The Profit Prophet

If your goal is to become a great company or even improve your existing one, every employee in you company should be able to “sell” the product or service that you are merchandising. Since that is usually not the case, you are forced to hire sales people to help implement the objectives laid out by upper management. A national study indicated that less than 3% of the population has an inherent penchant for sales, and as much as 50% of all salespeople really do not know how to sell. During my 20 odd years in sales, I have hired, worked with, and observed great sales people (yes, both men and women). Being the observant type and believing in best practices, I have complied a listing of questions you should ask any salesperson before you hire them, and should use this Litmus Test to review of your existing sales force to determine whether to keep them or cut them loose.  I hope you find it useful. Psyching Out the Test : People always try to answer questions the way they thin...

Once, I was asked to help an existing company recruit some sales help by their VP of Sales and Marketing. They needed someone who could grow a new software product they were developing, and who had both a technical expertise and business savvy about them. We had narrowed down the field to two people. One guy was in his forties, and had a 15-year track record of substantial sales and marketing experience and success. He actually was an electrical engineer, who during his career had migrated into sales and marketing. He understood the product perfectly, and both the VP and I felt that he would be an excellent fit. He was driven, self-assured, personable, and hungry. The other candidate had just graduated from a pretty prestigious MBA B-School program, but did not have any direct selling experience. He did know all the latest buzzwords and jargon, and was very knowledgeable on all the latest strategies in selling. I felt that while this guy was personable and knowledgeable, h...

I promised that I would try to give some practical advice on how to improve your business in simple to understand concepts and ideas. One of the most pressings issues for any company is how to increase sales profitably with the least amount of effort, or something I call 'Return on Effort.' Most people believe that the best way to grow a company is to either get your existing customers to purchase more or to get them to tell their friends and acquaintances to purchase from you. While repeat business is much easier the get than new business, and referrals can help you grow, you are at best looking at incremental gains. It is like fishing in the same pond trying to catch different fish. What most companies would like are macromental gains and in sales and profits. In order to get to the lofty goals, you are going to have to abandon some old held beliefs, and move far enough away from the safe harbor so as to no longer see the shore. First, I have to diagram what I am talki...

Many moons ago, while working at Harris Semi- conductors and a marketing manager, I had a disagreement with my boss about who ultimately paid our salaries. When I told him, “Our customers pay our paychecks; and actually it is our customers’ customers who paid our paychecks,” his retort was that he paid my salary. My boss felt that is was marketing’s job to convince our customers of what they wanted, preferably that it would be what we were trying to sell. Hard to believe that this guy got his MBA from the Sloan Business School! I knew it then, and it has been proven to me over and over again that my boss was wrong (although I did get sacked for not only this disagreement but many others). What is important then is still important now. In sales, it is NOT what you are selling, what is important is the problems you are solving for your customer. The number one problem customers will face is what should they make to satisfy the needs and desires of their existing and potential customer...

During my early business life I was always struck by the fact that “expensive” hotels charged extra for everything, local calls, internet, movies, newspapers, breakfast, etc.; at the same time, more affordable hotels included everything. Although these less pricey hotels did not have marble foyers or linen tables, they did offer things that a very young, weary, traveler wanted: a clean room, safe & quiet environment, and some perks. For the exorbitant prices you paid at the high-end hotels, everything should have been included. What they should have done is given rebates back for things you did not use instead of nickel and diming us to death. I read an article in INC Magazine about a judge who was invited to a very expensive restaurant in the Washington, D.C. area. Even though it was a long drive, the ambiance was top notch, the food excellent, and the service superb. Still there was something that ruined the whole experience: He was charged $1 for ice in his $7 mixed dri...

When you think of great brands what comes to mind? Starbucks? Apple? Nike? Coke? Mercedes? Hermes? Everybody talks about wanting a great brand, but so few people understand what actually makes a good brand.   First, what is a brand? A brand is what speaks to a consumer when there is no one there to speak for it. Essentially, a good brand is your ever-present salesman. It is the voice inside a customer’s head that tells it that is a good / valuable / well built / sporty / classy / etc. product or service. A poor brand will do nothing but make your potential customers look for your competition. It is an absolute fallacy to think that all you need for a great brand is a cool or catchy name, or that endorsements “make” your brand, or that technology can sell your brand. First and foremost, you have to have either a product or service that delivers on the promise of your brand. And now the hard part, what is your brand’s promise? What is the story behind whatever it is you are ...