong passion for sales and sales people. His sales groups have successfully built profitable sales at every company with which he has been associated, from the smallest to some of the biggest companies in their industries. He knows what it takes.

Looking for more than a business coach?  JPand Verne are different. They have been there, and if they can’t help you, they will say so. 

Call today – JP can be reached at 705.725.4104  or email him at JP@Growth-Associates.com

 - Verne can be reached at 905-688-2226 or email him at Verne@Growth-Associates.com

 

Look South Instead of East

In my previous blog, titled ‘The Case for Manufacturing in North America’, I noted the reported increase in the number of North American manufacturers who are considering repatriating manufacture from overseas factories, and suggested that serious consideration be given (by those companies who qualify) to viewing ‘NA manufacturing’ as a strength rather than a weakness, and that they figure out how to exploit that strength as a strategic opportunity.

 

Blindly following ‘conventional wisdom’ can be a killer, and conversely, bucking the trend can be a game-changer. The point is that the strategic leader of your business needs to be both a skeptic and a contrarian to break away from the pack. If you embody those characteristics you may still decide to adopt the same path that is conventionally accepted, but you will not have overlooked the existence of a break-out strategy that will elude those who blindly follow the crowd.

For at least the last 10 years too many companies have simply accepted the premise that if you didn’t manufacture in China you would be at a strategic – and possibly fatal – disadvantage. Similarly, it has been simply accepted that if your company is not developing markets in the Far East, you are missing the proverbial boat.

I dealt with the manufacturing issue in my previous blog.

Now, here are some of the reasons that developing markets in the Far East may not be your best strategic option:

• even though a market is ‘large’, if all of your competitors are fighting for a share your expected share will be smaller, and achieved at a higher marketing cost
• conversely, your expected share (and possibly volume) in a smaller market may be higher than in the point above if fewer of your competitors are present (plus, your marketing costs may be lower)
• some markets are so vast that only the largest companies can afford to be there physically – and if you cannot match them, then you are playing David against Goliath
• the real costs of engaging with a market must include effective, real-time communications and these costs rise in relation to the difference in time zones – can you afford to have head office staff working on ‘China time’?
• not all distances are geographic in nature – the cultural distance between N America and China is huge
• not all markets view N America in as positive (or at least favorable) a fashion as do other markets

 

So, if you are an export-oriented small to medium-sized company, China and the Far East may simply not be the place to go despite the fact that everyone else seems to be going there. In fact, because everyone else seems to be going there is the very reason you should at least consider other targets.

Throughout my career I have vocally and energetically made the case for ‘looking south’ in terms of assessing the potential of growing sales in various markets outside of N America. I have grown exports globally in most cases, but the most dramatic and profitable gains have always been made in Latin America – for the very reasons listed above.

Those reasons, including less ‘social distance’ (I have had hands-on experience in both Latin America and the Far East, so I know first-hand), are still valid.

And there are many additional reasons you should at least consider focusing efforts on Latin America. Here are just a few:

• strong economic growth – the IMF ‘World Economic Outlook’ (April 2012) shows the 2011 GDP increase in South America (in total) as 4.8% vs. 2.0% in N America; for 2012 they project 3.8% vs. our 2.2% (which has since fallen)
• many of these countries have consistent, impartial legal systems in place that are transparent in nature
• many of these countries have sophisticated, English-speaking dealers, distributors and agents who are trustworthy and reliable potential partners
• Latin America, as with both the USA and Canada, is heavily populated by people whose ancestors originated from Europe – a significantly lesser cultural distance than that which separates us from the Far East
• with the possible exception of Brazil, fewer N American-based companies are engaged in Latin America as in the Far East

 

There are more reasons, but these should be enough to encourage you to at least consider that there may be strategic advantages to looking south, rather than east. Specifically, I suggest you start by looking at Chile, Argentina and Peru.

 

JP Roszell and his partner Verne Milot work with business owners who have the burning desire to take their businesses to the next level – whether it’s past the energy-draining and cash-consuming start up phase (which can last for years) or to the level where profitable growth takes place without the owner’s personal day-to-day involvement. Verne and JP work directly with business owners to improve ALL aspects of their businesses.

