The days when a salesperson could carry the company catalog around
in his or her head have disappeared. From high-tech to low-tech
industries, today's salesperson often represents thousands of
products available in countless permutations. According to Thomas
Siebel and Michael Malone, although more than 500 companies are
rushing to market with information technology to aid millions of
salespeople world wide, these systems are destined to fail. Why?
Because, the authors argue, they focus only on improving
efficiency, rather than on increasing the effectiveness of the
selling process.
Instead, Siebel and Malone demonstrate the need to incorporate
Sales Force Automation (SFA) within an overall philosophy that
supports the sales force by fully informing sales reps to assist
them in real selling, not just data recording and analysis. The
authors show how this new vision, called Virtual Selling, will
spearhead a new generation of SFA design to provide powerful tools
-- from opportunity management systems and marketing encyclopedias
to product configurations and team selling across multiple
distribution channels -- which will enhance customer contact and
heighten the effectiveness of the sales representative.
By assuming the larger role of "point person" at the center of
every transaction, the members of what the authors call the
"Informed Sales Force" will resemble independent entrepreneurs
directing their own business by developing long-term customer
relationships, generating proposals, managing the configuration and
creation of products, and providing customer service and support.
Siebel and Malone explain how this reengineering of sales can
enable firms to achieve the perfect balance between the needs of
sales and the operations of the rest of the company. Finally, the
authors reveal how, in their equation, the Informed Sales Force
uses Virtual Selling to reach Total Sales Quality, with great
leads, smart pitches, irresistible closes, and above all,
sales.
The potential benefits of SFA to business are enormous, from
cutting costs to boosting productivity and revenue. Siebel and
Malone's innovative and inspiring approach to this important
subject will enable corporate managers and sales professionals in
all industries to transform the virtual selling vision into
reality.
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