{"id":52251,"date":"2022-11-23T11:10:20","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T19:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=52251"},"modified":"2022-11-23T11:10:22","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T19:10:22","slug":"attack-mode-finishing-2022-with-a-flurry-the-key-to-a-quick-sales-start-in-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2022\/11\/attack-mode-finishing-2022-with-a-flurry-the-key-to-a-quick-sales-start-in-the-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Attack Mode: Finishing 2022 with a Flurry the Key to a Quick Sales Start in the New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s something to be said for momentum. It can be measured in physical terms through acceleration, but there\u2019s also a psychological component tied to increasing degrees of success. The more success you enjoy, the greater the validation, fueling the belief that you are making strides. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to industry sales, it requires more than psychological momentum and confidence to produce. It certainly helps, but training, incentives, execution of programs and other viable strategies are necessary to ensure momentum can envelop the entire account team. As we close out November\u2019s State of the Industry report on sales, we asked our dealer panel to provide insights into the strategies that will enable their teams to gain more momentum at the onset of 2023, laying the foundation for a stellar campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Brent Simone, Stratix Systems<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sticking with its long-established game plan, even under difficult selling circumstances, has enabled Stratix Systems of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, to maintain a strong pace heading into 2023. There\u2019s also a bit of a \u201ckeep your head while everyone else is losing theirs\u201d mentality at play; Stratix, like other dealers, has been able to capitalize on accounts previously held by dealers that have lost a step or two during the pandemic in not just sales but service excellence delivery. High turnover has impacted dealer-office relationships, which no longer have the tack (stickiness) they once enjoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brent Simone, Stratix president, has stuck to the basics, driving out cold call sales blitzes every six weeks to set the stage for net-new engagements. The revelations his reps have unearthed have led to opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are certain organizations that we found are not taking care of their clients as much,\u201d he noted. \u201cThey\u2019re not staffed properly, they furloughed people. That\u2019s not an issue for us. We\u2019re getting in front of clients and finding some who are unhappy or dissatisfied due to a lack of communication or service levels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Don Foley, Usherwood Office Technology<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Don Foley, vice president of sales for Usherwood Office Technology of Syracuse, New York, believes one key is the company\u2019s stellar record on retention, earned through its solid compensation and recognition programs. He credits the sales staff behind the company\u2019s record-setting performance in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe continue to drive activity and different ways of going to market to ensure we get out of the gate quickly in fiscal year 2023,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting Expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Erik Crane, CPI Technologies<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Optimism and enthusiasm abound at CPI Technologies of Springfield, Missouri. President and CEO Erik Crane believes expectations setting is paramount, particularly when it comes to sharing data with clients regarding product availability and realistic delivery schedules. Addressing delivery impacts to the bottom line of sales reps is no less vital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have implemented new bonus plans that are helping to offset the delays in commissions due to extended delivery times,\u201d Crane noted. \u201cOur team is a group of smart and tenacious people who know that these conditions won\u2019t last forever, so if you work now, you will enjoy the benefits very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jim Morrissey, UBEO Business Services<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Making adjustments earlier in the fiscal year enabled UBEO Business Services to prepare for growth in the later months. President Jim Morrissey saw the indicators back in the second quarter and instructed his managers to hire more account representatives in order to accommodate the growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal at mid-2022 was to add 50 new reps by the end of the calendar year. This should, in turn, provide greater momentum for the new year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s going to give us the impetus to grow next year because all the new reps will have three to six months under their belts, time that will help them build pipeline and get moving,\u201d Morrissey said. \u201cWe\u2019ll build a lot of positive momentum off what we were able to accomplish in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been able to get some low-hanging fruit, but I also think our value proposition has legs and it\u2019s playing very well. There\u2019s a lot of confidence in our sales force to win a lot of net-new business. That momentum spurs more and more excitement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Business<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many dealers, 2023 growth will hinge on their ability to generate more net-new business, and that\u2019s the case for Offix of Gainesville, Virginia. Tim King, vice president of sales, is bullish on increased activity and setting net-new appointments, and the dealer has focused much of its training efforts toward that end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tim King, Offix<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve also developed a program to make sure we\u2019re staying in touch with our current customers every 90 days,\u201d he said. \u201cThat keeps us attuned to the pulse of their account and ensures that we\u2019re meeting their needs. It\u2019s also a good way to provide them with information about other services we provide that they may not be aware of, such as VoIP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in this industry for 38 years and it has seen many changes, but one constant that will never change is this is an activity-driven business. We\u2019re all about driving activity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Chip Miceli, Pulse Technology<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Planning for success is critical for dealers such as Pulse Technology of Schaumburg, Illinois. The dealer has a wealth of training and development tools at their reps\u2019 disposal, and it has competitive incentive programs geared toward closing out 2022 strong while gaining traction for 2023. CEO Chip Miceli believes fostering a competitive environment among the sales team, one that highly rewards the top performers, goes a long way toward attaining the organization\u2019s target goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOverall, we\u2019re very optimistic for what the next year will bring,\u201d he said. \u201cIn order to achieve, communication and necessary change is imminent.