With regards to selling, JP has had a lifelong passion for sales and sales people. His sales groups have successfully built profitable sales at every company with which he has been associated, from the smallest to some of the biggest companies in their industries. He knows what it takes.

Looking for more than a business coach?  JPand Verne are different. They have been there, and if they can’t help you, they will say so. 

Call today – JP can be reached at 705.725.4104  or email him at JP@Growth-Associates.com

 - Verne can be reached at 905-688-2226 or email him at Verne@Growth-Associates.com

The Case for Manufacturing in North America

For the first time in perhaps a decade, surveys indicate a decrease in the number of companies considering moving manufacturing overseas (primarily China) and an increase in the number of companies considering bringing production back home. Reasons cited for this change include:

• cost in time and travel to visit suppliers
• difficulties in separating engineering/design from manufacturing
• intellectual property risks
• increased shipping costs (skyrocketing oil prices)
• long supply chains when just-in-time deliveries are critical

 

Ten years ago, manufacturing costs were measured more in terms of direct product costs – perhaps due to a lack of first-hand experience with other factors similar to those listed above. The emphasis was on direct labor costs, which while still low in China compared to North America, have actually risen at an astounding average of 15% annually over the last ten years in China. The gap is clearly closing, and closing at a significant pace when all factors are considered.

Another factor in the switch relates directly to four of the five points cited above – and that is the advantage of having production closer to the end market. So for those companies manufacturing products in China which are in the end destined for North American customers, the pressure to at least consider repatriating production is even stronger.

It was a similar situation back in 1993 when NAFTA was clearly on the horizon. At that time I was a member of the executive group at Champion Road Machinery (and an investor), and we felt it was strategically important to consider what the cost differentials might be if we manufactured some or all of our machinery in Mexico vs. in Canada. The manufacturing VP and I decided we should consider a broader range of factors than simply direct labor costs, and when we completed our study we determined that the modest potential savings did not justify the costs (and risks) of relocation. I can say that at the time I left Champion in the latter part of 1995, our decision was even more clearly ‘right’ than we believed it to be in 1993 – at least for Champion.

So … what conclusions can be drawn from all of this? I would suggest at least the following:

• outsourcing manufacture to China should NOT be considered to be a no-brainer
• locating manufacture close to the products’ markets is clearly important
• in a SWOT analysis, ‘NA-based manufacturing’ should be considered a strength and viewed as a strategically opportunistic weapon rather than automatically relegated to the ‘weakness’ quadrant

 

In my next blog, titled ‘Look South Instead of East’, I will explain why small to medium-sized enterprises should look to Latin America (vs. China and the ‘Far East’) as an attractive export market.

 

JP Roszell and his partner Verne Milot work with business owners who have the burning desire to take their businesses to the next level – whether it’s past the energy-draining and cash-consuming start up phase (which can last for years) or to the level where profitable growth takes place without the owner’s personal day-to-day involvement. Verne and JP work directly with business owners to improve ALL aspects of their businesses.

With regards to selling, JP has had a lifelong passion for sales and sales people. His sales groups have successfully built profitable sales at every company with which he has been associated, from the smallest to some of the biggest companies in their industries. He knows what it takes.

Looking for more than a business coach?  JPand Verne are different. They have been there, and if they can’t help you, they will say so. 

Call today – JP can be reached at 705.725.4104  or email him at JP@Growth-Associates.com

 - Verne can be reached at 905-688-2226 or email him at Verne@Growth-Associates.com

Why should I buy from you?

Okay – we’ve all heard it.

The prospect is (choose all that apply) skeptical, difficult, in a hurry, aggressive, belligerent, domineering, show-boating, angry … and this is his / her show-stopper.

I am asking you to stop and think. I know it’s easier for you if you’ve been in this exact situation before, but I am asking you to picture yourself in a new situation where you are close to quarter-end, where the prospect is new to you, the prospect is BIG, and you have expended considerable time and effort to just get in front of this person. Okay now, lean back, close your eyes and play the scenario through in your mind. Visualize it. Feel it.

 

No cheating – close your eyes and let the curtain rise on that theatre in your mind.

 

What did you say? Honestly – what did you say?

