Ini merupakan lanjutan dari Marketing in Crisis (1) ada baiknya anda membaca terlebih dahulu Marketing in Crisis (1).

BANYAK berita dan kejadian ekonomi yang membuat kita harus waspada. Di satu pihak nasihatnasihat perekonomian itu datang dari para pakar ekonomi makro dan analis - analis keuangan, di lain pihak dunia usaha berjalan pada mata rantai bisnis (ekonomi mikro manajemen).


Keduanya memiliki unit analisis, cara bekerja, dan persoalan yang berbeda. Karena itu, ada halhal yang dirasakan sama, namun dalam banyak hal keduanya menafsirkan masa depan dengan kacamata berbeda. Demikian juga dalam mengambil hikmah dari krisis keuangan global yang menghantui kita. Makro untuk Negara Perekonomian makro pada dasarnya adalah perekonomian negara.

Para pakar ekonomi berupaya keras menghitung dan menyajikan data tentang perekonomian agar pemerintah waspada terhadap krisis. Sebab,kalau uang dan kebijakan negara salah urus efeknya bisa merembet ke dunia usaha dalam bentuk penutupan perusahaan,pengangguran, penurunan daya beli, dan hilangnya gairah investasi, atau malah pelarian modal dan tenaga ahli ke luar negeri. Meski analisis itu dapat berakibat pada perusahaan-perusahaan, namun nasihat mereka pertama- pertama ditujukan kepada pemerintah

Analisis dan modelmodel ekonomi makro dan keuangan menggunakan landasan berpikir neoklasikal yang didasari asumsi-asumsi tertentu, simplifikasi, agregasi, dan tentu saja berbasiskan angka.Teori ekonomi sebenarnya sangat erat dengan matematika, sehingga tak mengherankan kalau ilmu ini sering disebut sebagai ratunya ilmu-ilmu sosial (the queen of social science). Supaya model-modelnya dapat dibangun, diasumsikan manusia mampu bertindak rasional. Dengan keahlian itu,seseorang penyandang gelar sarjana ekonomi dalam bidang makro mampu meneropongperekonomianbangsanya dan memberi saran-saran koreksi.

Apalagi menyangkut soal anggaran, kebijakan moneter dan fiskal, jelas diperlukan disiplin dari penyelenggaraan negara. Tanpa kehadiran ekonom, negara bisa bergerak tanpa arah,tidak ada disiplin; dan perekonomiannya kacau-balau. Demikian pulalah dalam menghadapi krisis perekonomian atau keuangan global.Selalu ada impact antara kebijakan yang diambil negara terhadap nilai mata uang, kenaikan harga-harga, serta pengangguran. Kendati demikian, fokus analisis dan nasihat-nasihatnya terutamadiarahkanke pemerintah.

Perilaku Pasar dan Perusahaan Pasar dan perusahaan lain lagi perilakunya. Kadang mereka berpikir dan bertindak rasional, kadang kurang rasional, bahkan mengikuti emosi dan intuisi mereka. Dalam banyak hal,perusahaan harus memahami kondisi perekonomian makro negaranya.Namun dalam hal lain mereka harus menguasai juga perilaku-perilaku nonrasional konsumen dan eksekutif-eksekutifnya.

Meski kurang enak disebut irrational, demikianlah para rationalist atau kaum penganut formal logic menyebutnya. Hanya sekali saja seorang ilmuwan, yaitu Herbert Srinon, yang membela mereka, yaitu ”bukan tidak rasional”, melainkan Bounded rationality, yaitu adanya tekanan-tekanan waktu dan kurangnya informasi yang dihadapi para eksekutif dalam mengambil keputusan, sehingga seakan-akan tidak rasional (kalau diukur oleh mereka yang tidak punya keterbatasan-keterbatasan itu).

Demikian pula unit yang ditangani perusahaan, bukanlah negara, bukan uang milik banyak orang, melainkan uang segelintir orang yang tidak diawasi parlemen dan politik. Mereka adalah pengambil risiko (bukan birokrat),yang bergerak responsif, lebih bebas, dan mandiri. Selain itu kalau orang-orang makro membaca data agregatif (total, menyeluruh), maka dunia usaha melihat dalam kacamata yang lebih terbatas. Yaitu pada kacamata segmen pasar yang dikuasainya, dalam jangkauan geografis tertentu.

