Salesmanship
Enterprise Manager's Guide
by
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34. Sales 7 deadly Roadblocks “Customers do not see it as their job to ensure manufacturer a profit. The only sound way to price is start out with what the market is willing to pay” – Peter F. Drucker The salesman should decline to join a company where the CEO believes that he has no competition and sales will just happen. This is a “red flag” for the salesman and a clear signal that the company is not market oriented. When should a salesman decide that it is time to “move on”? If any one or more of the sales 7 deadly roadblocks exist, the salesman should seriously make a decision on what he wants to do next. Sales are a long term endeavor and are built upon good relations with customer develop over time. However, if this cannot be achieved than the salesman is doom to failure. The salesman is not a “Superman”; certain management decisions will affect the outcome of his sales efforts. Therefore, he will always have to keep an eye on the environment that he is working in. Learning from history, there are 7, deadly sales roadblocks that the salesman should look out for; 1. Primary focus is Profit: This usually happens when the CEO has an accounting background and now runs the company or the company majority equity owner is an investment company. Purely focusing on profit/margin with no desire or interest in the products/services of the company is not a health sign for the salesman. The company management does not take a long term view of the business and will off load the company from the holding portfolio if an offer is made for its acquisition. Likely in such a company the employee morale is low and delivery of product/service will also suffer. Customers’ buy because of the salesman, his personal reputation is also at stake. The salesman cannot be successful in such a situation as the future will always be uncertain. He should move on.
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About the Book
Salesmanship: Enterprise Manager’s Guide has been developed based on experience over the last twenty years in sales of capital goods and software solutions to improve performance. The book came out from the need to train our sales managers. In the information age, it is no longer sufficient to hire sales people with sales and marketing qualification. There is a paradigm change in the function of sales in an enterprise. On the one hand, the sales manager has to be transformed into an entrepreneur. On the other hand, the sales manager has to be trained to become a knowledge worker, i.e., an engineer and a problem solver. The sales manage need to think in terms of commitment and at the same time be able to comprehend and document the processes and workflow (i.e., supply chain and value chain) of the customer during his sales visits. Salesmanship is about relationship management, i.e., relationship with internal and external customers, suppliers, contractors, agencies, etc.—relationship brings us into politics. The sales manager needs to have situational awareness and be sensitive to the cultural factors present during the sales cycle. Salesmanship is about leadership, i.e., the capacity to translate vision into reality. The sales manager is motivated and guided by principles, i.e., he is a soldier and a gentlemen. The sales manager being of strong character will be able to overcome adversity during sales without resorting to con schemes or misleading the customers. The book is a summary of the practical sales knowledge acquired over the last twenty years.
About the Author
Wilfred is currently the managing director of IS SEACOS Asia based in Singapore. His main role and responsibility is in the sales of maritime software and services. Wilfred has been in sales function for the last twenty years. Wilfred’s main domain of interest is in supply chain synchronization, i.e., getting the right item, in the right quantity, to the right place. Having worked in the field of information technology since 1984, Wilfred is keen to seek opportunities to harness ICT (information and communication technology) to drive supply chain synchronization. Wilfred has sales experience mainly in sales of capital goods and solution to improve performance. Wilfred started his sales career after ten years with Nixdorf Computer in Software and Consulting on manufacturing solutions. He then spent another five years in container handling equipment sales for the Asia Pacific market. Wilfred returned to sales of SAP software solutions for manufacturing companies. The last five years have been in sales of maritime solutions and services. Wilfred has also taught on part-time courses in Singapore at the German Singapore Institute (now part of Temasek Polytechnic) on material requirement planning (MRP) and master production scheduling (MPS) and at Singapore Institute of Purchasing & Materials Management (SIPMM) on Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP). Wilfred is listed on the Singapore who’s who, industry professionals directory. Wilfred earned his PhD from the Leiden University, the Netherlands. He is married and has a daughter.