Why is the Sales Forecast Wrong?
Let's step back and think about why forecasts are wrong? A look back a few years ago at the bullwhip which flogged the electronic industry will help. Orders dried up as the air leaked out of the ecommerce baloon. But, directs and resellers like manufacturer's representatives and distributors, fearful of not being able to deliver parts to customers, kept ordering from OEMs. And the orginal equipment manufacturers lines kept on beating to the production drum, loading up inventory at contract manufacturers, distributors and in their own warehouses. A deeper look shows that the same distribution company, held high inventories of parts in some regions, yet ordered more of the same. Why did this happen?
The Bullwhip Cracked and Inventory Glutted
A slow down in the Order book is obvious to the salesmen as they push and pull for deals each day. The order slow down is not as clear to the OEM plant manager that is pounding out production based on the MRP report. If the OEM sales manager looked over the salesman's shoulder, seeing the sales forecast at the source, actions could have been taken. This over the shoulder view, into the buy side process, would stop inventory build up. But the sales process is broken. Accurate, real-time data is just not available.
The Sales Forecast as a Competitive Advantage
Accurate sales data builds sales strategy. Sales improvement is targeted and can be made more effective. The best sales partners are known and also, the best sales people at the best partners. Sales management can roll-out proven sales methods to replicate success across lower performing teams. The key is having truthful data. A professional football coach has near real time video to use. the coaches eyes tell him what strategy to use, what player to use, and even what the competition is doing.
Sales Management Can View Snapshots of Sales Data
OnlineSalesSoftware's Sales Power Bench is easy to use. The busiest salespeople and partners enter and edit sales data fast. Training is minimal, support is strong. The payback is very high. The salesperson and sales management can apply time to the best deals. The most closable projects are right there in the pipeline and sales forecast. The OnlineSalesSoftware.net sales software lays a 2-way electronic communication blanket over all sales teams. Sales data flows throughout the enterprise; to and from all sales people.
The LeadNET module kicks off the "Morning Call"
Each salesperson gets a Morning Call meassage daily. This smart email, auto-sent from LeadNET, does two things: first, nudges the sales guy to work deals assigned and second, provides a simple Sales Bench, or user interface, Mapato enter/edit data. Sales Bench interface is super fast, built with Ajax grids, Excel-like. And even the sales guy still typing call reports on a Selectric can use Xcel.
LeadNET: Revolutionary 2-Way electronic Communication to Boost Sales Lead Conversions > Sales Profits
There is a demonstration video which shows the LeadNET tool. This video can be had on the onlinesalessoftware website. The videos shows how sales data is automatically routed to the right salesperson, and how the sales person uses the Sales Power Bench to enter and edit sales data. Please view this video here:
http://www.onlinesalessoftware.net/?