Dengan demikian, dari kacamata makro tidak pernah tersentuh perbincangan segmentasi atau merek,cukup sampai kategori saja. Misalnya pada 2009 diramalkan pasar penjualan automotif akan jatuh dari 600.000 unit menjadi 400.000 unit. Itulah proyeksi makro. Bagaimana mikronya? Beberapa merek mobil tertentu, seperti mobil-mobil mewah (Mercedes, Volvo,BMW,Audi) mungkin akan langsung drop.

Namun mungkin tidak bagi Toyota,Daihatsu,atau merek-merek menengah lainnya. Mengapa demikian? Jawabannya adalah karena produk-produk itu diperdagangkan oleh para profesional dan entrepreneur yang belum tentu rela membiarkan penjualannya turun. Mereka bisa dengan cepat bermanuver,mengubah struktur biaya (down costing),menciptakan merek-merek dan varianvarian baru yang lebih murah, menyajikan cara pembayaran insentif pada tenaga penjual dan seterusnya, menyajikan cara pembayaran baru, menggerakkan stimulus- stimulus tertentu, mencari pasar-pasar baru, memberi insentif pada tenaga penjual dan seterusnya.

Sementara itu, merek-merek kelas atas sangat sulit bermanuver karena terikat dengan ketentuan prinsipalnya di luar negeri. Kenyataan inilah yang membuat pusing para ekonom, mengapa mikroekonomi mulai kurang sejalan dengan kondisi makroekonomi yang dibaca dengan penuh kehati-hatian? Benarkah manusia Indonesia mulai kehilangan daya nalarnya, menjadi tidak rasional dalam berbelanja ? Bahkan banyak sekali pertanyaan seperti berikut ini: Mau diapakan juga, kalau daya beli tidak ada, tetap saja tidak ada yang membeli.

Untungnya orang-orang bisnis yang optimistis tetap saja bisa menguras kocek cadangan konsumennya. Seakan-akan mereka mau bilang, ”Ini lho, yang penting itu keinginan mereka (untuk membeli), bukan daya belinya.” Menggairahkan Keinginan Berbelanja Kepusingan membawa ketidakselarasan ekonomi makromikro di sini tentu memerlukan studi lebih mendalam untuk mengetahuinya lebih jauh.

Sebuah tulisan yang diturunkan Direktur The Nielsen Indonesia Yongky Susilo di harian ini (30/3) menunjukkan gejala itu. Bagaimana mungkin, studi pada 2008, saat harga energi dan bahan makanan melambung naik, menunjukkan hanya 13% konsumen yang percaya bahwa perekonomian Indonesia akan membaik, namun seluruh penjualan ritel Indonesia sepanjang 2008 melonjak fantastis.Yongky mencatat, kendati trip belanja menurun, hasil penjualan ritel naik 21%, sehingga Indonesia menempati peringkat ke-2 di Asia-Fasifik.

Semua produk, dari kopi, minuman kesehatan, busana, sampai mobil dan motor,naik signifikan. Ketika para ekonom makro menyajikan data-data yang menakutkan, konsumen kita justru berbelanja lebih banyak.Berbekal kenyataan di tahun 2008, sejumlah riset pun menyajikan fakta baru: Tahun ini indeks keyakinan konsumen masih naik terus. Artinya, konsumen masih melakukan spending. Tetapi menarik juga disimak perbincangan di kalangan produsen-produsen tertentu.Ada tendensi sejumlah produsen mulai kecut.

Kekecutan mereka juga dapat dilihat dari indeks tren bisnis yang bulan Februari lalu dirilis Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS).Di situ disebutkan, kendati indeks keyakinan konsumen merangkak naik, indeks tren bisnis atau semacam indeks keyakinan produsen, malah menunjukkan penurunan. Pikiran-pikiran mereka sebenarnya sama dengan pikiran sejumlah eksekutif yang terlihat loyo beberapa bulan ini.Mereka selalu mengatakan ”suasana sangat sulit karena sedang terjadi krisis.

”Mereka inilah yang mulai mengurangi stok barang,menunda pembayaran dan mengurangi kiriman barang ke jaringan distribusi.Penjualan produk mereka benar-benar drop. Di lain pihak,pada kategori produk yang sama, belakangan ini juga sering bertemu dengan orangorang yang bersahabat dengan krisis. Mereka berulang kali mengatakan pada saya, ”Crisis is a friend of mine.”Maka,kendati pasar itu benar-benar sulit, mereka terlihat tetap bersemangat, mencari cara-cara baru dalam pemasaran dan dan produksi,serta kreatif menembus kesulitan. Ada semacam ”self therapy” yang melekat pada orang-orang yang kedua tadi.