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s something to be said for momentum. It can be measured in physical terms through acceleration, but there\u2019s also a psychological component tied to increasing degrees of success. The more success you enjoy, the greater the validation, fueling the belief that you are making strides. \u00a0 When it comes to industry sales, it requires more than psychological momentum and confidence to produce. It certainly helps, but training, incentives, execution of programs and other viable strategies are necessary to ensure momentum can envelop the entire account team. As we close out November\u2019s State of the Industry report on sales, we asked our dealer panel to provide insights into the strategies that will enable their teams to gain more momentum at the onset of 2023, laying the foundation for a stellar campaign. Sticking with its long-established game plan, even under difficult selling circumstances, has enabled Stratix Systems of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, to maintain a strong pace heading into 2023. There\u2019s also a bit of a \u201ckeep your head while everyone else is losing theirs\u201d mentality at play; Stratix, like other dealers, has been able to capitalize on accounts previously held by dealers that have lost a step or two during the pandemic in not just sales but service excellence delivery. High turnover has impacted dealer-office relationships, which no longer have the tack (stickiness) they once enjoyed. Brent Simone, Stratix president, has stuck to the basics, driving out cold call sales blitzes every six weeks to set the stage for net-new engagements. The revelations his reps have unearthed have led to opportunities. \u201cThere are certain organizations that we found are not taking care of their clients as much,\u201d he noted. \u201cThey\u2019re not staffed properly, they furloughed people. That\u2019s not an issue for us. We\u2019re getting in front of clients and finding some who are unhappy or dissatisfied due to a lack of communication or service levels.\u201d Don Foley, vice president of sales for Usherwood Office Technology of Syracuse, New York, believes one key is the company\u2019s stellar record on retention, earned through its solid compensation and recognition programs. He credits the sales staff behind the company\u2019s record-setting performance in 2022. \u201cWe continue to drive activity and different ways of going to market to ensure we get out of the gate quickly in fiscal year 2023,\u201d he added. Setting Expectations Optimism and enthusiasm abound at CPI Technologies of Springfield, Missouri. President and CEO Erik Crane believes expectations setting is paramount, particularly when it comes to sharing data with clients regarding product availability and realistic delivery schedules. Addressing delivery impacts to the bottom line of sales reps is no less vital. \u201cWe have implemented new bonus plans that are helping to offset the delays in commissions due to extended delivery times,\u201d Crane noted. \u201cOur team is a group of smart and tenacious people who know that these conditions won\u2019t last forever, so if you work now, you will enjoy the benefits very soon.\u201d Making adjustments earlier in the fiscal year enabled UBEO Business Services to prepare for growth in the later months. President Jim Morrissey saw the indicators back in the second quarter and instructed his managers to hire more account representatives in order to accommodate the growth. The goal at mid-2022 was to add 50 new reps by the end of the calendar year. This should, in turn, provide greater momentum for the new year. \u201cThat\u2019s going to give us the impetus to grow next year because all the new reps will have three to six months under their belts, time that will help them build pipeline and get moving,\u201d Morrissey said. \u201cWe\u2019ll build a lot of positive momentum off what we were able to accomplish in 2022. \u201cWe\u2019ve been able to get some low-hanging fruit, but I also think our value proposition has legs and it\u2019s playing very well. There\u2019s a lot of confidence in our sales force to win a lot of net-new business. That momentum spurs more and more excitement.\u201d New Business For many dealers, 2023 growth will hinge on their ability to generate more net-new business, and that\u2019s the case for Offix of Gainesville, Virginia. Tim King, vice president of sales, is bullish on increased activity and setting net-new appointments, and the dealer has focused much of its training efforts toward that end. \u201cWe\u2019ve also developed a program to make sure we\u2019re staying in touch with our current customers every 90 days,\u201d he said. \u201cThat keeps us attuned to the pulse of their account and ensures that we\u2019re meeting their needs. It\u2019s also a good way to provide them with information about other services we provide that they may not be aware of, such as VoIP. \u201cI\u2019ve been in this industry for 38 years and it has seen many changes, but one constant that will never change is this is an activity-driven business. We\u2019re all about driving activity.\u201d Planning for success is critical for dealers such as Pulse Technology of Schaumburg, Illinois. The dealer has a wealth of training and development tools at their reps\u2019 disposal, and it has competitive incentive programs geared toward closing out 2022 strong while gaining traction for 2023. CEO Chip Miceli believes fostering a competitive environment among the sales team, one that highly rewards the top performers, goes a long way toward attaining the organization\u2019s target goals. \u201cOverall, we\u2019re very optimistic for what the next year will bring,\u201d he said. \u201cIn order to achieve, communication and necessary change is imminent.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":52252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1650,82,87,1638],"tags":[277,3521],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52251"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52253,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52251\/revisions\/52253"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}