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Manager: main responsibilities. Account Manager

B2B sales are very different from consumer sales. One of the important differences is the duration of the sale. In the case of the sale of industrial equipment and large projects, the contract with the client is not concluded the next day. He came, he saw and he bought, as happens in the consumer goods sector, this is not a common case here, so, by the way, psychological techniques aimed at selling here and now do not work. From the first contact of a potential buyer to the completion of a transaction, months, or even years, may pass. How to work with a client so as not to lose the deal during this time?

There is such a concept as “interest” - this is a client’s request for information for a future transaction. Such a request can be qualified as a “potential deal,” but “interest” is a more precise concept for the request of customers who are only looking for information to solve their problem and are not necessarily looking for a specific product. After all, the client does not yet know whether his problem is solved by the means that your company provides and whether he wants to solve his problem this way and not some other way.

If a client calls you and is interested in the cost of equipment like HREN-BREN-2011, catalog number 322-223, then this can already be called a potential deal, since the client knows what he wants and is simply looking for a supplier for a specific product. And if the client says that I need to solve such and such a problem, can you do it? This is “interest” in its purest form, since the solutions and the equipment used are still unclear. For example, if a client wants to install video conferencing, the problem can be solved in several ways, for example, using a specialized hardware platform, or using a software solution. Each of these options has pros and cons that the client must understand when making a decision.

And so, if a client calls with any question and he is not yet in your database, then you need to record all the information about him as completely as possible. You need to know: full name, company, position, email, telephone and mobile phone, messenger, company web server. I never insist that the client give me a complete set, but I always ask the name and name of the company, since without this data further qualification and work with “interest” will be impossible. In addition, it is necessary to clearly define the size of the company and the scope of its activities, which helps to find the most suitable solution.

Clients usually give their email themselves so that they can send additional materials, but we most often take the phone number from the email signature. Caller ID does not always accurately show the phone number at which you can reach the person, but our main goal is to continue the relationship with the client until either he signs a contract or we understand that there are no prospects for the deal. All the information that the client gives, all the initial parameters of the project, wishes and goals that he wants to achieve are also recorded.

The main task of the first contact is to invite a potential buyer to a meeting in the office in order to present your company, and also to tell in colors and paints what we can do to solve the client’s problem, to demonstrate the equipment in action, to let the client touch it with his hands. understood, firstly, that we are the right company that can solve his problem and that we have all the necessary resources and equipment to carry out the project. Secondly, that there are different hardware and software options and paths that can be taken to create the final solution.

In preparation for large projects, the client spends his time, and this is an important psychological moment, so the sales manager must thoroughly explain to the buyer the possibilities of implementation, difficulties and how we will overcome them. If the manager has drawn a picture of the work of the client’s enterprise after implementing our solution, and the project has been calculated, then the latter can only make the final decision. And you will no longer need to waste time searching for other companies offering something similar. The more the client communicates with you, the more complete the information is prepared for him, the greater the likelihood that the contract will be concluded with your company.

In many organizations, the sales manager keeps all customer information in his head or in his personal notebook. And this is not the best option for the company. After all, a manager can get sick, go on vacation, or ultimately quit. Therefore, all information should be recorded in a common database, to which sellers and the head of the sales department have access, so that all current interests of clients are under control. If a person cannot cope with the influx of customers, part of it can be transferred to another manager. And the seller himself will not be tempted to “forget” about any client, because the process is controlled by the manager.

At the first stage of working with the “interests” of clients, the manager receives and records all the necessary information, then invites the client to the office to demonstrate equipment and additional materials. After a detailed discussion of the project, the manager calculates its cost, makes a commercial offer and... the client leaves to think. What does this mean?

There are several options for interpreting this situation:

the manager worked with an employee who does not make the final decision, and now this employee needs to report information “upstream”;

the client did not assume that a simple task, in his opinion, required certain costs for implementation and went to choose the most suitable (or cheapest) one from several solutions;

the client previously did not understand how his problem was being solved, and now he needs to decide whether the dividends received from the solution outweigh the costs that lie ahead, and he goes to determine the budget.

In the first case, the result will be obtained quite quickly, since reporting further information will take a few days. The sales manager’s task is to persuade the client to meet with the decision-maker. Such a meeting often takes place in the client’s office, that is, at least a few days later the salesperson must call the client regarding a meeting with the manager. If the meeting is postponed, then schedule a call in a few more days and so on until the meeting is reached or new information is received, for example, that there is no budget yet.