 

If you pictured yourself saying things like:

• my company has a solid reputation for …
• we offer a complete line of …
• our products are the best available …
• we have saved companies like yours thousands …

then you have said exactly what he / she expected you to say, and you have said exactly what virtually every one of your competitors would say. You have just confirmed what your prospect suspected – that you are no different than any of your competitors and you are therefore wasting time. You have performed the stereotyped role of a salesperson to perfection, and your prospect has no further interest in participating in another replay of a tiresome, frustrating and thoroughly predictable scenario.

Honestly – can you blame them?

On the other hand, if you answered ‘Maybe you shouldn’t buy anything from me. When can I sit down with you for 45 minutes to talk about your biggest headaches?’ you have already differentiated yourself – and your company – from all of those other stereotypical salespeople who are viewed as feature/benefit-dumping time-wasters that spend most of their face-time talking about themselves, their products or their companies.

The only thing you have to lose with this approach is your image as a typical salesperson representing the typical supplier.

And that, my friends, is a good thing!

 

JP Roszell and his partner Verne Milot work with business owners who have the burning desire to take their businesses to the next level – whether it’s past the energy-draining and cash-consuming start up phase (which can last for years) or to the level where profitable growth takes place without the owner’s personal day-to-day involvement. Verne and JP work directly with business owners to improve ALL aspects of their businesses.

With regards to selling, JP has had a lifelong passion for sales and sales people. His sales groups have successfully built profitable sales at every company with which he has been associated, from the smallest to some of the biggest companies in their industries. He knows what it takes.

Looking for more than a business coach?  JPand Verne are different. They have been there, and if they can’t help you, they will say so. 

Call today – JP can be reached at 705.725.4104  or email him at JP@Growth-Associates.com

 - Verne can be reached at 905-688-2226 or email him at Verne@Growth-Associates.com

Insanity is …

… doing the same thing, over and over, and expecting a different result ~ Albert Einstein.

And such are the circumstances of those companies (and sales people) who suffer from any or all of:

• price and margin pressures
• the inability to book sales in a predictable, consistent fashion
• difficulties getting through to prospects who dodge them, ignoring calls, emails, etc.
• large ‘performance gaps’ between individual sales people

There will be no consistent, predictable improvement in results unless you change the way you do things.

Society in general has become less tolerant over the last 10 years, for many reasons. And as pressures increase on businesses of all types, those businesses (and the people who work in them) have less and less tolerance for sales behaviors they do not like. Think about that … it explains all four of the symptoms listed above.

If your sales department lacks a system and you employ the same selling tools and techniques that have been used for the last 10 (or more) years, you will continue to suffer the same results. To expect otherwise is insanity.

It doesn’t have to be that way!

 

JP Roszell and his partner Verne Milot work with business owners who have the burning desire to take their businesses to the next level – whether it’s past the energy-draining and cash-consuming start up phase (which can last for years) or to the level where profitable growth takes place without the owner’s personal day-to-day involvement. Verne and JP work directly with business owners to improve ALL aspects of their businesses.

With regards to selling, JP has had a lifelong passion for sales and sales people. His sales groups have successfully built profitable sales at every company with which he has been associated, from the smallest to some of the biggest companies in their industries. He knows what it takes

Looking for more than a business coach?  JPand Verne are different. They have been there, and if they can’t help you, they will say so. 

Call today – JP can be reached at 705.725.4104  or email him at JP@Growth-Associates.com

 - Verne can be reached at 905-688-2226 or email him at Verne@Growth-Associates.com

Is your business ready to sell?

A huge proportion of businesses employ 100 or fewer people, and a significant number of the owners of those businesses plan to exit within the next few years. That is a lot of businesses potentially hitting the market in a short time period.

Is your business ‘ready to sell?’ If you are like the typical homeowners contemplating selling their residence, the answer is … no. You will have to ‘clean it up’ before putting it on the market.

If your business needs a fix-up before it goes on the market, then it must be lacking in some essential elements. If it is not ready to sell tomorrow, then it must be underperforming today.

You should be constantly working on your business – not just in your business – whether you are contemplating selling or not. If you were suddenly disabled, or heaven forbid, died, would your business run itself until sold? The ‘pennies on the dollar’ liquidation scenario is not only unappealing but unfair to surviving family members and employees.

