Consumer Reports WebWatch

An introduction to a sales lead management system.

In today’s marketing world a sales lead management system is more important than ever before. Many companies are elevating their expectations, which demand better leads in a shorter amount of time. Essentially a sales lead management system helps in the process used to find leads quickly, nurture those leads, then analyze the leads and distribute them to members of the sales team. The basic goal of a sales lead management system is for sales teams to cultivate good customer relationships and take new leads and turn them into sales opportunities and ultimately happy customers. Many companies have been facing budget cuts and need more than ever to find effective ways for a sales lead management system to be used. One good way to maximize a sales lead management system is to use technology that has been made available to sales lead management teams in the past few years. A sales lead management system is easier to use than it ever has been before and uses the development of new sales lead management system tools that have been made available to businesses today.

Quantity of leads is not as important as quality.

Many businesses and sales lead management teams have found that the quantity of leads is not as important as the quality of leads. Finding quality leads is very important and it is an important aspect of a sales lead management system to find leads that are of high quality. Sales lead management teams should not worry about how many leads they come up with as much as they should focus on how many sales have been generated by those leads using the sales lead management system. When many sales are being made it shows that the sales lead management system is being handled in a good manner. A sales lead management system and team should be careful to have quality performance throughout the sales lead management system and its’ processes. Sales lead management teams should also be sure that methods of the sales lead management system result in sales and good profit for the company.

New sales lead management systems help produce quality leads.

Some companies have made their sales lead management system and teams generate large amounts of leads; however these large numbers of leads can be worthless if they are not of high quality. There are new marketing tools that can help a sales lead management system and can help sales lead management teams to make sure that their leads are quality leads. Marketing tools can also help to assist a sales lead management system and team to find a meeting place of both quantity and quality. When a sales lead management system is used to help produce large amounts of quality leads it will bring about a greater amount of sales for the business. It is important that businesses find new ways to use a sales lead management system to help prioritize and organize their leads so that they can be used in effective ways. One great new method that sale lead management teams are using today to help aid in organization and prioritization of leads is a sales lead management system of software. A sales lead management system software is an invaluable aid to sales lead management teams everywhere and can help to lead to more sales being made and more profit being brought in for the company.

No matter the size of the company a sales lead management system is important.

Whether the size of the company is large or small, finding quality sales lead management system software will help a sales lead management team to become more productive. Sales lead management system software can help your sales lead management team build important customer relationships and will also help your sales lead management team work to establish more quality leads for your business. Sales lead management system software will help to keep your leads organized and will assist with sorting out your leads so your sales lead management team can find the best quality leads and spend more time following up on these leads. If your company implements sales lead management system software, you will see a better quality of leads and these quality leads will result in more sales being made and more profit for your business.

There are many benefits to having a sales lead management system.

There are many benefits you will experience when you implement sales lead management system software into your company. A sales lead management system can help your sales lead team to maximize their sales efforts. As the sales lead management system helps you organize and prioritize the leads for your company, your sales lead management team will be able to properly support to those leads. Your sales lead management system and team will also be able to spend more time working at building quality customer relationships and cultivating quality leads. As you organize your existing leads with a sales lead management system you will be able to handle the leads you already have in an appropriate and timely manner.

A sales lead management system can help to increase sales.

Another benefit you will find to having your sales lead management teams use a sales lead management system will be an increase in sales that are made. Using a sales lead management system will help you to keep your sales lead management system processes streamlined and working effectively. You entire sales lead management team will be able to access all of the leads at the same time and a sales lead management system will help you keep these leads organized as well. As your sales lead management team uses the sales lead management system to keep contact with current clients they will be able to increase customer loyalty and will also be able to help encourage future business with these customers. Using a sales lead management system will assist you in building the productivity of your company and helping to insure that your business has a great future. As your sales lead management team begins to use a sales lead management system, your company will experience growth and success.

Avidian offers a great sales lead management system.