Itulah sebabnya dibutuhkan sales therapy, bahkan marketing therapy untuk memperbaiki dan membangun kembali pasukan pemasaran dan para eksekutif barang-barang konsumsi Indonesia yang mulai loyo mendengar kata krisis yang berulangulang disampaikan para pemimpin yang meng-hipnosemereka.(*)

RHENALD KASALI
Ketua Program MM–UI

Article by Brian Tracy *

The starting point of great success and achievement has always been the same. It is for you to dream big dreams. There is nothing more important, and nothing that works faster than for you to cast off your own limitations than for you to begin dreaming and fantasizing about the wonderful things that you can become, have, and do.

As a wise man once said, “You must dream big dreams, for only big dreams have the power to move the minds of men.” When you begin to dream big dreams, your levels of self-esteem and self-confidence will go up immediately. You will feel more powerful about yourself and your ability to deal with what happens to you. The reason so many people accomplish so little is because they never allow themselves to lean back and imagine the kind of life that is possible for them.

A powerful principle that you can use to dream big dreams and live without limits is contained in what Elihu Goldratt calls the “Theory of Constraints.” This is one of the greatest breakthroughs in modern thinking. What Goldratt has found is that in every process, in accomplishing any goal, there is a bottleneck or choke cord that serves as a constraint on the process. This constraint then sets the speed at which you achieve any particular goal.

What Goldratt found is that if you concentrate all of your creative energies and attention on alleviating the constraint, you can speed up the process faster than by doing any other single thing.

Let me give you an example. Let us say that you want to double your income. What is the critical constraint or the limiting factor that holds you back? Well, you know that your income is a direct reward for the quality and quantity of the services you render to your world. Whatever field you are in, if you want to double your income, you simply have to double the quality and quantity of what you do for that income. Or you have to change activities and occupations so that what you are doing is worth twice as much. But you must always ask yourself, “What is the critical constraint that holds me back or sets the speed on how fast I double my income?”

A friend of mine is one of the highest-paid commission professionals in the United States. One of his goals was to double his income over the next three to five years.

He applied the 80/20 rule to his client base. He found that 20 percent of his clients contributed 80 percent of his profits, and that the amount of time spent on a high-profit client was pretty much the same amount of time spent on a low-profit client. In other words, he was dividing his time equally over the number of tasks that he does while only 20 percent of those items contributes 80 percent of his results.

So he drew a line on his list of clients under those who represented the top 20 percent and then called in other professionals in his industry and very carefully, politely, and strategically handed off the 80 percent of his clients that only represented 20 percent of his business. He then put together a profile of his top clients and began looking in the marketplace exclusively for the type of client who fit the profile; in other words, one who could become a major profit contributor to his organization, and whom he in turn could serve with the level of excellence that his clients were accustomed to. And instead of doubling his income in three to five years, he doubled it in the first year!

So what is holding you back ? Is it your level of education or skill ? Is it your current occupation or job? Is it your current environment or level of health? Is it the situations that you are in today? What is setting the speed for you achieving your goal?

Remember, whatever you have learned, you can unlearn. Whatever situation you have gotten yourself into, you can probably get yourself out of. If your real goal is to dream big dreams and to live without limits, you can set this as your standard and compare everything that you do against it.

Sepuluh billionaires terkaya di dunia menurut majalah bisnis Forbes pada tahun 2009.

1. Bill Gates, $ 40 miliar (Terkaya Amerika)
2. Warren Buffett, $ 37 miliar (American billionaires)
3. Carlos Slim Helu, $ 35 miliar (Terkaya Meksiko)
4. Lawrence Ellison, $ 22,5 miliar (Amerika bilyuner)
5. Ingvar Kamprad, $ 22 miliar (Swedia Terkaya)
6. Karl Albrecht, $ 21,5 miliar (Terkaya di Jerman)
7. Mukesh Ambani, $ 19,5 miliar (Terkaya di India)
8. Lakshmi Mittal, $ 19,3 miliar (India bilyuner)
9. Theo Albrecht, $ 18,8 miliar (Jerman bilyuner)
10. Amancio Ortega, $ 18,3 miliar (Terkaya di Spanyol)

Baca artikel lengkapnya ya dari Forbes tuh ...

On March 11, 2009, Forbes released it's most recent list of the world's wealthiest people. The annual list of billionaires shrank from 1125 in 2008 to 793 in 2009. Furthermore, the average net worth of the billionaires on the list dropped 23% over the previous 12 months to $3 billion per individual.