Simply put, good businesses sell easier than poor businesses. A definition of a good business that I personally like is one that:

1. ranks in the top quartile of profits

2. requires less than 40 hours per week from its owner (some possible exceptions for sole practitioners)

3. employs dedicated, knowledgeable, motivated people

These ‘good’ businesses exist – and they are the ones that will sell quickly, for the highest prices. If yours isn’t one of them right now, what are you waiting for? Until it’s time to sell?

It doesn’t have to be that way!

JP Roszell and his partner Verne Milot work with business owners who have the burning desire to take their businesses to the next level – whether it’s past the energy-draining and cash-consuming start up phase (which can last for years) or to the level where profitable growth takes place without the owner’s personal day-to-day involvement. Verne and JP work directly with business owners to improve ALL aspects of their businesses.

With regards to selling, JP has had a lifelong passion for sales and sales people. His sales groups have successfully built profitable sales at every company with which he has been associated, from the smallest to some of the biggest companies in their industries. He knows what it takes.

Looking for more than a business coach?  JPand Verne are different. They have been there, and if they can’t help you, they will say so. 

Call today – JP can be reached at 705.725.4104  or email him at JP@Growth-Associates.com

 - Verne can be reached at 905-688-2226 or email him at Verne@Growth-Associates.com

 

 

systems, processes and skill sets

Would you use an airline that allows each pilot to take off, fly and land any way they choose, and perhaps not even the same way every time?

How about trusting your heart surgery to a ‘natural-born’ doctor lacking formal training?

If you own your business, would you care if your accountant follows GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) or if the way profits are calculated vary from month to month?

If you ran a factory with three production lines all producing widgets, would you care if the managers of each line chose to run their line in their own way?

If you answered, in order,  ‘yes’, ‘yes’ and ‘no’, ‘no’ don’t bother reading any further.

 

I find it interesting that virtually all departments and employees in a company follow defined systems and processes designed to maintain accuracy, quality, timeliness, consistency, productivity and predictability yet many companies fail to require rigorous systems and processes in their sales department. What gives? Imagine fielding a football team where all the elements follow a strategy but the offensive line is allowed to do their own thing. Or the quarterback just makes it up as he goes … and doesn’t even execute specific plays the same way every time.

Similarly, I find it interesting that the ‘professionals’ in virtually all departments of a company have studied the theories, practices, skills and legislated responsibilities of their professions – and been tested on them – yet for the most part ‘sales professionals’ are exempt from the same requirements and expectations.  That, of course, accounts for sizable performance gaps between individual sales people, unpredictable and inconsistent overall results, price cutting and a whole host of other issues the like of which would never be tolerated in any other department in the same company.

Sales professionalism in terms of theories, practices and skills is critical. These include aspects of psychology, human behavior, communications (listening is part of communication), motivation and a host of other disciplines. In fact, an argument can be made that a true sales professional has mastered a skill set as broad or broader than most other professions … yet so many companies fail to require anything much beyond ‘product knowledge’, which is more often than not the most easily obtained ‘knowledge’ of all.

The uptake on this:

1. systems and processes are critical to the success of every organization – including selling systems and processes
2. selling is a complex profession requiring at least the same intellectual disciplines and capabilities as other professions
3. traditional product training is NOT A SUBSTITUTE for professional sales training

 

JP Roszell and his partner Verne Milot work with business owners who have the burning desire to take their businesses to the next level – whether it’s past the energy-draining and cash-consuming start up phase (which can last for years) or to the level where profitable growth takes place without the owner’s personal day-to-day involvement. Verne and JP work directly with business owners to improve ALL aspects of their businesses.

With regards to selling, JP has had a lifelong passion for sales and sales people. His sales groups have successfully built profitable sales at every company with which he has been associated, from the smallest to some of the biggest companies in their industries. He knows what it takes

Looking for more than a business coach?  JP and Verne are different. They have been there, and if they can’t help you, they will say so. 

Call today – JP can be reached at 705.725.4104  or email him at JP@Growth-Associates.com

 - Verne can be reached at 905-688-2226 or email him at Verne@Growth-Associates.com