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Chapter 15. Managing Your Time and Territory. The Value Of Time. “Time is money” Salespeople average 920 hours a year in front of customers Salespeople must make every hour count to be successful Often a question of how to allocate resources
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Chapter 15 Managing Your Time and Territory
The Value Of Time • “Time is money” • Salespeople average 920 hours a year in front of customers • Salespeople must make every hour count to be successful • Often a question of how to allocate resources • Think about how much time you have spent on your university education ____Hours in class X ____hours studying = ______
The Time Management Matrix Important Not Important
The Self-Management Process The four stages of the self-management process include: 1) Setting goals 2) Allocating resources 3) Implementing The Time Management Strategy 4) Evaluating performance
Setting Goals The Need For Goals • Career goals and objectives should reflect personal ambitions and desires • Sales goals provide some of the means for reaching personal objectives • Guides the decision process • Increases performance
Goals The Nature Of Goals • Goals should be specific and measurable • Goals should be reachable yet challenging • Goals should also be time based Types Of Sales Goals Performance Goals • Goals relating to outcomes, such as revenue • These types of goals should be set first • Do not always need to be quantifiable
Goals Activity Goals • Behavioral objectives that reflect how hard the salesperson wants to work • All are intermediate goals Conversion Goals • Measures of a salesperson’s efficiency • They reflect how efficiently the salesperson uses resources, such as time, to accomplish performance goals Setting Sales Goals • Performance and conversion goals are the basis for activity goals
Allocating Resources Resources To Be Allocated • Salespeople consider physical resources as investments because resources must be managed wisely to generate the best possible return • A key resource that salespeople manage is time Where To Allocate Resources • Often a question of finding the customers or companies that are most likely to buy and then allocating resources to maximize the opportunities they offer
Account Classification and Resource Allocation ABC Analysis • Simplest classification scheme that ranks accounts by sales potential – know the 80/20 rule – see P. 404 • Classification schemes can be used to generate call plans • Works well with industries that have regular contact with the same accounts. Examples: Eli Lilly and SC Johnson Wax
Account Classification Grid Analysis Sales call allocation grid- classifies accounts on the basis of the company’s competitive position with an account along with the accounts sales potential – Exhibit 15.4-P.405 & Exhibit 15.5-P.406 Account-opportunity- indicates how much the customer needs/able to buy the product Strength of position- indicates how strong the salesperson and company are in selling the account
Sales Call Allocation Grid The Grid and Current Customers • Great tool for analyzing current customers • Research has found customer share to be a better resource of profit than market share Market Analysis • Evaluation of opportunity within segments in the overall territory to determine allocation of time and other resources Using The Computer For Analysis • The new sales automation software products are designed to lets salespeople determine where an account stands in the buying cycle
The Grid & Current Customers • Landmark study: • Customer share, also called account share, is the average percentage of business received from a company’s accounts in a particular category. Similar term – share of wallet! • Paper and Plastic Industry study – account share VERY IMPORTANT, not necessarily number of accounts!
Investing in AccountsSales Technology Can predict revenue based on purchase history Determines where to invest time in free sample, trials, training, & displays
Time Management Strategies Investing In Accounts • Strategies require the use of several resources • Salespeople invest in time, free samples or trials, customer training, displays and other resources in their customers • Customers generate nearly all of a firm’s revenue
Implementing The Time Management Strategy • Time is a limited resource Daily Activity Planning • Salespeople must have a good understanding of their own work habits Guidelines • Salespeople must allocate time for prospecting and customer care Prime selling time- time of day at which a salesperson is most likely to see a buyer • Prime selling time differs from country to country
Time Management Planning Process • Make a to-do list and prioritize your schedule • Estimate the time required for each activity • Develop an effective time schedule Using The Computer For Planning Tickler file- file or calendar that salespeople use to remember when to call specific accounts Need For Flexibility • To plan for the unexpected make sales calls prioritized; adjust your schedule to fit time concerns
Time Management Making More Calls • Develop efficient routes and make daily plans • “Out Tuesday, back Friday complex” • The sales rep must make full use of all available days to get the most out of the territory Routing – P. 413 • Method of planning sales calls in a specific order to minimize travel time Routine call patterns- salespeople see the customers regularly Variable call patterns- when the salesperson must call on accounts in an irregular order
Time Management Routing (Contd.) Four types of routing plans: P. 413 Circular routing Leapfrog routing Straight-line routing Cloverleaf routing Zoning Definition: Dividing the territory into zones, based on ease of travel and concentration of customers, to minimize travel time • Works best for compact territories or on non-regular sales calls
Time Management Using Mail and Telephone • Customers may appreciate a time saving call over a visit • Salespeople can make numerous customer care calls Handling Paperwork and Reports • Salespeople should think positively about paperwork • Salespeople should not let paperwork accumulate • Routine reports should be completed daily • Salespeople should set aside a block of nonselling time for paperwork
Time Management Using The Computer To Handle Paperwork and Communications • Make use of a laptop • Can help international selling organizations operate smoothly by reducing communication barriers • Territory management capabilities • E-mail – no errors & within 24 hours
Evaluating Performance Postcall Analysis • Salespeople should take a moment to write down what occurred and what needs to be done after each call Activity Analysis • Salespeople should review their activities in relations to their goals Performance Analysis • An earnings goal can be an effective check for overall performance, and evaluate sales by product type Productivity Analysis • Identify which strategies work Conversion ratio- number of sales per calls; important measure of effectiveness