Americans dominated the billionaire list this year, carrying 45% of the list's slots and holding 44% of the wealth on the Forbes list. Economic declines in the last part of 2008 are partially to blame for the decline in both wealth and number of billionaires on the March list with some individuals losing 50% or more of their net worth over the last 12 months. Overall, the collective net worth of the richest people is estimated around $2.4 trillion, a whole $2 trillion lower than last year's list.

The top two slots remained the same as previous years, although the two top billionaires did switch positions from last year's list. Microsoft founder Bill Gates regained the #1 position followed closely by Berkshire Hathaway founder Warren Buffett, last year's leader, in the second slot. Bill Gates was estimated to have a net worth of $40 billion, down $18 billion from last year's list. Warren Buffett, last year's top billionaire, lost approximately $25 billion in net worth to end at $37 billion for this year's list. The number three spot went to Carlos Slim Helu, the Mexican telecom mogul, who lost $25 billion to end with a net worth of $35 billion.

The remaining top ten spots on the 2009 Forbes billionaire list went to Lawrence Ellison, Ingvar Kamprad, Karl Albrecht, Mukesh Ambani, Lakshmi Mittal, Theo Albrecht, and Amancio Ortega respectively. Members of the Walton family, heirs to the Walmart chain of stores, remained on the list in positions eleven through fourteen.

Almost all of the billionaires on the list lost money over the previous year. India's Anil Ambani, head of Reliance Communications, was the biggest loser with a total loss of 76% of his fortune equalling $32 billion. Ambani did stay on the billionaire list, however, unlike 29 other Indian business owners who disappeared from this year's list. 24 Indian billionaires remained on the list, however, but most of them lost large percentages of wealth over the course of 2008.

Much like India, Russia lost most if its billionaires during 2008, too. 55 Russian billionaires dropped off this year's list, two-thirds of the number that were on the Forbes billionaire list last year. Among the lost wealth was Vasily Anisimov whose fortune plummeted with the value of Metalloinvest Holding. His daughter, Anna Anisimova, is known for being the "Paris Hilton" of Russia.

Some of the billionaires from Forbes 2008 list lost almost all of their fortune. Among them was AIG head Maurice Greenberg and former Citigroup Chairman Sandy Weill, both of whom lost most of their wealth after their respective bank failures and government bailouts.

Despite massive loss of wealth, there were a few individuals that flourished in 2008 Joaquin Guzman Loera, a cocaine supplier, Wang Chuanfu, whose company began selling electric cars in late 2008, and John Paul Dejoria, founder of Paul Mitchell and Patron Tequila, all prospered over the last twelve months, showing the rest of the world that there is still hope in finding worthy investments in a failing global economy.

By Jonathan Farrington on May 05, 2008.

I received a call from an ex-student this week who is designing an induction program for new recruits about to embark upon a career in sales. He asked that if I had to create the "12 golden principles of selling," what would I come up with?

Clearly, this is not only a very subjective view, but also I found it terribly difficult to reduce my initial list of the essential rules of selling to just 12. However, mindful of the fact that this exercise is designed to provide guidance to salespeople just starting on the first rung of the ladder, here is my take on the 12 golden principles of selling.

Principle 1: Always Sell to People
This may seem obvious, but it cannot be emphasized enough: You are not selling to an organization or to a conglomerate, but to actual, real people. It is important to remember that all people are different, so you cannot sell the same way to everyone.

Second, no two sales are the same, even if they are made to the same company under similar circumstances.

To become a good salesperson, it isn't enough to know how to sell. You must aim to become a people expert. It may sound shocking, but the best professional salespeople actually like people!

Remember, people buy from people -- they always will.

Principle 2: You Have To Sell Yourself
Just as you are selling to people, you must also remember that you are not only selling and representing a product or service, but you are in effect selling yourself. When beginning a sales relationship, it is important to remember a few key aspects to representing yourself well.
First, be interesting. If potential customers are bored by you, they have less of a chance of being enthralled by any product or service you are representing.

Develop intellect. Of course, you are an intelligent person, but can you converse in an intelligent manner? Can you discuss related subjects with thoughtfulness and hold your clients' interest?

Never be arrogant -- never talk up or down to your potential clients. It's rude and will serve only to alienate them. Respect the buyer, and they will respect you.

Along the same lines, develop your empathy levels. If you can relate to your customers' situations authentically, it helps to build rapport. Finally, control your ego levels. A good salesperson is patient and respectful, not an egomaniac.

