Energy Sales/Business Development
The need for good sales people to find and retain new clients is growing. The growth in renewable companies is increasing the number of competitors in each segment of the downstream energy business. So the training and development of the sales function must ramp up as well. These are some of the topics worth considering.
Tracking and Analyzing Sales Performance
If you’re a sales representative and clued-in, you reviewed the new quota system at the beginning of the year and have been using it to maximize your income or happiness.
If you’re a sales manager, you’ve been tracking sales performance and individual contributions from your team.
I don’t know what CRM( Customer Relationship Management System) your firm uses but it’s wise to know how to extract value from it to:
• Establish a common understanding of sales facts;
• Allow everyone to drill down to determine cause and effect;
• Adjust expectations for revenue in the future.
Here is a survey of some of the PERFORMANCE items that firms track in their CRM or if not in a CRM in a spreadsheet. It’s not complete since it’s a vast subject. But it’s worth reviewing what others are doing.
Click on this link to download the pdf:
A CRM, or Customer Relationship Management system, is a tool that helps businesses manage and improve their interactions with current and potential customers.
Think of it as a digital command center for your sales, marketing, and customer service teams.
At its core, a CRM does three big things:
1. Centralizes customer data – Every email, call, purchase, and support ticket is stored in one place.
2. Streamlines communication – It helps teams follow up with leads, nurture relationships, and never miss a beat.
3. Boosts productivity and insights – With automation and analytics, it helps you work smarter, not harder.
Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or a global enterprise, a CRM helps you build stronger relationships, close more deals, and keep customers happy throughout their journey.
Here’s a list of the popular ones for firms that sell both online and through reps.
Click on this link to download the pdf:
General Comments
Choosing the type of sales training is an individualized thing, depending on how well-developed a sales organization is and how much sales training is in the background of individuals and sales managers.
I was a sales rep, a regional sales manager and a VP of sales and marketing before I entered recruiting. That was in two industries: software and financial data.
Looking back over the organizations I was part of, I would now choose different programs for each of them. Each sales organization was in a different stage of development. The age and experience of the sales people was different from firm to firm.
As a rookie sales person, I even took the XEROX sales training course, the granddaddy of most of the modern courses today. It was very beneficial since it got me out of my techie mode and helped me focus on client needs.
I do like the sales training that reminds you of where you are in the sales cycle. If you can recognize that and use that to talk to your sales manager or peers about problems or solutions—it really can help. But that is your choice.
You can download a list of these at the bottom of this introduction.
If you have suggestions about other sales training courses, would love to hear about them plus your comments:
crbamford@rockwoodenergysearch.com
