SalesNote )
April 2009
In this issue
  • Sales Process 2.0 Webinar
  • 2009 Sales Survey
  • Get the Tools. Get the Job.
  • Effectiveness Rule #3
  • Quotation

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    Sales, Heart, and Soul
    I recently spoke to a VP Sales of a software start-up with several dozen employees. The VP expressed the personal burden of responsibility that he and his salesteam carried to sustain the livelihoods and essentially "feed the families" of dozens of people at the firm. A heavy burden indeed, particularly for a struggling business.

    It's clear in difficult times that sales revenue attainment impacts more than the top and bottom line. Real hearts and lives are touched, strained and worn as the realities of personal/company achievement and failure play out all around us.

    The burden is in fact on executives, sales management as well as salespeople and all employees. Some will go down, some will survive. I commend that Sales VP with a heart and soul who recognizes real lives, fear and suffering in the midst of dark uncertainty. Whether they make it or not, he's a man of substance and character.

    How's your heart?


    		Sales Process 2.0 Webinar

    Sales Process 2.0 Webinar - Wednesday, April 8th @ 8:30am PDT
    There's a new wave of technology that's finally fulfilling the long promise of sales automation. Sales process effectively automated will drive repeatable excellence across a sales organization. MXL's Mike Griego and Playboox' Dan Zamudio will discuss trends and exciting new technology addressing an old problem.

    Join us April 8th at 8:30am for a free 1-hour Sales Process 2.0 Webinar to learn more and see a demonstration of a solution that "makes too much sense."

    		2009 Sales Survey

    Revenues by Sales Channel Type
    The majority of organizations are relying on their direct sales force to generate the bulk of revenues. CSO Insights most recent 2009 Sales Performance Optimization report shows Direct and Inside/ Telesales teams accounted for nearly 79% of a firm's total revenues, up from 73% in 2005. Channel sales contributed a diminishing 12%.

    Control and visibility were cited as key reasons for Chief Sales Officers (CSO) to continue to rely on a direct sales force over channel sales. Channel partners will need focused sales skills, collateral, and sales knowledge to succeed.

    The survey also shows that for 82% of firms lead generation is the primary activity of their Inside/Telesales team. These teams still mostly support direct and channel teams. MXL Partners believes that Inside teams revenue contribution, currently 10.5%, will grow as lower costs and improved selling tools prevail.

    		Get the Tools. Get the Job.

    New Tools Seminar for the New Market
    Old job seeking and interviewing techniques are not working today. Finding a good job in today's market requires new tools that allow one to dig deep to bring out one's best. Brian Golter & Associates leverages 25 years of experience helping people overcome their fears, doubts and hesitations in order to bring their best to the job hunt today, no matter the situation.

    Experience the powerful 1-day Get the Tools - Get the Job Seminar, April 23 in Palo Alto, CA. Cost $125. To register, contact Walker at 650-947-8700.

    		Effectiveness Rule #3

    It's Not About Your Product
    For many reps today, the strong tendency is to speak about their products too much and too soon...You might be saying, "But my product really is helpful for businesses and streamlines operations while cutting costs, and it comes in blue." This all may be true, but it's really beside the point. This is one of the toughest lessons for salespeople to learn... (excerpt)

    Michael Griego, MXL's founder/president, sales consultant and trainer to Fortune 500 firms and leading Silicon Valley technology firms, has reduced the keys to sales effectiveness to 42 rules in his forthcoming book 42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness. This book, to be released in September 2009 by SuperStar Press, applies modern fundamentals to all selling efforts, from high-tech enterprise sales to the non-technology sales.

    		Quotation

    The Right Attitude
    "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." - Thomas Jefferson

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