One company that offers excellent a sales lead management system that will be an invaluable asset to your sales lead management team is Avidian. The Prophet sales lead management system that Avidian offers will have a great affect on your sales lead management department and your entire company. Prophet sales lead management system is based on Microsoft Outlook and can be used in a variety of ways to help your company. Prophet sales lead management system is cost effective, easy to use, and it will help your sales lead management team to increase productivity. Avidian is dedicated to excellence and this company will stand behind their sales lead management system and offers a 30-day no questions asked guarantee. When purchasing a sales lead management system from Avidian you will be able to rest assured that this company is one that cares about the integrity of their product.

A sales lead management system is important to the success of a company.

An effective sales lead management system is important and sales lead management teams need to come up with quality leads. Technology can help companies today by offering new ways to organize leads such as a sales lead management system. If your sales lead management teams works together to help make your sales lead management system better and as they use a quality sales lead management system, you will find your company increasing the amount of sales made and the amount of profit generated. If your company uses the technology available to help your sales lead management system and teams then more quality leads will help to result in more sales. A sales lead management system is important to every company and when it is used correctly with modern technology your company will find long-term benefits and gain.

About Avidian Technologies:

Avidian Technologies is a software company specializing in creating software s
olutions for users of Outlook and Exchange. Prophet, developed by Avidian Technologies on the .NET platform, is the leading contact management and sales CRM software built in Outlook. The company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. For more information, please visit http://www.avidian.com or call 1-800-860-5534.

“Manage from the bottom up; not just from the top down; this creates personal commitment and accountability.” – Bryce’s Law

INTRODUCTION

A couple of months ago we started a free service to analyze a person’s style of management. Through our “Bryce Management Analysis,” a manager answers a series of questions (30 in all) and, based on his responses, we produce a report which assesses his style of management as well as other attributes. For details, see:

http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/bma.htm

The data collected from these surveys has confirmed a lot of my suspicions; that companies are regressing back to a Theory X form of management. Over the last twenty years we have witnessed a dramatic swing from a Theory Y or Z form of management, back to Theory X. Whereas workers used to be empowered to make decisions and tackle assignments (a la Theory Y or Z), managers today tend to micromanage every action or decision in their department. Workers are told what to do, how to do it, and when it has to be done, with little regard for their input. We see this not only in the corporate world, but in nonprofit organizations as well. The result is that organizations today are run by control freaks who would be more content working with robots as opposed to human beings. This mentality has resulted in an apathetic workforce that doesn’t trust management. It also breeds contempt and disloyalty for management, as well as making for some excellent fodder for such things as Dilbert and NBC’s hit comedy, “The Office.”

Although there are instances where a Theory X form of management can work effectively, it nonetheless represents a top-down unidirectional “master-slave” relationship. Theory X can work well in certain crisis situations, such as “crunch-time” projects, but it is hardly conducive for a normal mode of operation in today’s society. Let me be clear on this, under a Theory X form of management, project planning, estimating, scheduling, reporting and control is performed top-down. Instead, a bi-directional approach is recommended which is a critical aspect of the Mini-Project Manager concept.

THE CONCEPT

The Mini-Project Manager (MPM) concept is based on our experiences in several I.T. shops over a number of years and was first described in the Project Management activities of our “PRIDE” methodologies dating back to 1971. Unlike Theory X, the MPM concept seeks to empower workers and make them more responsible for their actions. It promotes more management and less supervision. Actually, under the MPM concept, the individual is expected to act professionally and supervise themselves.

There are still some top-down activities to be performed by management, such as project planning where projects are defined and prioritized. Further, managers select and allocate human resources to participate in project assignments. It also includes establishing project Work Breakdown Structures (WBS; e.g., phases, activities, tasks) and precedent relationships between such structures. Here, the manager relies on such things as Skills Inventories, Resource Allocations, Calendars, and Priority Modeling tools.

After projects are assigned, workers estimate the amount of effort needed to perform the work. This is a critical aspect of the MPM concept and is typically not found in today’s Theory X environments. Here, the worker is asked, “What do you think?” But understand this, the worker’s estimate is an expression of his personal commitment to the work involved. If the manager does not agree with the estimate, he may ask the worker to rationalize his estimate. If the manager is unhappy with the answer, he may elect to give the assignment to someone else (perhaps another employee or a contractor). Nonetheless, the estimate is an expression of commitment by the person.

