SALESMARK - Building a Sales Program

Brooks Fenno (781) 431-7122

Building a Sales Program

Hamilton (fictitious name) Manufacturing Company, Arlington, Massachusetts, a manufacturer of a unique hardware product, wished to create a marketing program to include a field sales capability. This three year old company had grown into a $2MM firm based on the personal selling prowess of its youthful founder, Jim Baldwin (fictitious name) who had obtained several large accounts on his own.

Prior to engaging SALESMARK's services, Jim found himself working a 70-hour week both managing his company and wearing the sales hat. He had been generating leads from the Internet, through advertising listings in Thomas Register and other publications, and at regional trade shows. Jim wanted to create a sales structure using independent reps and headed up by a sales manager. This would provide Jim with a corporate structure that would reduce his personal workload and provide a stronger marketing capability necessary for expansion outside of New England.

SALESMARK helped Jim in several ways:

Created an overall three-year marketing oriented growth plan.
Devised an approach for building a nationwide rep force.
Developed a program for the hiring of a sales manager.
Assisted in the copy preparation and design of sales materials.

Next SALESMARK participated in the implementation of the above by:

Working with Jim on the hiring process by designing an appropriate job description and incentive compensation plan, preparing suitable newspaper and Internet employment ads, and screening the responses. Next SALESMARK both administered sales aptitude tests and interviewed the resulting three finalists.
Developed an agent monitoring program to aid the reps in learning about Hamilton's product line, pursuing current prospects, uncovering sales leads, and utilizing Hamilton's resources to generate new customers and subsequent additional revenues.

What happened? For the past two years (through 2001) sales have grown an average of 60-70 percent.

Related articles:

Closing Sales Techniques

Customer Development and Retention

New Product Launch Sales Plan

New Product - New Service Commercialization

Sample Sales Commission Plan

Sales Management Compensation

For expert assistance with your sales and marketing, call Brooks Fenno now at
(781) 431-7122

For assistance with your sales, please contact:

Brooks Fenno, CMC at SALESMARK

Phone: (617) 536-0197
E-mail: bfenno@comcast.net

Contact me to discuss your problems, challenges, and needs.

Literature available for established companies in Northeast include:

SALESMARK background information
Copy of newly released booklet titled Energize Your Sales and Marketing Strategies to Accelerate Growth
Outline of any program described under "Typical Assignments"