In spite of the many technological changes that have directly impacted the effectiveness of telephone sales programs, (internet, mobility, caller ID, voice messaging, etc.), Telesales operations continue to maintain their position as a sales practice of choice for B2B sales organizations.
Given the continued and rapid changes in technology, Sales leaders must be proactive and learn how to effectively address the changing nature of telesales and the role it plays in their overall sales strategy. (more…)
November 11th, 2011
Whole Foods is doing it. The 5 nail salons down the street are doing it. The local outdoor shop is doing it (twice). Even the fanciest restaurant in town has succumbed to the pull of the daily deal. Are you starting to wonder if your business should jump on the daily deal bandwagon? And if you do decide to jump on, how can you effectively acquire and retain these new customers?
For the sake of research, I subscribed to nearly 30 daily deal, specialty, group buying and members only sites and then treated myself to groceries, dinners, manicures, outdoor gear and sailing lessons.
(more…)
November 11th, 2011
As we enter Q4, many organizations begin planning for the fiscal next year. At the top of every Sales Executives’ mind is “What are going to be my revenue targets and how am I going to achieve them?” That in turn poses the question, “How am I going to convert that into quotas for the sales reps?”
Calculating Sales quotas is a tricky science. When determining quotas, how do you know what will work best for your sales team? What is the best algorithm to use? How do you ensure they motivate the right behaviors? The quotas that you are preparing need to balance the need for the organization, but they also need to be attainable and motivating to the sales rep. How do you successfully achieve both? (more…)
October 10th, 2011
With the passing of Steve Jobs, the impact of Apple on our lives is well-documented, and in the travel space, its products have indirectly impacted how we plan and experience travel. Its spate of recent “iTravel” patent-filing may do so even more directly in the future.
What’s taken a temporary back seat in Apple news right now with Jobs’ death, albeit for good reason, is the new iPhone 4S and its clear focus on Siri’s voice platform.
For travel, we’re on the verge of another serious potential player in mobile and voice-based travel search along with Google’s emphasis on Android voice search and Microsoft’s integration of voice in Windows Phone, Xbox and Kinect. (more…)
October 7th, 2011
This is the 2nd in a series of articles we’ll be posting in the coming weeks designed to provide sales leaders with tips and best practices on how your organization can optimize your sales cycle. Read our first post here.
Any sales manager will tell you that you can’t accelerate your sales cycle until you have a well-defined sales process that your team can easily replicate on every call. No argument here, but all too often when we ask sales managers to tell us what their buyers purchase cycle is we are faced with blank stares.
Focus on the Buyer Process: Regrettably, while tremendous value can be gained from a well-defined sales process, sales managers are too often lulled into process nirvana (aka sales process, call planning, sales playbook, sales motions, etc.) and often neglect to consider—and we would argue– the more important part of the process equation: the buyer’s purchasing process. (more…)
September 19th, 2011
Over the last 18-20 months or so, we have been following developments in the airline ancillary merchandising space and published recommendations on how airlines and their WiFi service providers, Aircell and Row44, could capitalize on the explosive growth in digital media – video, eBooks, games, and music – and mobile technology to transform the traditional models of in-flight entertainment (IFE).
Ideally, the airline industry would recognize the opportunity in this era of baggage fees and other penalty charges to deliver a compelling consumer experience and to drive revenue.
Progress has been slow, focusing on plane WiFi installations, communications technology, and holding on to the original model of trying to have travelers pay for WiFi service, going against broader consumer trends.
The good news is we are now seeing a transformation of Gogo’s and airlines’ approach and a positive step for consumer experience that also could be, depending on how well they execute, economically beneficial. Gogo has done an admirable job in aggregating airline passengers to create a potentially effective channel and opportunity, and Row44 seems to have an updated focus on consumer content experience. (more…)
September 14th, 2011
A few weeks ago, Aircell, the company responsible for most airlines’ in-flight WiFi service, announced a fairly comprehensive transformation of its consumer experience and custom branding partnership model with airlines, as the pay-for-access model has not gained as much traction as anticipated.
Hopefully, all the better for both travelers and industry economics. After all, a better consumer experience and higher-margin airline revenue models, unlike most baggage fee policies, do not have to be mutually exclusive, correct? (more…)
August 15th, 2011
Previous Posts