In the second option, the client makes a choice from several solutions, and such a choice may take a long time. The manager’s task is to call the client at least once a week so as not to miss the moment when the scales tip in favor of one decision or another. The best option is to arrange a meeting after a certain time, when it is clear that the client has familiarized himself with the competitors, to summarize and conduct a final description of the project.

If the client is waiting for the budget, then this is the longest process. Here you need to periodically remind about your company and the equipment offered by sending out additional information, describing new products, inviting the client to seminars and not losing sight of them. Call periodically about the project and to obtain information. All invitations to seminars must be made by telephone and then followed up by email.

As a result, the client's "interest" should not be lost. It must be closed either with a deal or with a refusal. Refusal can be for various reasons: inability to contact the client, loss of a deal to competitors, unpromising deal. If a potential buyer has not yet purchased a solution (ours or a competitor’s) and says that he will not purchase anything for now, then it is necessary to continue to work with him as a client in anticipation of the budget, but not close his “interest”, since the transaction can still be completed, of course, if the client seems promising.

You don't need to waste time calling unpromising clients, but you should keep them on your mailing lists. An unpromising client is one who will not be able to buy your solution. Returning to the example with videoconferencing equipment, during initial communication you should immediately be interested in the size of the company and the number of required jobs for connection, since for small companies (5-10 people) the costs of equipment do not pay off, so in this situation small companies in 90% of cases can be considered unpromising.

All interaction with a client based on “interest” should be recorded in the database. Any call, request, email, so that in a few months all this correspondence can be picked up. The manager should be able to receive a report on open “interests” in the context of managers and the stage at which the relationship with the client is currently located, in order to control and distribute tasks.

As a result, by carefully working with the “interests” of clients, without forgetting a single client who has ever approached you, in the long run you will receive an increase in the percentage of completed transactions per appeal.

A good market seller does not sell snow to Eskimos. He does not seek to receive one-time money, he seeks to receive constant profit from all transactions that the client will make for the next 100 years

This is what one of the well-known Russian marketing publications writes. And this statement is most relevant when working with corporate clients.

Who are corporate clients?

In the modern market, corporate clients (definition) are legal entities, organizations or enterprises that purchase a product/service in several copies at once. Let's say such a client buys not one computer, but 5 or 10 at once. For most commercial companies, they constitute the main component of the business.

If there are not enough customers, the company may not survive in the harsh market conditions.

A truly competent manager understands well: if he doesn’t find a client today, tomorrow his competitors will, and all the profit will go to them.

In order to avoid such a prospect, entire programs are being developed on how to find corporate clients, how to attract them and how to keep them in your company.

This task is not easy, but quite doable. First of all, it is necessary to specifically understand: a corporate client is a narrowly focused concept and being able to work with it is an entire art. First of all, a corporate client manager must understand the criteria for attracting such people: the degree of interest in the product or service and the financial capabilities of the person or company.

How to find corporate clients for a company easily and effectively?

A new enterprise, as a rule, is not known to many people. And the main task is to solve the issue of how to attract corporate clients. There are several ways to do this, and the manager’s task is to study each one.

What are the benefits of attracting corporate clients?

Finding and attracting corporate clients is only half the battle. We also need to work with them correctly, because corporate clients are a large part of the company’s profit. But the forms of working with them differ significantly from the methods of working with individuals. This requires a special approach and originality, the meaning of which is:

Correct offer of service/product. Practically, all advertising is designed for the average person, and company employees are already middle managers or top managers. How can you make your proposal for corporate clients sound right? You need to call or write. In other words, competently organize a system of corporate mailings and cold calls (telemarketing).
A transaction that is carried out not by one person, but by several at once, both on the part of the customer and on the part of the client. Therefore, servicing corporate clients in this case is not just a fact of sale, but a fact of successful sale. And since a group of people cooperates at once, powers must be correctly distributed among them. And only then will the company have a successful deal, and the manager will be able to monitor the work of his employees.

It is very good to develop original methods for selling goods to corporate clients for your company. After all, the hard part is not finding a company, but making it your client. And in this matter, it is important to make an impression, achieve cooperation, speak competently about the company’s work, and offer gifts to corporate clients. In general, do everything a qualified manager can do for the prosperity of his company.

In order for a company to survive and develop safely in tough market conditions, it needs a sufficient number of customers.

Of course, it is very good when there are many regular retail customers, but the main profit for the company comes from corporate clients.

Definition of the concept

Corporate clients are usually called legal entities, organizations or enterprises that purchase goods or services from a company on a large scale, in several copies.

For most commercial companies, they constitute the main component of the business.

The explanatory dictionary of the Russian language interprets the word “corporate” as “narrow group, limited to a narrow circle.” Consequently, we are talking about a dedicated group of partners, which cannot be numerous and requires special approaches to interact with it.

