The only reason for rewarding sales behaviors is that they have and will produce significant results for our salespeople, us as managers, our customers, and our company - IN THAT ORDER! By the way, get them out of that order and you will fail...

So, we all want the results - ones that:

1. Cost us the least
   
2. Gain us the most
   
3. Last over time.

The problem though is "How do I gain results that follow these common sense guidelines?"

Well, we've all heard the saying that "We get what we deserve..." and that is so true in this case. In a recent conversation with a fellow sales executive, we both agreed on the following: EVERY ONE OF US KNOWS WHAT THE DESIRED RESULTS ARE BUT REALLY MAY NOT HAVE A HANDLE ON THE "HOW TO GET THEM"

So, let's do a quick review of on some of the "HOW TO GET THEM" historical methods:

1. Fire the salespeople who don't get the results... Well, how did they become failures given that they could and should have done the job? And it sure violates rule # 1 - firing a salesperson is probably one of the most expensive actions you can take - saving them is allot easier and HUGELY MORE PROFITABLE FOR YOU AND YOUR COMPANY!
   
2. Change the compensation system which rarely works because such "new" plans fail on rules # 2 and # 3.
   
3. Introduce "spiffs" and other such temporary contests and monetary rewards. The problem is that it fails rule # 3 even if they work.

In summary, here's the common sense solution:

• Identify the sales behaviors that you want repeated (and there are only 6!).
• Create a Program that is:
  
  Self motivating
  
  Self funding (and that alone is a corporate free lunch for everybody!!!)
  
  Self sustaining.
  
• Have a supporting Measurement Program that in "real time" (not at the end of the month when the damage is already done...) lets you know when your sales people may be headed towards failure.
  
• Generously reward those behaviors to the point that your salespeople are even astonished!
  
• Make this Program a permanent one and shoot any bean counter that tries to eliminate it.

Sign up for this audio seminar and it will provide you far more excitement, control, comfort, and respect as a leader. This seminar will also aide in one of the great and on going frustrations in a sales manager's job.

Harry Alexander is the Senior Vice President, Sales, with Townson & Alexander, a sales and management consulting firm providing unique and exciting solutions which explode sales and profits.Some of the Fortune 500 companies he has worked with are:

• Mercedes Benz who increased revenues by $420 million over 4 consecutive years,
• John Deere who achieved 200% stock growth in only 2 years
• Macy*s who increased revenues by 62% in only 30 days.

Founded in 1984, we are Sales Management Consultants with over 350 years of cumulative management experience who actually provide you with what you want - to make more money! All our consultants have national management and executive sales backgrounds and have "been there", successfully driving sales and profits, overcoming the challenges of competition, falling margins, and flat sales.

We provide customized Sales Education and self Motivational Programs. A Sales Activity Tracking Program is also provided that puts real time information in your hands, allowing you and your salesforce to close more business faster. Finally, a modernized and self funding Incentive Compensation Program is built to maximize both your revenues and profits.

• $65/cd
• $65/immediate download