Based on the estimate, the manager then calculates the project schedule. Whereas the worker developed the estimate, the manager computes the schedule. Here, the manager considers the project’s WBS and precedent relationships. More mportantly, the manager considers the Indirect and Unavailable time affecting the worker. This means the MPM concept does not subscribe to the “Man Hour” approach to project estimating and scheduling. I have discussed the differences in the use of time in many other articles, but in a nutshell we view time as:

AVAILABLE TIME – this is the time workers are available to perform work; e.g., Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm.

UNAVAILABLE TIME – this is the time when workers are not available for work; e.g., weekends, holidays, vacations, and planned absences.

Available Time is subdivided into two categories:

DIRECT TIME – representing the time when workers are performing their project assignments and, as such, estimates are expressed in Direct Time.

INDIRECT TIME – interferences which keep workers from performing their project assignments. For example, meetings, training classes, reviewing publications, telephone calls and e-mail, surfing the Internet, and breaks.

The relationship between Direct and Indirect Time is referred to as “Effectiveness Rate” which is an analysis of a worker’s availability to perform project work. For example, the average office worker is typically 70% effective, meaning in an eight hour day a worker spends approximately five hours on direct assignments and three on indirects. Effectiveness Rate is by no means a measurement of efficiency. For example, a highly skilled veteran worker may have a lower effectiveness rate than a novice worker with less skills who has a higher effectiveness rate; yet, the veteran worker can probably complete an assignment faster than the novice. It just means the novice can manage his time better than the veteran worker. Again, what we are seeing is the individual worker being personally responsible for supervising his own time. Interestingly, a manager typically has a low effectiveness rate as he typically has a lot of indirect activities occupying his time. For example, it is not unusual to find managers with a 20-30% effectiveness rate.

Returning to scheduling, the manager uses the worker’s effectiveness rate when calculating project schedules. If the worker’s estimate is such that it greatly impacts the schedule, the manager may consider alternatives, such as influencing the worker’s indirect time (eliminating interferences) and unavailable time (work overtime or on weekends, possibly cancel vacations, etc.).

This brings up another important aspect of the MPM concept, the manager is responsible for controlling the work environment. In addition to the physical aspects of the job such as the venue and tools to be made available to the worker, it also includes managing Indirect Time. For example, if a worker is working on a project assignment on the critical path, the manager may elect to excuse the worker from meetings and training so that he can concentrate on the project assignment. Whereas the individual worker is concerned with managing his Direct Time, the manager controls the Indirect Time. It is important to understand that nobody can be 100% effective; for nothing else, we as human beings need breaks so that we can refocus our attention on our work.

The “Effectiveness Rate” technique serves two purposes: it builds reality into a project schedule, and; it provides a convenient mechanism for a manager to control the work environment. For example, a manager may decide to send someone to a training class to develop their skills (representing Indirect Time). By doing so, he is weighing the impact of this decision against the worker’s current assignments.

As workers perform their project tasks, they report their use of time (representing another “bottom-up” characteristic of the MPM concept). In addition to reporting time against assignment, workers are asked to appraise the amount of time remaining on a Direct assignment (not Indirects). This is referred to as “Estimate to Do” which is
substantially different than the “Percent Complete” technique whereby workers are asked where they stand on an assignment. The problem here is that workers become “90% complete” yet never seem to be able to complete the last 10%. Under the “Estimate to Do” approach, the worker estimates the amount of time to complete a task. To illustrate how this works, let’s assume a worker estimates 30 hours to perform a task. During the week, he works 15 hours on the task. He is then asked how much time remains on it. Maybe its simply 15 hours (whereby the worker was correct on his estimate) or perhaps he determines the task is more difficult than he anticipated and 25 hours remain (15 hours performed + 25 hours “to do” = 50); conversely, perhaps he found that the task was easier than imagined and only 5 hours remain (15 hours performed + 5 hours “to do” = 20). Either way, this will affect project schedules and the manager must then consider the repercussions and take the necessary actions. “Estimate to Do” is another example of where the individual worker is asked, “What do you think?”

Although the reporting of time can be performed in any time cycle, we recommend a weekly posting. This can be performed either with Project Management software or using a manual system involving Time Distribution Worksheets. Either way, it is important for the manager to review each worker’s distribution of time (including Direct, Indirect, and Unavailable time) and their effectiveness rate for the week. This review should not be considered frivolous as the manager should carefully scrutinize the worker’s Direct and Indirect time as they might impact project schedules.