The main task of any company is to attract and subsequently retain a corporate client, striving to make him permanent. For this purpose, specially developed programs, techniques, and methods of working with them are used. Enterprises have special employees who specialize in various methods of attracting profitable partners.

As a rule, the issue of attracting corporate clients is relevant for a new, newly opened enterprise that is known to few people.

Exists several proven search methods corporate clients:

If you have not yet registered an organization, then easiest way This can be done using online services that will help you generate all the necessary documents for free: If you already have an organization and you are thinking about how to simplify and automate accounting and reporting, then the following online services will come to the rescue and will completely replace an accountant at your enterprise and will save a lot of money and time. All reporting is generated automatically, signed electronically and sent automatically online. It is ideal for individual entrepreneurs or LLCs on the simplified tax system, UTII, PSN, TS, OSNO.
Everything happens in a few clicks, without queues and stress. Try it and you will be surprised how easy it has become!

Ways to attract and retain

Once the database of potential corporate clients of the company has been compiled, continuous work with it begins to promote the company’s products and services on the market. The manager and his assistants develops a unique strategy to attract and retain corporate clients. It can be expressed in a special program, methodology, set of techniques, etc. It should be noted that attracting large clients is not an easy task, and each company makes a lot of efforts to interest profitable partners to the maximum extent and prevent them from leaving for competitors.

In order to successfully attract corporate clients to cooperation, you should initially proceed from important criteria for working with them: the degree of interest in the product/service and the availability of financial capabilities of the company or entrepreneur. Depending on these conditions, original ways to attract and retain corporate clients should be developed.

Let's look at some of them:

If the retail buyer has only a personal interest in the transaction, then legal entities have to take into account: the interests of the organization related to making a profit, the interests of the people conducting the negotiations, as well as the interests of competing organizations. From this it becomes clear that many factors influence the conclusion of an agreement with a corporate client. The exception is situations when a corporate client is represented by one person - an individual entrepreneur.

As a rule, the key criteria for choosing a particular supplier of goods or services are: a guarantee of high quality products and services, the company’s business reputation in the market, and the competence of employees who interact directly with corporate clients. In addition, knowledge of the rules of business etiquette, politeness, openness and goodwill in communication are required. An important condition will be the observance of punctuality in solving problems, prompt fulfillment of undertaken obligations, since a serious client values his time and the desire to resolve any difficult situation in the shortest possible time.

Organizing the work of the corporate department for working with corporate clients

For effective organization of work With corporate clients, just searching and attracting them is not enough; it is also important to competently organize work with large partners. For these purposes, every reputable enterprise has a special structure called the “corporate department for working with corporate clients.” Managers working with corporate clients work there - professionals in their field.

It should be noted that the methods of working with individuals and corporate clients are certainly different. Unlike retail buyers, corporate clients are offered all sorts of loyal conditions for the sale of goods and services, as well as subsequent after-sales service.

Main tasks corporate department are:

searching for and attracting large companies to cooperation;
comprehensive work with corporate clients, ensuring large supplies of products;
retaining regular customers and prolonging commercial relations with them;
high financial return for the enterprise for each concluded contract.

It is known that all corporate partners are legal entities, but not all legal entities can make large purchases. The corporate department is only interested in clients who provide high sales volumes for the company, so the requirement of high selectivity when searching for a partner is most relevant here.

Traditionally, a difficult question is: at what sales volume can a corporate client be considered profitable for the company? Here there is a dependence not only on volume, but also on a number of other factors: the client’s solvency, his geographical distance, the internal policy of his company, etc.

In general, all clients of the corporate department are divided into the following groups:

Features in the banking sector

Any bank is interested in working effectively with corporate clients, since servicing them involves receiving good dividends. Large clients have the opportunity to obtain personal lines of credit and insurance, apply, maintain accounts, can count on bank guarantees and take part in salary projects.

To become corporate client of the bank, a legal entity enters into an agreement with a bank and receives a package of banking products and services on personal terms. Typically, newly opened banks offer the lowest rates and attractive loan products, but clients often doubt their reliability and prefer financial business sharks.

Among the bank's operating methods with corporate clients, the following should be highlighted: a large selection of services and their affordable prices, fast execution of transactions and their full support, assistance in preparing documentation, professional advice in the field of finance.

The nuances of working in the hotel industry

Currently, the business tourism market is actively developing, so hotels are focused on cooperation with corporate clients interested in holding high-level meetings, negotiations, conferences, banquets, etc. According to experts, it is corporate clients that provide hotels with up to 50% of total income.