Principle 3: You Must Ask Questions
A good salesperson knows what questions to ask, and when. Develop your questioning techniques, always remembering the traditional rules of questioning: What? Where? When? Which? Why? Who? And how?

Continually test your understanding of the situation by asking questions and verifying that everybody's on the right track.

Principle 4: Listen To Understand
Remember, God has given us two ears and one mouth; we should use them in that order! Successful sales professionals talk for 20 percent of the time and listen for 80 percent of the time. It's crucial for new salespeople to develop their active-listening skills.

Principle 5: Features Must Be Linked to Benefits
It's a standard sales component, but the features-and-benefits connection bears repeating and reminding: Features are common, but benefits are personal and specific. When describing the product or service you are selling, use "link phrases" when outlining the benefits of the features you are showing. Say, "Such and such is a feature of this service, which means that . . .' Remember to be specific.

Principle 6: Sell the Results -- Paint a Picture
You want the outcome for your prospect to be rosy, but you need to convey that. Discover your prospect's "prime desires," and personalize the benefits to him or her. Describe the end results of the transaction and how it will improve the life of your prospect.

Principle 7: You Cannot Rely On Logic
Emotion drives 84 percent of all buying decisions, not logic. What are the chief buying emotions? They include ego, security, pride of ownership, greed, health, prestige, status, ambition, and fear of loss. Be well aware of these emotions as you approach, engage and deal with your customers.

Principle 8: Selective Product Knowledge Is the Key
A good salesperson realizes that buyers buy solutions and results; they do not buy products or services. Know the specific aspects of your product or service that will create your client's desired result.

Principle 9: Aim To Be Unique
You want to convey to your customers an attitude of "me first," rather than "me too."

Every business, every company, every product has something that is unique, and this is what you need to stress. Look outside the square, and identify the uniqueness of your product, your service, your company -- and yourself.

Principle 10: Don't Sell on Price
Selling on price is simply a cop out. You must value your expertise, your products and your services, and price accordingly. Always keep the bottom line firmly in your mind.

Remember, anyone can give business away. Selling merely on price means we do not need sales people!

Principle 11: Present Your Solutions
When we present our proposals, rather than mailing, faxing or e-mailing, we increase the likelihood of a sale by a factor of 10 if we do so in person.

Principle 12: Be Professional at All Times
The greatest compliment a customer can pay you is to describe you as "professional." Don't worry about being liked -- be respected.

Setalah melakukan presentasi dan konsultasi kepada prospek, salah satu masalah yang paling krusial bagi orang-orang dalam bidang penjualan adalah bagaimana menangani calon pelanggan yang ingin tahu atau bertanya langsung "Berapa besar biaya yang kita kenakan atau bebankan? Berapa besar uang yang harus saya keluarkan ? "

Berapa banyak proses penjualan kita terhenti oleh karenanya. Untuk itu kita sebagai orang-orang yang bergerak dibidang penjualan …itu adalah pekerjaan kita, sebagai profesional penjualan kita harus mampu menanganinya agar semuanya tetap baik dan berhasil.

Bila saat ini calon pelanggan kita langsung menanyakan tentang biaya atau harga pada pertemuan awal, kita tidak harus merasa takut dan khawatir secara berlebihan, atau langsung berkata dan tanpa berpikir, “murah kok Pak, Harga bisa ditawar, Lagi ada program discount dan hadiah Pak, Bisa dibayar bebera kali “, atau banyak contoh lainnya. Kita harus paham dan yakin akan , ada hal lain yang menjadikan harga bukanlah semata yang menetukan akan keberhasilan penjualan kita. Sering orang-orang penjualan terjebak dalam situasi seperti ini, sehingga kita bertindak seperti diatas.

Ketika seorang klien atau calon pelanggan (prospek) menanyakan semua tentang harga , Prospek kita mengatakan bahwa mereka tertarik membeli apa yang kita jual. Sekali lagi awas jangan terjebak atau anda terlalu takut akan situasi seperti ini, sering kita takut kehilangan potensi penjualan ini dan biasanya langsung dengan memberikan mereka akan harga. Proses negoisasi sangat membutuhkan kemampuan komunikasi yang baik. Skill dalam tahapan negoisasi akan sangat menentukan keberhasilan.

So … apa yang harus saya lakukan ?

