Tag: Chris Peterson
Vector Firm announces strategic partnership with LRG
October 26, 2023SSN Staff
Independent manufacturer's representation firm Lanier Rep Group (LRG), and Vector Firm, a professional sales and marketing consulting and training business focused on systems integrators have announced their newly formed partnership.
According to a press release the alliance was forged by LRG Founder Chris Lanier and Vector Firm Founder and President Chris Peterson.
“We’re very excited to have LRG representing Vector Firm in the Central US,” Peterson said. “To have...
The No. 1 idea for hiring the right salespeople
September 25, 2019Chris Peterson
There are several reasons that can explain a low success rate in hiring salespeople; however, one reason that often gets overlooked is that companies get fooled during the interview process. Think about it - the job of a salesperson is to impact a company to buy something. During an interview process, they're selling themselves. Even bad salespeople usually perform well in front of an audience; they typically fail for other reasons.So, how can companies increase their probability of hiring the right...
The five keys to coaching without micromanaging
July 19, 2019Chris Peterson
Micromanager. There aren't many worse labels to pin on a boss. When considering sales managers, the term is exponentially more volatile - and more common. It's hard for a sales manager to not be considered a micromanager. Most great salespeople are autonomous and don't need much from leadership. Average and poor-performing salespeople usually think they can succeed with the same hands-off approach as the great ones receive, while the really bad ones are usually looking for excuses — and that...
The 10-year transition from sales to account management … and how you can reverse it
May 6, 2019Chris Peterson
In the last decade or so, the black and white contrast between sales and account management has become a large glob of gray. Common use of the Internet, efficiencies from the Great Recession, and mass digital marketing efforts have drastically changed the world of business-to-business buying and selling. One of the outcomes of this perfect storm is that customers no longer feel like they need sales people for information, and therefore, are much less willing to see sales people.Sales people have...
Six ideas to making successful sales contests
December 12, 2018Chris Peterson
About 20 years ago, my boss pulled me into his office and asked a favor. We were entering June and all indications were pointing to a slow second quarter. The company needed sales. He needed sales. His request was direct: “I need you to pull in every dollar possible this month. I'll approve whatever you need—just bring in the sales.” I rode in the field every day that month, staying in front of decision-makers and creatively convincing them to place their Q3 orders early. My region...
How a manufacturer sales person can lead without authority
October 17, 2018Chris Peterson
I was recently onsite working with the sales leadership of a manufacturer client of ours. We were brainstorming ideas that would boost the influence of their regional sales managers with their channel partners. Leadership's perception was that their field sales managers were working so hard on the day-to-day that they were making less of an impact on their partners. In the opening discussion, when I try to spark conversation and get all the problems scattered on a white board, someone said it: “…...
Six CRM best practices for sales managers
August 29, 2018Chris Peterson
If there is one thing all sales people can agree upon, it's that most companies have a poor CRM process. Fortunately, most of these challenges can be corrected by the sales managers, so I've decided to offer the six best practices that I've seen help companies fully utilize a CRM system.1. Don't expect a CRM system to solve your sales problems. Many sales managers dream of the day their company decides to purchase a CRM system. With the vision of their sales people never missing a task, having...
Four mistakes to avoid when hiring sales people
June 19, 2018Chris Peterson
If there is one statistic that is common throughout the security industry, it's the miserable rate of success in hiring and retaining successful sales people. There are many reasons for this poor outcome. At a high level, there are three dynamics that create a perfect storm. First, there isn't a general sales practice or protocol that is taught in a formal education environment like other professions. Even though there are no degrees or universal best practices like there are in accounting, engineering,...
Five ways a sales leader can find and win new accounts
May 30, 2018Chris Peterson
For a million valid reasons that are beyond the scope of this column, commercial security has evolved into an industry of account management. We do an amazing job of taking care of our current customers. In fact, I feel comfortable stating that we've never been so effective at servicing our customers. However, we're not very strong at growing market share and winning new accounts. This type of behavior by the sales team doesn't appear to be a bad thing when the economy is expanding, like right now....
One thing every sales manager should have
May 23, 2018Chris Peterson
I've frequently described the sales leadership job—whether the title is chief sales officer, sales manager, or anything in between—as the most vulnerable job on the org chart. Even though there are dozens of factors that lead to sales success and failure, the sales leader is the one person that rides the roller coaster throughout the entire process. In fact, I've often stated that being a sales leader is like being an NFL head coach.Due to the volatility of the sales leadership role,...