Working with such clients is certainly different from interacting with private visitors. The corporate department of a hotel is required to competently maintain databases, analyze customer needs, individual approach to each of them, and establish long-term partnerships with legal entities.

When working with corporate clients in hotel business What is important is a flexible pricing policy, offering each client a package of various services focused on his individual needs, and strict adherence to the terms of agreements. When conducting business events, all personnel are required to work competently and in a coordinated manner and to comply with the required quality standards.

Interaction with corporate clients and establishing effective cooperation with them requires maximum concentration and responsibility from the entire staff of the company. It should be understood that business contacts with corporate clients are not ordinary one-time transactions, but an opportunity to organize long-term and cost-effective cooperation. Therefore, specialists must use their professionalism, business skills and original techniques to find, attract and retain corporate business partners.

An example of mutually beneficial cooperation between Megafon and its corporate clients is presented in the following video:

The currently increased competition among car dealers and suppliers of spare parts for cars in the Smolensk region forces them to look for new ways to sell goods and services.

One of the most promising solutions in the competition is the creation of a corporate sales department.

Corporate department

Corporate sales are fundamentally different from retail sales. They are based on much more labor-intensive methods of working with clients than in retail, and also imply all sorts of loyal conditions not only for the sale of goods and services, but also for subsequent after-sales service. Corporate clients have a certain number of exclusive conditions and cooperation rights. Their profitability is usually lower than in retail, but low profitability in some cases is compensated by large volumes. A good return on each contract concluded is a prerequisite for the work of the corporate department, which otherwise becomes a burden for the entire company. It is impossible to achieve it without selectivity when searching for a potential partner. Therefore, the question of who the corporate client is turns out to be much more important than it might seem at first glance.

It is impossible to give a complete and unambiguous answer to the question: who is a corporate client, but there is one of the main features: a corporate client is a legal entity. But if we equate all legal entities with corporate clients, the department will simply drown in the flow of buyers and will be forced to engage in retail sales. Accordingly, a second sign appears: a corporate client is a large client that is a legal entity.
It is also impossible to determine at what sales volume clients can be considered large in order to receive corporate status. Much depends on the circumstances: solvency (the client can make a large volume of sales, but remain a debtor), location (Smolensk or a distant region), etc.
But even large companies with large volumes of goods purchased are not always advisable to equate to corporate partners and provide them with appropriate benefits.

In general, all clients of the corporate department can be divided into four large groups: small, medium, large businesses and government agencies.

Small businesses

Most often they focus on commercial and economy class cars. These are small companies with no more than 10 cars in their fleet, and they are aimed at a small sales volume. Therefore, such companies most often become only retail clients. Although there are exceptions when, due to an increase in the number of these companies, they provide quite acceptable sales volumes for the supplier of goods and services. So, when making initial contact with such companies, you need to carefully study their potential and not rush to deny them corporate rights. Such clients are relatively accessible. Often they make contact themselves, without waiting for an offer from the company. Also, such companies and firms are less demanding in terms of quality of service. For such companies, the price of a product or service is important, so in response to discounts, they are ready to turn a blind eye to some shortcomings.

Medium-sized enterprises

They are of interest to virtually any car dealer and company providing automotive goods and services in Smolensk. These are private carrier companies, manufacturing plants, etc. They have 2-3 premium cars in their arsenal. Cars of lower classes have the widest application; they are bought both for the provision of transport services, and as a means of transportation for managers and mid-level employees, and as utility and traveling vehicles. Such companies are sometimes able to provide and do provide a truly large volume of purchases if sales to these companies are streamlined. Usually in such companies there is already a vertical of power, there is a technical director, a mechanic or a garage (vehicle fleet) manager. However, the power vertical is not yet as cumbersome and bureaucratic as in large companies. Each of these companies has a decision maker (DM) for procurement or concluding service agreements. Usually, it doesn’t take much time to agree on prices, assortment, delivery times and deferred payment, and determine logistics, but if a company is already working with a competitor, it is not so easy to establish partnerships with it and transfer it to the status of “your” corporate client. Established partnerships are the main reason. It can be difficult to contact and find the person responsible for making purchasing decisions. However, here there is already a danger that if the contact is not carried out through those employees who are interested in the purchase, it may not be effective. For such companies, not only the discount is important, but also the very attitude of the supplier’s employees towards them.

