Posted on: Monday, March 18, 2002

60 SECONDS ON BUSINESS
Employees should know a firm's goals

By Dr. Drake Beil
President, Solutions Inc.

All too often, management comes up with a solid marketing program but takes employees for granted, and the program doesn't produce the results that management had hoped for. Managers don't improve the sales and service skills needed for success and then blame the program.

A quality training program should include an initial installation package that includes an overview of the sales process; what to do, step by step, to make the sales, plus elements of service that lead to selling related products or selling higher-quality products.

Think about your "best" customers and what they would buy if you met more of their needs. What if they bought everything possible? That's a goal to aim for, and incentives need to be designed for when that goal is met. They need to be established in training programs.

I recommend performance-based incentives because they require a level of success that makes it possible to pay out earned rewards. If you exceed certain baseline expectations in per person sales, for example, a percentage of the profits can ensure that you inspire peak performance. Both individual and team incentives work and greater buy-in means greater profits to you.

Regular tracking and charting of the program results is important. Nordstrom, for instance, shares every department's sales from every store with sales associates, posting them regularly. Sometimes, this brings out a competitive instinct. Regardless, people want to know what's happening and how they're doing. Otherwise, it's like bowling with no pins.

Reach Dr. Drake Beil at drake@60secondsonbusiness.