Hanya ada sembilan kata yang Anda butuhkan saat menjawab pertanyaan tentang harga atau biaya . Tenang dan percaya diri menyampaikannya kepada prospek, "Mengenai biaya atau harga itu sangat dipengaruhi banyak factor Pak”. Sebelumnya, Biarlah saya mengajukan beberapa pertanyaan ...." Kemudian lanjutkan untuk menanyakan atau menhajukan pertanyaan yang mendalam pada prospek tersebut, ini yang akan membantu kita untuk dapat mengetahui kebutuhan dia, gali dan temukan masalah yang dihadapinya, pastikan prospek kita memahami gagasan tentang sukses atau keberhasilan, dan mendapatkan informasi tentang mengapa dia ingin membeli atau menggunakan jasa kita. Menggali kebutuhan pelanggan sangat penting, untuk itu dibutuhkan kemampuan dalam hal ini. Kita akan sampai pada kesimpulan “apa yang kita tawarkan merupakan solusi bagi prospek kita atau sebaliknya.

Tanpa mengetahui informasi dasar di atas, jangan pernah kita berbicara akan harga dan biaya. Jangan buru-buru menemui atau mendiskusikan harga kepada Prospek, sampai kita memiliki semua informasi penting dan memikirkannya, barulah kita masuk dalam proses membicarakan harga atau biaya.

“Good sales people make good sales managers.” It went on to ask the characteristics of good sales managers. The question struck a chord, a dissonant one, provoking me to respond. I’m sure I have missed a lot of characteristics of great sales managers, and would ask for your addition, deletions, edits. Here’s my response and the list I started with:

There is a long list of leadership skills/traits that are important for managers. I will stay away from repeating these.

Some specific areas that I think are often overlooked for sales managers:

1. Very process oriented. Today's sales manager cannot be involved in every deal, issue or transaction. They have to have a strong process in place, make certain their people understand and are executing the process. The sales manager has to continually monitor the process, taking deep dives in problem areas to help their people address them.

2. Disciplined and performance oriented. Closely tied to the previous point, the sales manager must have a strong focus on performance and performance improvement. This requires having the right metrics in place, making sure people understand what they are accountable for, giving them the opportunity to perform, being there to coach them when they have problems, and being prepared to take the appropriate actions if performance problems are not resolved.

3. Loyalty to the organization and their people. The sales manager is often caught between a rock and a hard place---the objectives of the organization sometimes come into conflict with what is best for the team. Effective sales managers are actively involved in setting organizational strategies and priorities (at least in terms of sales) and engage the sales people in executing them--though they may resist---which requires strong engagement and coaching. At the same time, sometimes the "organization" is insensitive to the sales people. The sales manager needs to defend the sales people to the organization, making sure they are heard.

3. Strong business orientation and focus. Make the right business decisions—both for the customer, for the sales organization, and for the business. Understanding how businesses work and what drives them.

4. Incessantly customer focused. If I have to say more, then we really don’t understand the point of professional selling.

5. Incessantly curious---driven to learn and improve. Incessantly curious about solving customer problems. Incessantly curious about the art and science of professional selling—driven to improve the performance of each individual in the organization, the organization as a whole, his own personal performance, and the business. This means they probably spend much more time asking questions and listening then they do talking.

6. Appropriately compassionate. Understand what drives people—customers, sales people, support people, others in the organization. Able to understand their points of view and what drives them. Able to communicate and work with them in a matter that demonstrates respect and trust. At the same time, able to make tough decisions—but with compassion based on the impact on individuals.

7. Able to sublimate their egos. Sales management is about leadership, growing and developing people, growing and developing the organization, growing and developing the business. It is not about how great you are and your past victories. It requires admitting you are wrong when you are. It requires being able to change your point of view.

8. Problem solvers. Driven by solving problems, finding ways to overcome obstacles, not being wed to the past. Creative and innovative in adapting new approaches to address issues and improve the business.

9. High energy. Constantly moving forward, setting strong examples for everyone around. Note, I am not saying high activity, high meeting orientation. High energy is different than meaningless activities.

10. Value, principle driven. Without a strong value system, a manager has no context in which to make decisions and drive the organization. Without sticking to the values and principles, the organization will wander and not produce results.

11. Thoughtful, reflective, good sense of humor. Self explanatory.

12. Able to leap tall buildings without tripping. Sales managers don’t need to have a big “S” on their chests, but they need to inspire and motivate others.

I’m sure I’ve missed some and could go into much more detail on each item. But I look for all of these in hiring great sales managers!

What would you add ? Are there any you would eliminate ?

Source : Sales Management 2.0