Large private companies

These companies are of great interest to all suppliers in the region. As Pareto's law says: 20% of our efforts bring 80% of the results. Here the law applies directly: 20% of these companies in the total customer base usually account for 80% of the total gross sales. Often, supplies of goods for such companies come directly from manufacturing plants or Moscow companies - sharks in this business segment. The advantage of working with such companies is obvious - they are potentially able to ensure regular high sales. However, large companies are very difficult and difficult to reach clients. Due to the complex administrative structure, the list of decision-makers and signatories of contracts sometimes swells from three to 10 people or more. Therefore, during the initial contact, the main and most difficult task of the supplier representative is to identify the employee who can really influence the purchase of goods and the provision of repair services. This could be the general director, the personal driver of the chief accountant, or simply a technical employee of the department. The demands of such clients on business partners are extremely high. Only the company that will thoroughly think through all the details of the upcoming cooperation and will be able to offer convenient sales and service conditions that will set it apart from the general background of all companies in the Smolensk region will be able to win the competition and start working with them. At the same time, there is no loyalty from a large company to its partner. Any failure or error can lead to the loss of a client. It is almost impossible to overcome all these difficulties without a special corporate department and a clearly structured policy regarding such partners. Not all car dealers or networkers in the Smolensk region decide to work with this category of clients. But if they have worked, the income and increase in profits are obvious.

Government structures

Cooperation with government agencies turns out to be even more difficult and even more profitable. As a rule, they are provided with services and sales by the main players in the Smolensk region.

Working with these clients is not so simple, it mainly involves working on electronic platforms (municipal, private, state, unified electronic platform), tracking the submission of notices to them, preparing auction documentation, making decisions on markups, contract terms, and monitoring prices , submission of quotation bids, slow adoption of all decisions, the need to obey strict rules, an unusual system of deferred settlements. All of the above will most likely require the formation of a specialized unit within the corporate department for working with government customers. This department should employ trained professionals in their field; the financial and moral motivation of such employees on the part of the department head and company management should be at the appropriate level, but not every company will do this. However, the game is worth the candle. By purchasing a government contract, a company can count on stable high sales over a certain period of time.

Attracting and retaining corporate clients

A very large component of the work of the corporate department is the search for new clients. To attract them, we use all methods of active marketing, informational and personal mailings by e-mail, and holding events to familiarize ourselves with new services, during which it becomes possible to have direct contact with potential clients. Of all the methods, the most effective are those steps that provide personal contact with the client. It is also necessary to constantly contact potential and existing clients, visiting them, conducting presentations of new services, analyze the needs of each client and try to make offers that take into account his wishes.

One of the ways to analyze needs and analyze the quality of service delivery is through telephone surveys and paper surveys at the entrance. Good results come from tracking market sentiment and changes in decision makers in companies that work with competitors. If negativity from any large companies begins to appear in relation to a competitor, and this can only be traced through personal contact, it’s time to approach such companies with your more loyal and interesting offers.

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From this article you will learn:

What does sales management to corporate clients consist of?

What are the technologies for selling to corporate clients?

What are the main sales channels for corporate clients?

Sales to corporate clients are strikingly different from retail and even from small wholesalers. What exactly? How is trade management organized? What technologies are used? And, in particular, what are the features of selling cars to such counterparties? You will get answers to these and other questions related to this topic in this article.

The essence of the concept of “sales to corporate clients”

Let's immediately decide what it is? The word "corporate" will appear frequently in this text. According to the dictionary, it means “pertaining to a corporation, a legal entity.” This type of trading is quite complex. This is explained by the specifics of the buyer and the product. In this case customer in the modern sense, this is not an individual person, but a legal entity (company, organization, enterprise). Such consumers do not waste time on trifles. They purchase a product or service not in quantities of one or two copies, but, let’s say, 10-20 or more at once. The objects of such trades complex, expensive products and services. It follows that sales to legal entities (corporations) of expensive things (services), large quantities of products for the purpose of subsequent processing and resale can be called corporate. This is a big business category. In this review we will talk about it.

The key difference between such sales and other types of sales is the sufficient labor intensity and duration of the operation. Some characteristic features of corporate trading:

painstaking procedure and duration of operations;
the need to competently maintain a large amount of documentation accompanying the transaction;
combining constant work with regular clients and continuous search for new buyers;
effective cooperation with suppliers, participation in tenders (competitive) purchases;
providing corporate support after the transaction;
significant sales amount (reaches hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars);
presence of a large number of participants;
manifestation of personal and professional qualities during a number of negotiations to decide on the feasibility of an agreement and reach an agreement on such important terms as terms, guarantees, additional opportunities;
openness of the conclusion of the contract (it is known to a whole circle of people);
competitive nature (the customer company has the opportunity to choose between what you and other sellers offer).