A good Project Management system should have the ability to “roll-up” time reports into departmental summaries for analysis by the manager. For example, a departmental effectiveness rate can be calculated thereby providing the manager with a means to study which workers are working above or below the departmental average. Again, you are cautioned that this is not an efficiency rating and workers should not necessarily be competing over who has the highest effectiveness rate. Accurate time reporting is required to make this work properly.

Both the individual and departmental effectiveness rates should be plotted on line graphs to allow the manager to study trends, as well as determining averages over a period of time; e.g., three months (quarterly) or annually.

IMPLEMENTATION

Implementing the MPM concept requires a good Project Management system (either automated or manual) and a good attitude by all of the participants involved, both managers and workers alike. Some people resist the concept as it forces accountability. Now, instead of the manager making an estimate, the worker is charged with this task, something that doesn’t sit well with some people who shirk responsibility. Further, some Theory X managers falsely see it as a threat to their control and authority. However, most people welcome the MPM concept as it represents more freedom and empowerment. This helps promote project ownership by the workers as they now feel their input is heard by management, which leads to improved corporate loyalty, trust, harmony, and teamwork.

By encouraging worker participation in Project Management, they tend to act more professionally and responsibly in project activities. Interestingly, as workers are given more freedom, they are forced to become more disciplined and accountable at the same time.

CONCLUSION

It was back in 1982 when Dr. William Ouchi wrote his popular book, “Theory Z,” describing Japanese management practices empowering workers. And it was in 1986 when President Ronald Reagan advised, “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere.” Keep in mind, this was twenty years ago. A lot has happened in the last twenty years; the Baby Boomers have been succeeded by Generation X, who is also being succeeded by Generations Y and Z. In the process, socioeconomic conditions have changed as well as the management landscape. Frankly, I think a lot of the management practices of today are dehumanizing. There is little concern for the people side of management, only numbers and technology. Its no small wonder that workers are becoming more socially dysfunctional.

To change this, I recommend that managers manage more and supervise less. And this is the heart of the Mini-Project Manager concept.

For a sample Time Distribution Worksheet, see:

http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/iw019.jpg

These are the all around best network marketing tips for success. This check list will not only provide you with a recipe for success with network marketing but success in anything you choose to apply the method to.

I’d say that’s pretty powerful stuff eh…?

What many people seem to have trouble grasping is the fact that success it self, be it with business, sports or even academics, has the very same formula. Basically, if you know what it takes to be successful at one thing, you can often apply the very same approach in a different context and duplicate that same kind of success for yourself over and over again.

Network Marketing Tips #1:
This first tip for success is also one of the most difficult to master. Time management may sound like a simple thing, but that’s far from the truth of things.

Ask yourself,” how do I spend my average day?” How many hours do you spend working, sleeping, eating, traveling between places, etc.? There are only so many hours in a day. If you work 8 hours, and get 8 hours of sleep, you only have 8 more left to do everything else.

The point I hope to make here is that your time is extremely valuable. The average American watches 4 or more hours of television a day. That 4 hours a day, equals a 28 hours a week that could be spent building your success.

Network Marketing Tips #2:
This second tip is nearly as important as the first. Being able to properly budget your finances is a must for any successful business owner. Being aware of how you spend your valuable resources, like your time and your money, will allow you to decide how to use them to your best advantage.

Also when planning to advertise and promote your business or service, preparing a set budget will help motivate you to promote your business as wisely and effectively as possible.

Network Marketing Tips #3:
This third tip is one that keeps on giving. Be sure to a lot both time and finances toward continuing education with your chosen industry niche. Think of this as an investment that will undoubtedly give you a serious return provided you stick to it.

There are possibly dozens of helpful hints to be lain at your feet in hopes that the right combination will guarantee success for you and your business. However, if you can properly manage your time and you finances as well as maintain the focus to continually increase your business knowledge you will all but have such a guarantee already in hand.

Successfully mastering just these three network marketing tips will require focus, discipline, and dedication. These are characteristics a great majority of successful individuals share. Work hard to develop them within yourself and success is sure to follow.