
Why My Sales Manager is a Computer
Program
By Steve Martinez

Perfection
is a challenge for any human to accomplish and fortunately I don’t have
to rely on a human to manage my sales contacts. When I compare what a
human requires, it becomes easy to understand why a computer program is
so attractive. The computer doesn’t take breaks or go on vacation. It is
rare for a computer program to forget anything as long as there is power
in the lines, there is action.
The computer will replace a salesman’s best friend when
it is programmed to perform the duties a salesperson doesn’t like to do.
In my case, the program reminds me of every contact or communication I
need to make and it makes many of them for me. If I forget to make a
call or overlook one, it reminds me that I need to take action. When I
used to do this with a paper method, it would take hours to perform what
now takes minutes and I have more time for additional sales calls.
The Sales Manager Replacement
Now that my sales manager is a computer, I don’t mind
the gentle reminders that come with the program. The contact reports I
generate are filled with details of all my calls and I can track what
has occurred in all my accounts. The computer program actually completes
these tasks for me. Yes, I hate to fill out most contact reports, I’m
human aren’t I? In reality, I am the one that is controlling the
situation; the computer simply does what I have programmed it to
perform.
The sales manager replacement only happens when I forget
something. Best of all, I never have to attend those long meetings where
they ask me what I did. The sales contact reports list all my activities
and it has made my life easy. Management is thrilled with the higher
level of contact I am making now that I have empowered the computer to
perform many of my tasks. It is like doing the work of three or four
salespeople instead of struggling to do my job.
Why This Isn’t Crazy!
If you are thinking, this is crazy; no computer program
can do this. You are wrong! Think of it this way, every sale follows a
path or an action plan that leads to sales. When a company can program
these events and automate them for salespeople, the sales process is
automated. The trick is to work with a consultant that specializes in
automating the sales process.
Typically, the consulting firm will analyze the business
and determine what the typical sales actions are. These will be applied
to a sales process and the events will be triggered so they are
automated for maximum effectiveness. The salesperson will actually be
removed from many of the time consuming activities that are performed by
the computer. In many cases the computer program can eliminate as much
as 90 percent of the time wasted activities the salesperson would
normally attempt.
The automation of the sales process will increase the
sales activities and this will lead to increased sales. The computer can
be programmed to perform human tasks that are ritual in nature but are
required to build relationships. If you aren’t sure if your sales
program can be automated look at your typical day, is it filled with
similar activities? The answer is probably, yes! These routine
activities are the activities that can free a salesperson to accomplish
more. In many cases a salesperson will be able to perform the job of
several salespeople and in other cases; a business owner might discover
that a salespersons role can be accomplished by a good Customer Service
Representative (CSR) who enjoys working with computers. The secret to
success is building the sales process and the action plans for the
computer. This is what we do.
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Steve Martinez President of Selling Magic 9319 Robinson Lane Corona, CA 92883 (951) 277-0080
www.sellingmagic.com
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