Sales management to corporate clients includes:

The ability to reconcile a person’s personal interests with the benefit of the organization he represents. This involves the need to maintain regular close contacts with consumers (personal meetings, perhaps in an informal setting; presentations; joint participation in events), as well as collecting information about the business of the acquiring enterprise;
Analysis of the buyer’s activities will allow you to use logical arguments in communication with a potential counterparty (since there are large sums of money in circulation, for example, justifications with digital data will be convincing to him);
Communication skills, including the ability to turn interruptions into dialogue into compromise.

A specialist committed to success is ready to look for new customers and devote as much time and attention to them as is required to complete the transaction. After all, if today he does not receive a buyer, tomorrow he will go to competitors. Accordingly, they will win. Constant work is underway to create programs aimed at effectively searching for corporate consumers, ways to interest them and encourage them to cooperate with their company. To successfully achieve these goals, you need to clearly understand: working with a wholesaler is not a standard trade, but aerobatics, an art. In addition to natural abilities, training and continuous improvement are required. Every experienced businessman understands the role of large sales, so he takes the qualifications of the relevant employees seriously.

What is sales management for corporate clients?

It is difficult to give an exact definition to this rather vague concept. In practice, it includes, first of all, the management of those involved in the sale of goods. Such a specialist has the long name key account manager (KAM). Administration involves careful selection of employees for this responsible position, creation of the right motivation, and training in specialized skills. The second, no less relevant point is the coordination of sales processes (including trade channels). We will consider corporate sales management as a combination of all these concepts. It combines elements of marketing and management.

Trade management concept with a client purchasing a large consignment of goods, contains the following components:

Identifying the target audience, which is the main “target” of narrow group trading:

collecting information about possible buyers (what goods and services are in demand, what price category and terms of cooperation are attractive), intermediaries (dealers, distributors), sales channels;

identification of strategic and secondary niches;

planning penetration into new segments.

Channel management:

ensuring reliable communications. It is necessary to maintain a continuous process of sharing the collected information;

development of trading plans for different channels and within one (with packages of conditions for each of them);

organizing control over distributors (prices, level of service);

creation of an incentive system for dealers and distributors (training, incentive bonuses, promotions);

selection of criteria for evaluating participants in the implementation process, adjustment of conditions and client base.

Planning the work of the sales department:

determining the specific goals of this unit;

providing attention to personnel (number of employees, level of their professionalism);

preference for a certain method of distributing responsibilities (by type of product, service areas, client groups);

provision of material and technical base.

Goods sales service management:

Ability to conduct personal (direct) sales and communication skills:

developing a strategy for finding possible buyers;

improving effective implementation skills (flexibility in negotiations with clients, presentations, counter-argumentation, deal closure);

achieving the customer’s desired level of service, warranty, after-sales service;

rewarding managers who achieve high labor productivity.

Regulation of the sales system:

Based only on this list (which does not pretend to be complete and complete) it is clear that it is quite difficult to combine all the components of sales management, and even more difficult to put these processes into practice. Most domestic companies have only individual elements. And this is understandable: they always start small, gradually complicating the process, adding more and more links to the chain. Mentality also plays a role: Russian people in general and businessmen in particular prefer to be guided by clear, “tangible” concepts and receive the quickest possible benefits. A corporate sales management operates in “abstract” terms: plans, motivation, strategy, incentives, etc. And yet some positive dynamics in this direction are observed:

the interest of business people increases;
Efforts are being made to develop and improve sales strategies (especially by large enterprises). Often the incentive is the new owner or leading management specialists. A fresh look at the established order allows you to identify weak points and make effective changes;
Such an effective method as planning the product sales process is becoming widespread.

Businesses (mainly large ones) are moving away from the short-sighted principle of making profits as quickly and extensively as possible. If at an early stage things were done based on spontaneity, luck, chance, now there comes an awareness of the need to act with an eye to the long-term future.

An example of this approach: A new marketing director came to a large enterprise. His innovation was evident in the introduction of sales plans and reports. The general director, initially skeptical, began to pay attention to the relevant documentation and realized the effectiveness of the implemented tool. For several years he managed the enterprise without such reporting, but now, in the event of a late report, he felt that he was not in control of the situation. His view of planning was reversed: with transaction reports, the CEO could control and manage the business. The level of product sales has increased.

In sales management, an important role is played by the training of relevant specialists and the constant improvement of their qualifications. In the job market, the demand for highly qualified managers currently exceeds supply. Many companies prefer to “grow” their own professional, train him and “tailor” him to the specifics of their business. Large concerns pay for the education of their employees in various schools, courses, and trainings. Some managers of small firms conduct classes on their own, practicing the interaction of more experienced workers with newcomers in order to transfer experience. There were cases when the director of the sales department gathered his subordinates on a weekly basis to discuss and analyze the results: the most unusual, outstanding case was considered, opinions were exchanged, and conclusions were drawn. This is collective (or corporate) training.

Of course, it is difficult to list everything that a sales specialist has to do. In order to competently perform his duties, communicating with a variety of people, he needs personal and professional growth. Qualities that a good manager cannot do without: communication skills, the ability and desire to learn and develop, erudition, the skill of maintaining stable, friendly relationships, a realistic outlook, literacy, responsibility, self-discipline, flexibility. Mastery is improved in many ways. The most serious attention was paid to the study of this issue and the development of such methods.

Of course, these are not all methods. Whatever you choose, the goal is the same - to increase company sales. Therefore, include solutions to narrow-profile issues in your training. Thus, a specialist in the field of tourism must be familiar with the routes being sold, while a worker in the auto business must understand the technical characteristics of cars.

What should a corporate sales manager do?

He performs the following duties:

searches for potential buyers (enterprises that will be interested in the product or service being sold);
maintains and promptly updates the client database;
conducts personal meetings with representatives of the corporate customer;
advises the potential consumer on all issues arising during the discussion and preparation of the transaction;
prepares presentations, participates in thematic events;
conducts negotiations;
makes deals;
prepares accompanying and other documentation;
Maintains relationships with key clients;
carries out business correspondence;
provides reports on completed sales.

Working in the sales department, managers perform a lot of tasks. The above are just the basic functions. The general course of action of a corporate trade specialist is to organize cooperation with corporations, firms and enterprises that are interested in the service or product being sold. To achieve this, all kinds of conferences, seminars, presentations, corporate events (celebrating internal company events) are held. If a hairdresser operates with scissors, then this person performs a significant portion of the work via telephone. Many issues (invitations, coordination of matters, meetings, deadlines) are resolved by telephone conversations. Personal meetings are an integral part of his working day. When communicating with a potential buyer, he should show not superficial awareness, but deep, serious knowledge of his business, competition within a given segment, and pricing policy. A mandatory requirement is the ability to effectively sell, establish and maintain long-term working contacts. In addition to the basic qualities and skills, a large sales employee must have knowledge of a narrow focus, namely:

nuances of transaction preparation;
features and rules of business etiquette for telephone conversations;
principles of showing attention to reach an agreement in a personal meeting;
specifics of the corporate agreement between companies.

Regular consumers deserve special treatment. There is no need to explain for a long time why. Everyone has long understood that working with long-time customers is convenient and profitable. They provide the company with such advantages as a reputation as a reliable partner, financial stability, and saving time and effort at the preliminary stage of the transaction. Over time, loyal customers develop friendly feelings towards your organization and begin to advertise it to their associates for free. Therefore, lines of relations with such clients are being developed, and a system of long-term interaction is being envisaged (congratulations on memorable dates of both enterprises and personally leading specialists, invitations to events).

Most Russian corporations that have been operating effectively in the market for at least seven years have managed to acquire regular consumers during this period and form a more or less stable client base. To improve the quality and comfort of business development, CRM systems are used. These are programs that replace the manager's diary. But not only that, CRM (customer relationships management) includes a database, stores the history of relationships with each company, sales reporting, allows you to collect and process internal marketing data of the company and much more. In other words, it is a well-developed tool that automates the sales management process.

Case study:

An enterprise operating in the B2B sphere (literally “business to business” - an organization provides its product or service to corporate clients, which allows the latter to work in their niche), has developed its own consumer relationship management program. It included:

service samples and monitoring their compliance. The standards stipulated many details (working with customer requests, deadlines for responding to written requests, business etiquette standards, package of documents provided);
reviews of services provided and quality of service. Wishes, recommendations, and comments were recorded separately;
thematic events, meetings with management personnel of the company.

This improved the process of interaction with customers, made it possible to understand their needs and reach an agreement faster.

Main sales channels for large quantities of products

A corporate client is a special concept. You are not the only one interested in the “big fish”. Let’s first talk about where it “lives” and about the bait it “bites” on. Try to find such buyers:

through advertising. “Cast the net” widely, using outdoor advertising, television, radio, and the Internet. As a rule, serious companies take the time to view profitable offers on the Internet. So feel free to create websites, electronic catalogs, into which it is convenient to add the latest information and any changes. Consider options for exchanging contact information. Leave information about yourself in all possible electronic directories and, for your part, review them regularly; perhaps your potential partner is waiting for your response to his ad;
creating our own strong customer base. This is an effective way to gain a foothold in the market and expand your position. If you need, such materials can be purchased from a competitor;
tracking events on electronic trading platforms. The Internet is your indispensable assistant. There are programs and applications that allow you to keep abreast of sales, make forecasts, analyses, monitor, respond to offers;
attending seminars, conferences, and other thematic events. There is a possibility of exchanging business cards for further cooperation;
based on the recommendations and reviews of partner companies. Other social contacts also work.

Sales channels to corporate clients are divided into active And passive.

Active ( aimed at a specific target audience ):

Direct sale. The company itself negotiates with potential consumers. The method involves personal contacts, which helps develop trust and is usually effective. However, this channel presupposes high qualifications and experience in carrying out such operations among the people conducting negotiations. The coordinated work of the entire department is also important.

Sales through a dealer. The intermediary company takes over the work of the sales department. This method is often used when there is a need to increase the level of direct sales. In practice, this is still a distribution channel. The “conductor” between the buyer and the seller must have either a database of possible clients, or a financial and labor resource. If this is not the case, selling the product will be very long and troublesome.
Internet bidding. This is a modern way used by businessmen who prefer to use the World Wide Web as the main communication and search tool. It makes it possible (with some experience) to do without the accompanying consultations of a manager and has good prospects, so its development and use continues.

Corporate sales on the market. Municipal or federal organizations have sales offices and businesses in various areas. They select suppliers of goods and services centrally. They must be serviced by the best specialists with communication skills, decent experience, and knowledge of the specifics of the product or service. The main goal of the administrator is to ensure comfortable interaction, the ability to obtain any information and resolve the issue through him.
Service sales. They provide customer service by assigning a personal employee to each of them. He identifies and takes into account the customer’s needs, guides him in choosing a specific product or service, and informs him about all changes and conditions. This channel increases profits from existing customers without significant investment.

With passive initiatives in finding a buyer come not from you, but from the consumer himself. It often happens that a well-thought-out PR campaign plays a key role. Based on recommendations from partners (“word of mouth”) or from advertising information about you, a corporate client himself contacts your organization. In case of direct requests, you need to take measures so that after communicating with the secretary or administrator, the customer does not change his mind about working with you. A good way is to create a centralized phone call processing system. Particular attention is paid to applications from potential consumers. It is convenient when signals are sent to the main office, directly to the inbound sales channel. A special manager is responsible for the work of this department. All this minimizes the risk of losing a buyer and increases the efficiency of the passive line. Thus, this way of selling goods should not be underestimated.

Difficulties of active sales to corporate clients

As in any business, when engaging in such sales, you can encounter a lot of difficulties. Its specificity is due to the characteristics of narrow group trading and its significant difference from retail or private trading. Since the client is a legal entity (organization, firm, institution), you have to communicate with a fairly wide range of people. And this implies the ability to negotiate, take into account the interests and benefits of others. Let's discuss some difficulties and ways to overcome them.

Duration of the sales procedure.

It is clear that any agreement provides for specific deadlines. It is clear to professionals in this field: the longer a deal takes, the higher the likelihood of its failure. In addition, regular operations can be carried out over several years, while the time a manager works in one company is approximately two to three years. It turns out that a situation may arise when a specialist quits, but the customer remains. How to play it safe and maintain a relationship with him?

A way to overcome. Maintain a professional client base. Preferably, this should not just be a list of buyers with phone numbers, but a well-developed CRM system, for example, 24com. This is a first-class customer accounting and application system. Using this program, you can store all the information for each counterparty and materials accompanying the preparatory period and the agreement itself.

Control of personnel work.

More than one employee is working on the deal. Its success is also due to the support of the project manager, as well as employees of back departments (those who actually provide the service or produce the product). How to coordinate their work?

A way to overcome. And again 24com will come to the rescue. With its help, you can set intermediate goals for subordinates, determine target dates and check implementation.

Attracting consumers.

Since the B2B sector deals not with ordinary customers, but with corporate ones, the problem of finding new acquirers arises. Especially if advertising funds are limited.

A way to overcome. One of the effective methods – telemarketing. The 24com CRM program will again provide invaluable support. It allows you to automate the collection of information about potential clients and the work of sales specialists.

Large volume of documents.

It is normal when a serious matter is recorded on paper. The transaction is accompanied not only by financial evidence (invoices, invoices). At the initial stage, preliminary agreements, approval of sketches and layouts are concluded and formalized. Everything must be in perfect order, because it is unknown what act will be needed at one time or another.

A way to overcome. In the 24com accounting system there is a “Documents” section. It is designed to provide storage and quick access to all data on a specific customer or contract. It also contains templates that make it possible to generate standard acts in a few seconds and immediately send them to print.